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I'ma Build a Home 3:480:00/3:48
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All About Cheating 3:540:00/3:54
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For Foreigners 3:420:00/3:42
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Canção de Junho 4:390:00/4:39
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A Bicicleta 2:550:00/2:55
Gringa was a San Francisco/Oakland-based band that excited audiences with their playful and thought-provoking original songs in English and Portuguese, as well as unique, genre-bending covers of a range of classics. By mixing Brazilian (samba, forró, maracatu), funk, rock, and reggae grooves, with elements of jazz, pop and hip-hop, Gringa developed an all-inclusive “party-in-a-box” live show that seduced listeners into a tropical vacation on the dancefloor.
Originally formed in 2013 as a trio, Gringa eventually grew into a 6-piece band of all female/gender non-conforming musicians, who often played in various venues around the Bay Area. In 2018, Gringa released an EP on the Beezwax Trax label called “Letters from A. Broad” featuring original songs written by bandleaders Kate Pittard and Maya Finlay. Gringa stopped performing in 2019 following Kate's passing from breast cancer in Nov 2018.
The name Gringa is a pie in the face of US exceptionalism and imperialism, an antithesis to xenophobia, while the band’s female/queer lineup was a direct challenge to patriarchal norms and stereotypes. While many lyrics contain tongue-in-cheek humor, others address serious themes of love, loss, and social and eco justice. Gringa aimed to be an artivist refuge of fun, inclusiveness and internationalism, whose music connected with people, and connected people together, dismantling bigotry one beat at a time.
Gringa supported their values by participating in counterculture and fundraising events, including past collaborations with Rock the Bike, Coletivo Desbordar, Women's Audio Mission, Rivers International, and Breast Cancer Action.
Members included: Avelina Brown-Nuñez, Caroline Chung, Diana Di Battista, Maya Finlay, Luna Fuentes-Vaccaro, Claire Haas, Megha Makam, Zori Marinova, Kate Pittard, Jenelle Roccaforte
Special guests and collaborators: Annette A. Aguilar, BananaMan, Roberta de Camargo Blake, Rhonda Kinard, Amber Levinson
