by Maria DeBlassie
Daily Lobo
Think of Kan'Nal as world music meets Pearl Jam.
That's what Tierro, lead guitarist of the band, said.
Lead singer Tzol said their show is a unique blend of music, dancing and images of sacred places around the world. In past performances, the dancers roamed the audience while feeding people grapes, passing out wine or filling the room with incense, depending on the occasion.
Kan' Nal will perform at the Wool Warehouse on Aug. 19.
Aaron Jerad, web designer and fellow musician, said they use images of sacred places in their show to stimulate and challenge the audience to think in new ways and experience new things.
"It's more than seeing a band," he said. "It's a whole experience."
The band first got together in Guatemala when each of them was living in a Mayan village. Tzol said they were independent traveling minstrels who all ended up in the same place. Tierro said they were each looking to find the time and space to make music, something their traveling enabled them to do.
The name of the band is Mayan, Tzol said, kan meaning serpent and nal meaning corn. He said they chose the serpent and corn to symbolize transformation and healing. Kan'Nal is also a play on the Spanish word canal, meaning channel, to signify that the band is channeling positive energy into the world, Tzol said. Even Tzol's name is the Mayan word for sun.
"My goal as a musician is to shine more light on the world," he said.
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Tzol said the band is attracted to the Mayan culture and all ancient cultures because they are connected to the earth and one another.
Their music dips into that connection, he said, and tries to bring it to modern society.
The band now lives together in Boulder, Colo., and will be releasing their first album, Dreamwalker in September. Jerad said the album is an intense hypnotic journey.
"We're definitely spiritual rockers," Tzol said.
Tzol said their music opens the chakras, or energy centers of the body. The vibrations of the instruments awaken the kundalini, or the mythological snake at the base of the spine, he said. When the snake reaches the top of the spine, one finds true enlightenment.
"As musicians we have the chance to say something positive to the world," Tzol said. "A lot of musicians don't see that."
Tzol said some people are afraid to experience the band's magic because the show reflects not only people's bliss but their fear. He said the fear comes from disconnection from the Earth, the self, and one another. However, most people find it a healing experience, he said. Their goal is to reunite people with themselves.
"If we can heal ourselves, we can heal our planet," Tierro said. "It's as complex and simple as that."
