It was all about Carlos Santana and his band, Santana.
The FUZE Band won the opportunity to perform May 6 at Switch on Summer.
Chicago musician William Rincon and his band couldn’t get enough of playing cover songs from the Grammy-winning rock artist with the Latin-music vibe. Rincon’s band was named Señor Groove in honor of the band’s, and Santana’s, Latin roots.
“When we started branching out to playing the music of other artists such as Los Lonely Boys, Earth Wind and Fire and Buddy Guy, we changed our name to the FUZE Band,” William says.
“FUZE derives from the word “fusion,” which is a perfect band name for us because our music is a fusion of different genres of music,” he says. “In addition, because of the energy and power that we generate with our music, some also think of fuse as the ignition on a stick of dynamite.”
The FUZE Band is excitedly preparing to perform in front of the Buckingham Fountain on Saturday, May 6, as ComEd joins the Chicago Park District to celebrate switching on the fountain for the summer.
The FUZE Band earned the gig at the annual Switch on Summer event by winning ComEd’s Facebook contest. Each band submitted a music video and ComEd selected finalists based on originality, creativity, and professionalism. The FUZE Band then won the contest by earning the most “likes” on the ComEd Facebook page.
“I never win anything, so this was a huge surprise,” William says. The band also won $1,000, which he says they’ll use to create business cards and other promotional materials.
The FUZE Band has been together for three years, but the members have known each other for more than 30 years. They grew up jamming together or with other bands.
“I moved away for 25 years, but I am glad to be back in Chicago with my family and to jam with my friends again,” William says.
FUZE Band Members:
- William Rincon, lead guitar and vocals
- Joe Rendon, conga drums, percussion and vocals
- Ruben Agosto, keyboards
- Jesse Tobias, bass guitar and vocals
- Victor Camacho, lead vocals and percussion
- Jaime Claudio, timbales and vocals
- Luis Rosario, drums and percussion
- Sammie Torres, congas, bongos, percussion
Switch on Summer takes place Saturday, May 6, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in front of Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, 301 S. Columbus Drive.
The historic fountain, which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year, will be switched on at 6 p.m. Local television personality Ana Belaval will host the event, which also includes games, entertainment and hands-on activities by nearly 20 arts and culture partners such as the Shedd Aquarium and Brookfield Zoo.
