Mobile band El Cantador reunites for a pair of farewell concerts after two years off the stage. The power trio, which the newsroom has followed since 2010, plays May 29 at 10 p.m. at Government Street Grocery in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and May 30 at 8 p.m. at Callaghan’s Irish Social Club in Mobile. The two venues helped launch the band after its formation.
A Proper Send-Off
“The last show we played together was at SouthSounds here in Mobile in April of 2013,” frontman Heath Underwood said. “We felt that we should send this whole thing off properly.” The group never formally quit, he explained, but paused to live, travel and reflect. The set list draws mainly from 2011’s Fools for Light and 2013’s Translation Wave EP, plus a new song.
El Cantador’s video for “Empty Carz” topped 495,000 views, and the band once performed at Bayfest. Underwood credited bassist and synth master Alex Scharr as “the glue,” with drummer Sean Murphy completing the lineup. Each member keeps making music separately, and the farewell shows promise a few special guests from a beloved Pensacola band.