There’s great cause for celebration in the magnificent, empowering and sometimes chaotic world that is Gozamos, not that we ever need an excuse to get together and party, but, on this occasion we’re gathering for our Gózalo event – a monthly celebration of arts, community and culture. Join us this Friday, March 25, at Cultura in Pilsen and join the fun with the Gozamos crew along with performances by Chicago bands Súbele and The Peachtree with music selections by Angelfuk of The Ponderers/Future Rootz.
All proceeds from the evening go to the performing artists and towards Gozamos, which is not-for-profit and run by an all-volunteer team.
We had a chance to interview Súbele and The Peachtree about their art, community and culture. If you’ve heard their music, then you know to expect a great time. If you haven’t, then Friday is your chance.
SÚBELE
“We just wanna squeeze the lines as much as possible.”
Rik, Luis Tivuron, Jonny Fadez, Sam Rock and Reginald, are a Chicago-based group of musicians that came together with a shared love of music and a passion for fusing sounds that make people dance. From funk to cumbia, and everything in between, and lyricism that speaks on urban life, the band has grown exponentially since their first live performance less than a year ago.
Gathered at their rehearsal space on Chicago’s south side, the band’s warm welcome was an unexpected relief – and joy! – compared to the jitter of nerves and egos usually encountered when interviewing up and coming bands, especially if they’re surrounded by a posse of fans. In this case, the band’s straightforward responses and down to earth attitude made it a pleasure to speak with them about all things musical, and in some instances, mystical.
In the song, “Rosie Rosita,” there’s a line that mentions “la ciudad de la furia” (the city of fury) – tell me more about that…
The song is about the train, the Pink Line, and how it goes from this laid back, chill environment of rooftops and the working class of the South side and as it heads into the Loop the skyline begins to change and it feels drastic because you’re suddenly surrounded by all these high rises, all this technology and it’s like a city of fury like the one Cerati mentions in his Soda Stereo song, “En la ciudad de la furia.” – Luis
It was also inspired by Common. I used to love him and how he was always talking about certain parts of Chicago in his music. You can’t forget where you came from and this is a shout out to all the people of our community and those who understand what we’re talking about when they hear the phrase, “Voy en la Rosita.” – Jon
You’ve grown so fast in such a small amount of time, what are the band’s goals at this point?
We want to inspire people. We want to play as much as we can and establish good connections. We want to continue creating music and writing and hopefully begin and finish recording before summer.
[At this point I give them a look because they kind of started backwards – no diss to them or those who choose this route – but it makes it difficult to promote their band when there isn’t music to promote with, know what I mean? However, the genius of it all is that without having recorded an EP or album, they’ve already been playing more than most bands ever expect to play in their first year. Amazing!]
I mean, what gives, where’s the music?
We all have some sort of musical experience so I think that has helped us get more done than a band just starting out. Our participation in the USHLI conference, all the gigs we’ve had plus our personal endeavors have kept us away from the studio but we have the music because we’ve been busy creating and we’re hopeful you’ll have an album in your hands by this summer.
Promise?
Promise! Sort of. ..
We’ll have a more in-depth interview with Súbele in the coming weeks so stay tuned! In the meantime, check out their interview with Nuestro Ruido.
The Peach Tree
The Peach Tree was formed in Aurora in 2008 looking to create their own eclectic fusion of sounds within the Latin rock, jazz and hip-hop genres. Jesus Diaz (JustOne) and Carlos Jacobo (Most the Jackal) are the band’s founders and lead vocalists with Josh Byrd on bass, Alex Nicole on guitar and Cristian Saenz (C-Beatz) on drums.
Their debut album, Did You Hear What I Said, released in 2010 was influenced by artists like Rage Against The Machine, Ozomatli and Eric B. and Rakim, sounds you can hear in their current music which has evolved to include more dance rhythms like cumbia and funk. In their most recent recording, El Segundo, the band explored those Latin sounds further.
Your album El Segundo features Latino themes, lyrics and rhythms – what led you to incorporate those elements that may not necessarily have been in your debut album?
In late 2008, when the idea of turning The Peachtree (2 MC’s and a DJ) into a band came about our goal was to create a sound and vibe that represented our cultures, community and musical backgrounds. The initial thought of delivering a fusion sound (Latin, Rock, Funk, Jazz, Ska, Blues) presented a complete challenge. The fact that every member came from a different musical background led to a basic Rock/Rap sound that we never truly wanted but seemed to work at the given moment. Our follow up album, “El Segundo” was released a few years later and by then, we had grown as a band (and individually) bringing about more of the sound that we had initially hoped for.
Where does the love of Latin rock and hip hop come from?
Carlos Jacobo “Most the Jackal” and Jesus Diaz “Just One” have been involved with the hip-hop movement since they were pre-teens. From attending BBoy/BGirl competitions to writing Graff or to supporting DJ/Producer events and being involved in local MC competitions, the love for hip-hop has always been there. Cristian Saenz, Chris Calderon and Kevin Ozoa (the instrumentalists of the band) have been able to tie their musical backgrounds together allowing us deliver a solid Latin Rock and Hip Hop sound.
What makes The Peachtree eclectic?
Naturally, due to the nature of our cultural and racial backgrounds (Mexico, Guatemala, Philippians, US) we tend to gravitate into a more eclectic sound. We love to incorporate and play with different sounds if the opportunity presents itself.
Do y’all pop lock and b-boy break on stage during your performance? 😉
Haha nah, we’re out of shape. Carlos has a mean knee spin, though.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a band?
The fact that we’re pretty eclectic has presented a challenge. We’re too Rock for Hip Hop heads and we’re too Hip Hop for Rock heads. lol. It’s true! Promoters don’t know how to market us as they have a difficult time booking us for their respective showcases.
The Peachtree has a new album set for a summer release, titled Sunshine Yellow Nights. Plus, Jesus Diaz just wrapped up his solo hip-hop album, Smile for Tomorrow.
What can we expect at your gig this Friday?
This is the first show that the original 5 members will play together since maybe 2010 or 2011. Since then, we’ve had a few different players (whom we now consider family) come in and out of the band. We might be a lil rusty but the energy and juices will be flowing at a high level on the 25th.
Angelfuk of The Ponderers
Yes, I’m laughing out loud because I should interview myself for this portion but I’m not. All I will say is I’m gonna rock your socks off so you better be ready.
See you Friday!
