La Rúa, Charlotte’s premier Latin Rock band, began in 2002 in Charlotte, NC thanks to three curious and eager musicians from Ecuador - Jorge Loor (guitar, lead vocals), Juan Miguel Marin (drums, lead vocals), and Juan Pablo Chavez (bass, vocals). Thanks to the addition of Venezuelan Tony Arreaza (guitar, vocals) and Ecuadorian Herman Marin (keyboard, percussion, vocals), brother of drummer Juan Miguel Marin, La Rúa soon became an energetic quintet.

La Rúa’s sound is a fresh mix of soulful guitar-driven music and catchy radio-ready melodies, performed with the energy and passion of a band that loves every second of being on stage.

La Rúa has opened sold-out shows for multi-Grammy nominees Los Lonely Boys, Grammy-winners Molotov, and has toured with multi-Grammy nominees Los Amigos Invisibles. La Rúa has also shared the stage with bands such as Tranzas, Sóniko and Palo Viejo. 

In January 2005, La Rúa released its debut album, “Una Noche de Abril” (A Night in April) and received its first official review by The Charlotte Observer’s Courtney Devores,who gave La Rúa’s debut album an “A”. According to Devores, “LA RÚA DELIVERS A SOLID DEBUT- Although all of the lyrics are sung in Spanish, non-Spanish speaking listeners won’t have a problem interpreting the emotions in the songs.”

La Rúa’s first music video, “El Chanchito” (The Piggy bank), was filmed and premiered in July of 2005. Produced by Steve Saxon from SAXON HD, “El Chanchito” was the first HD (high definition) music video shot in the Carolinas.  Soon after el “El Chanchito’s” video premiere at The Visulite Theatre, the video aired on MTV Español, Mun2, and it was chosen as Buzz Video on LATV.

“La Jeva,” La Rúa’s second music video, was released in March 2006. “La Jeva” tells the story of five men falling for the same woman, and, in the end, she breaks all of their hearts. Also filmed and directed by Steve Saxon, this is the second music video shot in HD (high definition) format in the Carolinas.

Selected by Creative Loafing as “Best Live Band in 2005,” La Rúa never sits still. In 2004, La Rúa created “Carlotan Rock” the region’s first and only Latin Rock festival. Featuring 3 local bands, Carlotan Rock 2004 gathered over 500 people. Carlontan Rock 2005 attracted 5 local and 2 national bands – Sóniko (Miami, FL) and Diazero (Atlanta, GA), and over 1,000 people attended the event. In 2006, La Rúa did it again, with a successful Carlotan Rock 2006 that featured 7 bands, including Grammy-nominees Los Amigos Invisibles, and the release of a multimedia live EP called MUSESESSIONS.  Already, La Rúa is hard at work planning Carlotan Rock 2007 and continuing to grow the region’s only Latin Rock festival.

La Rúa has received national coverage in HARP  & PASTE magazine, Batanga and has had numerous covers and articles written in The Charlotte Observer, Creative Loafing, La Noticia, Primera Fila, Que Pasa?, Reven and numerous websites such as www.charlottelivemusic.com , www.enchufate.net , www.movimientofabrika.com , and radio stations such as NPR, La Tremenda (Charlotte, NC) and La Mega Estación (Caracas, Venezuela).

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