Dominicanäda. [pronounced “doh-mee-nee-kah-nă-da” in English - accentuation on the second last “a”] Founded in January 1992 by Julio Chicón, Gerardo Brizuela, Junior Santos and Antonio Perez, Dominicanäda was Canada’s premier latin band for almost a decade in the 90’s. Their name means “something typically characteristic of Dominican Republic and its culture”, as in “Canadiana”, or “Americana”. Its three last syllables make up the word “Canada” and it was a suitable coincidence since were based out of the city of Toronto, Ontario, in Canada. Even though the latino community in Toronto was only a few thousands at the time, the popularity of merengue and many other latin rhythms within such a multi-cultural society made them one of the most in-demand latin bands in the 90s in the city, and allowed them to travel and tour many times not only in Canada but also the US., promoting their music, selling records and performing live at different venues and festivals, way before the spread of the internet and social media sites. Their shows were well known for being highly energetic and having a large ensemble of musicians on stage, which included 4 percussionist, bass, piano, a full horn section with brass and reeds, and the front line singers who also danced synchronized choreography, leading some to label them as Canada’s latin music power house. - Check out dominicanada.net for more info and interesting facts.