What do you imagine when you think of steel drums and Caribbean music? Well, think again. Put away your flowered shirt and your white shoes. This ain't Margaritaville. And it ain't Jamaica either. Based in Seattle, the grunge capital of the world, Bakra Bata' rhythmically brings together the sounds of celebration and life; they groove on sensuality and love; and with precision they strike the soul with the percussive sounds of Brazil, Africa, Cuba, and Haiti.

Bakra Bata's music is the sound of America's reality in the 21st century. The band has been reported in the L.A. Times as creating "music that side steps cultural biases." Bakra Bata' distinctly creates music to reflect our world; your world; the world of entertainment today. This is world music with an American point of view.

In 1984 the band began as street entertainment, elbowing competitors to the side and staging their own premiere appearances in downtown Seattle, in front of Nordstrom's and (at the time) the country's only Starbuck's. After years of waiting out the rain, Bakra Bata' bought a truck and hit the festival and college circuits to provide a unique new form of entertainment. Today, the band's entertainment history includes four performances at New York's Lincoln Center, opening for Zap Mama, Tito Puente, and Milton Nasciemento at the Houston International Festival, Carnival in Sao Paulo and Bahia Brazil with Carlinhos Brown and Tony Mola, Bethlehem Musikest, Milwaukee Summerfest, and numerous events throughout Canada.

Bakra Bata' is celebrating the release of their latest recording, Get Up and Dance. This recording pays tribute to some of the great pioneers of Afro-Caribbean music. The song list features Bakra Bata's famous steel drums and includes jazz, reggae, and bossa nova cuts. There are no stylistic boundaries that need apply - this is a natural evolution for the Caribbean music genre. The band is also planning their next project which will be packed from top to bottom and bulging on the sides with original songs that will fuel your party and feed your soul.