Saturday night at Craft Local in downtown Billings transformed into a lively fiesta with the vibrant rhythms of salsa, jazz, and Latin music. The infectious sounds ignited the crowd immediately into excitement and dance.
The electric atmosphere was brought to life by the John Roberts y Pan Blanco band, whose music filled the room with energy.
"Estamos listos a bailar? Are we ready to dance?" Roberts said to the crowd before beginning the show, setting the tone for the evening.
Having performed in Montana and across the country for over a decade, the band knows how to put on a show.
“They're one of those bands that, some of them you hear around town, well, it's about the third song before anybody gets up and dances. John Roberts starts playing, and it takes about 30 seconds and people are on the floor," said Steve Fryverger, who was in attendance at Saturday night's concert.
Fryverger and his wife Sophia Martinez live in Columbus and have been fans of the band for 10 years. They attempt to travel every time they can to see one of their shows after stumbling upon them by chance one night.
“We're driving down the street, and across I heard this noise, and I said, 'Go around the block, honey.' We just happened upon them playing on Montana [Ave.] over by the rail yards probably 10 years ago. Ever since then, we hit them up at everywhere we can," said Martinez.
The band is an ensemble of six to eight musicians using various instruments such as trombone, trumpet, drums, guitars, and congas. They play African and Latin music with jazz, soul, funk, and salsa influences. Their music is all original and sung in both English and Spanish. Before playing, attendees could learn how to salsa dance from an instructor, making them well-prepared to jive during the performance.
“They're the best live band in Montana, I think. No question about it," said Fryverger. "There's nobody playing music like they are around Billings these days."
The creator, lead singer, and trombonist, John Roberts, has been a music staple in the Billings community himself for over a decade, both as a professor of music and performer.
Roberts was born in Miles City but grew up in Malta. At age five, he learned to play the piano on his family's ranch. In high school, he played trombone in his high school band, later going to college at MSU Billings. He graduated with a performance degree but decided to move to California for his master's degree at the California Institute of the Arts. That is where his love for Afro-Latin music blossomed.
He auditioned for an Afro-Latin band, getting accepted his second year, and through the band, met many players in the salsa circuit.
“I just really fell in love with the music because of the energy it provided. It was a blend of some jazz chords, but those Cuban rhythms and lots of energy for a trombonist,” said Roberts.
He toured for several bands and musicians for 17 years, traveling across the world to six continents.
“I toured with many bands, Afro-Cuban, jazz, soul, orchestras for about 17 years in Los Angeles, as well as a lot of recording sessions for movies and records and commercials. That music took me all over the world," said Roberts.
Through playing for various artists and bands, he further developed his Spanish skills by learning the vocals of Hispanic songs. Roberts said the blend of cultures he experienced while touring taught him lessons that stuck.
"You learn a lot of tolerance and empathy and learn how people are really living. When you go to places like Africa and Cuba and parts of Mexico and see how people are living in poverty, but still creating this super happy music, it's kind of eye-opening,” said Roberts.
However, after many years, a teaching opportunity as a music professor at MSUB brought him back to Montana, and his Latin influences with him.
“It was kind of hard to leave Los Angeles, but when I got here, there was not much going on in a world music scene, surprisingly," joked Roberts. “I did a Latin jazz concert in Cecil Hall, which seats 200 people and about 300 people showed up, so I go, 'Well, maybe I'll keep this thing going.'”
In 2013, piecing together what would become the 'John Roberts y Pan Blanco' band. It was officially established in 2014, quickly taking off due to the uniqueness of music for the area. The name itself, Pan Blanco, directly translates to "white bread," a nickname Roberts often heard while touring and decided to keep it for the band's name.
“A lot of times I was the only blanco in the band, so sometimes they called me pan blanco. I was trying to figure out a name for the band and one of the guys I used to play with Chicano musician was like, 'Why don't you just call it Pan Blanco?'" said Roberts. "It's a little bit tongue-in-cheek. Most people don't have a problem with it, so it just shows that we have a sense of humor but also pay respects to that Latino side of music that we perform.”
Roberts will feature other musicians at his shows. He will often invite those he played with in California to join in on a concert, and sometimes when he plays in Billings, he will bring his students on stage.
Diego Charlet is a French and Spanish international student at MSUB who opened Saturday's show for Pan Blanco, singing Flamenco-style music and playing his Spanish guitar.
“Back home when I'm with my friends in Spain, every night before we go clubbing, I always get the guitar and everyone starts singing and playing palmas. It's just such a cool thing. I feel like I kind of want to bring that to here as well, even though people don't always really understand what I'm doing,” said Charlet.
Charlet was originally born in Paris, France, but moved to Madrid, Spain when he was 13 years old. He began singing and taking guitar lessons at an early age. Growing up, he performed in both countries with several bands.
For college, he first studied at Bath Spa University in the UK, but after a year took a semester abroad at MSUB with a friend studying music performance. Roberts was his professor for several classes and was such a positive influence on Charlet that he decided to fully transfer to Montana. He has now been studying in Billings for three years.
“John is definitely one of the reasons why I decided to stay here because he's so cool. He's so inspiring," said Charlet. “He took the time to like take me around all the school and explain me all the stuff, talk to me and all that. He's always like very personal with everyone, like intimate with everyone, even though he's got so much to do."
Roberts has been a role model for him in the States and helped guide him.
“He's probably the coolest guy I've ever met. I wish I could be like him one day, you know, except keep my hair, hopefully,” joked Charlet. “This is actually the first time he asked me to open for Pan Blanco, which is so cool. I think it's definitely the coolest band in Billings by far."
During the show, Charlet captivated the audience with several Spanish songs on his guitar, bringing something new and fresh to Billings. The performance created a bridge between his life in Montana and his roots back home.
“It really gets me closer to home. Spain has my heart. It's really important to be able to connect to my country being here and so far from home. It's really a strong feeling, I'm still kind of there in a certain way. My heart is still there and my heart will always be there,” said Charlet. "It's kind of like the closest thing I can do to being back home."
Both Charlet and Roberts hope their styles of music not only act as an introduction to the genres but find a way to resonate with the audience.
“In Billings, we have a great audience base. There's a lot of Latinos here. Every time I thought about like, 'Oh, I'm going to move on to another project,' people are like, 'Well, this music means a lot. It reminds me of when I was a kid or when my parents used to play this music or my grandparents.' It is really an important part of the tapestry of American music,” said Roberts.
For many in attendance, their music is more than just a genre. It serves as a connection to their roots and allows them to reminisce about childhood memories, family gatherings, and the sounds that shaped their lives.
“I haven’t heard this kind of music here. My grandfather used to sing this music all the time, and I listen to this and I just love this. The Latin music is just beautiful,” said Martinez.
The band's contributions extend beyond entertainment and are essential to keeping the Montana Latin music scene vibrant for future musicians.
“I like to open minds a little bit. It surprises people a lot that I'm from Montana when I do this unless they know me from Montana," said Roberts. “I think you can do you can do whatever you want anywhere. There's no rules on what styles of music you can or can't learn and play.”
His passion serves as an inspiration for many in Billings and across the state, proving that music knows no boundaries. Whether it was someone's first time listening to them or their tenth concert, different backgrounds were able to come together through one shared experience: the unifying force of music.
“Come see Pan Blanco. It is the best band in Billings, and is probably the best time you'll ever have here," said Charlet.
Click here for more information on future Pan Blanco shows.
