Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes

Facing a stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis, Chuck Prophet wasn’t sure he’d live long enough to see the end of the year, let alone get back on tour. “I was going through a tunnel,” he recalls. “It was dark. But I had music: music to play, music to listen to, music to get me out of my head. Music was my savior.” Specifically, Cumbia music, which sustained and inspired him throughout his illness and recovery, leading to his collaboration with noted Cumbia band ¿Qiensave? on his latest album Wake the Dead. They’re now touring in support of the album, with irresistible rhythms hearkening back to the jungles of South America and the streets of San Francisco, with elements of punk, funk, rock, surf, and soul.