root salad
f22 12 shots from the fRoots Rocket Launcher a dozen leading questions to fire at Los De Abajo
If you were given the funds to organise a concert bill, who would the artists be?
As there is no limit to our fantasy or to the budget, our programme for this con- cert will be extensive, rich, colourful, eclec- tic, greedy and expensive. It’s gonna be a celebration. In no particular order:
Bob Marley, Ella Fitzgerald, Banda Ioni- ca, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Tigres Del Norte, Silvio Rodriguez, Cesaria Evora, Muñequitos De Matanzas, Badenya Les Freres, De Kift, Duke Ellington, Tom Waits, Ruben Blades, Oscar De Leon, Madness, Bela Fleck, Tokyo Ska Paradise, The Clash, ‘Rockdrigo’ Gonza- lez, Skatalites, Yamato, Taraf De Haidouks, Kocani Orkestar, Lou Reed, Gogol Bordello, Los Camperos De Valles, Mono Blanco, Chico Cesar, Bob Dylan, Treble Spankers, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Irakere, Manu Chao, Sono- ra Matancera, Tin Tan, Miss Platinum, Baby- lon Circus, Novalima, Nelly Furtado, Café Tacuba, Cachao, Arcadio Hidalgo, Johnny Cash, Los Cojolites, Calle 13, Los De Abajo.
Which totally obscure record do you most treasure and would like more people to know about?
Canek Cabrera: Keith Jarrett’s Sur-
vivor’s Suite; ‘Rockdrigo’ Gonzalez, Hurban- istorias; Irakere, Misa Negra; De Kift, Koper.
Yocu Arellano: Il Balleto Di Bronzo, Ys. What was the best live gig you ever saw?
Vladimir Garnica: Pink Floyd’s first concert in Mexico City. In terms of sound, and visually, it was something that had never been seen before in Mexico.
Daniel Vallejo: Eddie Palmieri at the
Puerto Vallarta Jazz Festival, 1998. The conga man was amazing! The whole con- cert was, really, a magic trip...
And what was the worst?
Canek: Rachid Taha in New Zealand. There was a high expectation, we knew about him and liked his music but had not seen him perform before. We did not like the attitude at all, besides, they were using too many samples.
Daniel: When I was in my 20s, I remember (unfortunately) some ‘blues’ band playing completely out of tune. They called me to play with them and I just couldn’t say no. It was like a nightmare; the longest 30 minutes of my life.
What was your own best ever gig?
Canek: Each concert is a unique expe- rience; each city, stage and audience gives you something special. This is a few that are memorable for me: Womad Adelaide; Womad Reading; De Vloer, Utrecht, 2002; Vancouver Folk Fest; Montreal Jazz Fest; Ariano Irpino Folk Fest 2010; El Foro Alicia in Mexico City, 2000 or 2001.
Daniel: I have had several but I remem- ber ‘Gurten Festival’ in Switzerland in 2002. It was a really heavy vibe going on there; all the people were making a noise like in a stadium, asking for more and more music.
And what was your worst?
Canek: New York City, 2004. It was at the end of an extended tour, there was missing luggage including some instru- ments. It was probably not the right place for the band to perform. We did not con- nect among us, it did not feel right at all.
Vladimir: It was in Cuernavaca three
years ago. We had a lot of technical trou- ble, I had the feeling that I was going to be electrocuted. I could feel small electric shocks when I got close to the mic and very often while I played my guitar.
What’s the professional achievement you’re most proud of?
Canek: Being awarded the BBC Radio
3 World Music Award for the Americas in 2003. Still making music and enjoying it.
Yocu: Still playing with Los De Abajo after many years and confronting many obstacles, including some legal ones.
Vladimir: Representing my country at an international level by performing our music together with my companions.
What’s the most embarrassing thing you ever did in public?
Daniel: I was playing once in front of a crowd, it was Latin stuff so my hips were moving while I was playing. Then I saw two girls pointing at me and laughing a lot, then I realised that my flies were open!
Which song or piece of music would you most like to have written yourself?
Canek: Mussorgsky, Pictures At An
Exhibition; Ravel, Bolero; any song by Sil- vio Rodriguez or Ruben Blades; Bob Mar- ley, Get Up, Stand Up; Amador Perez Tor- res, Danzón Nereidas; Chico Cesar, Mama Africa; Syd Barrett, Matilda Mother…
Vladimir: Bach’s Well-Tempered
Clavier; Pedro Navaja or Buscando Guaya- ba by Ruben Blades.
Who was the first musician or singer you were inspired to emulate?
Odisea Valenzuela: Silvio Rodriguez, Ruben Blades.
Edgar Chavez: Deep Purple, Led Zep- pelin, The Doors, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jaco Pastorius, Patitucci, Los Tigres Del Norte, La Polla Records, Ruben Blades.
Daniel: Dexter Gordon because he had a great tenor sax sound, at the same time very relaxed with a strong expression. I always wanted to develop a sound like his.
Mauricio Diaz: Paquito D’Rivera, Bach,
Transglobal Underground, Toto La Mom- posina, Steel Pulse, Bob Marley, The Seed.
Canek: I admire many artists but Silvio Rodriguez has been in the picture ever since I can remember. My parents listened to his music when I was a child and I learnt to sing some of his songs quite early on without knowing their meaning. Later, I realised not only the beauty of his lyrics and their con- struction but also their meaning and signifi- cance, especially to us, the citizens of Latin America. The respect just kept on growing.
Who was the last-but-one musician or singer you lusted after?
Yocu: Cara Dillon
If you had a rocket launcher, who or what would be the target, and why?
Yocu: The President of México, Felipe Calderón, because he sold everything left to Spain and the USA and because he start- ed a war against narcos that has taken the lives of too many people.
Daniel and Canek: Even though we might have a lot of options, we say nothing and nobody because we don’t think vio- lence is the right answer to anything at all.
Los De Abajo’s latest album Actitud
Calle is out now on Wrasse Records.
wrasserecords.com www.losdeabajo.tv F
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