Excited to interview this band
of experimental - avant garde music
that's super cool
super cool...
You have so many influences and mixed styles that
is so interesting to me. And your peculiar story
in which we know that Juan—
Well let's introduce you first
Juan Carlos Mata, the band's singer. From Guatemala.
We have, Ricardo?
Manuel Rodríguez, my apologies.
In the bass.
And we have... Ricardo?
No, Carlos Dimas.
Carlos Dimas, in the guitar.
And Jayson Yordan, in the drums.
Perfect.
Ok, well... My first question goes to
Juan and Ricardo, right?
Manuel!
Kike
And who's Ricardo?
Nobody!
isn't it Manuel Ricardo?
Who's Ricardo? Where's Ricardo?
Well I found wrong information.
Well what I want to know first is how you met each other? at 2012, to start what Baba Gris is today
I know it was at the Music Conservatory. But what's the story there?
Well, I arrived in 2009.
I was in Guatemala, and got ready to study abroad
that's what I wanted to do. And I started at the Conservatory
there I learned what I came to learn there.
And I met Kike
And told him that I had a couple of ideas I wanted to share with him
because I had seen him playing
and I talked to him and I liked him
so I basically showed him ideas from songs I was working on long before
and he told me "yeah, let's do something"
and that's when we started. Around 2012.
It's not that romantic, the story.
I don't know if you were hoping for something else
Yeah... I was hoping for more romance
But is ok. It's a good one.
But things have happened since then.
Alright.
And how is it that a young Guatemalan musician artist
decides to come to work and grow in Puerto Rico?
how does that happen?
Well, that one isn't romantic either
because I was applying to different colleges
And I was accepted in some of them, and I thought
well I think I can pay myself the one in Puerto Rico. And that's why I came here.
In total ignorance. I had no idea where I was going.
And did it filled your expectations? How's it been?
It surpassed them.
Alright! Perfect. Awesome.
And how's been the experience for the rest of the band, playing in Puerto Rico?
that are Puerto Ricans.
With relation to Baba Gris, right?
Yes. Since you are in Baba Gris.
Well very surprisingly.
because when I first met Mata (Juan) and we started to share ideas
we didn't expect much.
Because it was me at the Conservatory learning jazz
and crazy to apply all the shit—
sorry!
all the THINGS that I wanted—
My bad.
Well the things. All the things that you're obliged to learn there
I wanted to apply them
And when meeting Mata, I kinda saw a way out in that
Because he had such refreshing ideas
and with mine, so dense, well it helped a lot.
the experience playing here? well surprisingly.
Because once this developed, we integrated more and more pleople
besides the band, more people.
and the best of it is when people are grateful for
things you're doing, that you don't necessarily have the intention
of being thanked for.
You're just simply playing and that's it.
Exactly.
Alright, and when you say that you integrate more people,
I know that you collaborate with artists from other disciplines,
again, how does that happen?
How do you decide to collab with these other artists?
that perform and do other things.
Well, since we started the band—
and I think all bands from the scene—
because of the current conditions of Puerto Rico
are so particular, to be a musician or have a band,
so we kinda have to create our own audience.
Because it's not like other countries that have like 20,000m habitants
—I mean, not 20,000m more like 20 million—
So with just a few that like your music, you'll always have a crowd
but here is a little more difficult
here everyone is part of all the crowds at the same time
so you have to kinda create your space in there
so... what was the question?
I swear it had something to do, but i forgot
Yeah, I think is the romance in here that distracted you
Yeah, this one is feeling me here so...
We are more comfortable this way.
Manuel?
No um, Ricardo.
Sorry! how rude is that?
I'm sorry.
Carlos!
Hey! You can call us "gordos"
Gordos? Ok.
Gorditos? Alright. More romance.
Oh! Right. So while we kept on making our own shows
and looking for new spaces to play
spaces that are not necessarily venues or typical
—in the middle of the street, town squares, little bars—
we always looked for a way so that every show had its particular flow.
In the way of using the space,
and collaborating, and bringing new artists.
So we could say, for example:
"Alright, this show will be characterized by the collaboration with this guitarist".
"Patillas" from Sr. Langosta, for example. Who is part of the workmates we exchange with.
Natalia Delgado, flamenco tap dancer. Who worked with us for a while.
And like that...
Sort of by chance too.
Sometimes people that cross your path, and its like
"hey, wanna do this?"
"yeah", "ok then, for this next event everything will be about this or that"
So this always helps to keep us fresh.
And is very healthy for our relationship.
Very cool.
Yeah! That must keep the fire alive always.
We have to experiment among ourselves.
So the flame never dies.
And we continue with the romance.
And with other people.
Yeah. Ok. Alright.
So...
I was going to say.
Sorry—
Another one of the reasons is because
one always playing and watching
one finds so so so so much talent
that you just want to hoard it all.
Is like: "Wow, come play with me and let's see what comes out"
and that leads to experiences that would't happen any other way
If we were a band that was all "us, us, us"
we wouldn't have learned everything we have learned in this project.
Totally get the feeling.
Here in armariolocal® where we want to include all the super talented artists
to be part of the events.
Ok, um... what was my next question?
Yeah! What were you going to say?
Well, besides everything they already said
I think that any artist would nurture from
other disciplines. Even to understand oneself
in the search that is leading.
So, I super recommend it for anyone.
In fact, each of us within the band have our own concerns too.
Like, Jayson who also paints.
I do it as a hobby too, and draw too
and that gives you another perspective of what you're doing
so I think that we all should be open to collaborate with other disciplines.
And not only in the arts, but also with people
working the land...
people that's working in social fields, communications.
It's easier if people unite and communicate together
what's happening in this society, the country, the region, the here and the now
and that's also why the documentation of our tour in Guatemala was done.
He (documentarist) was another artist that collaborated with us
and we gave him full liberty
we told him "come with us, document everything, and let's see what happens"
so he was in, and this became a family with one more member.
Excatly. Very beautiful.
I read that part of the purpose and mission
of your trip to Guatemala,
was to "recognize yourselves, fraternize, and to discover or manifest your concerns"
and that was one of my final questions:
What are those concerns?
but now that you brought it,
What concerns you? That you wish to manifest
and I want to know if you accomplished that in your trip
as part of that purpose that you wanted to achieve.
in Guatemala.
There are several songs that we currently play from Bhava
that are in the record,
which essence I've been carrying from Guatemala
for example, the song Guatemala, was composed there
before even knowing them. In fact, I had another band
so the lyrics are full of what I was living at that time
so that's why part of the tour's objective
was to recognize ourselves as a band.
because after that tour—
Hi
after that tour, I'm pretty sure they
understood far better the songs and their lyrics
and I also kinda understood them even more
because the place where you come from it obviously influences you greatly
and that was part of the search.
Nice.
The tour also served us to get to know us better
and those concerns, all artists have them
everyone who's an artist wants to express their feelings
for their art to serve as a window to what's inside their head.
So the tour helped in its ways.
We were around 23 days over there?
23 days, yeah.
And we played 11 times, we filmed the video,
we let loose our creativity in that sense.
And it went very well, we knew each other as never before over there.
It was very good as a band.
What experience you had that marked you?
Because 23 days is almost a month.
We have a little friend over here!
Well, one of the experiences that I think marked us all
—in general—
was well, the fact that we went with 5 shows that we had already booked
for 23 days, you know
that's a little wild, if you consider how tours are, right...
so it was a tour filled with challenges
and self proving.
We went with 5 shows, in the run, more than the double came up
like 6 more
so we realized, how to risk that ideally perfect planning,
it puts us in the spot, and makes us be super creative
so one of the days, we'll remember most, was
when we went to the beach
—that we were only passing by to shoot some scenes—
and we had to spend the night,
so the group decides "well let's spend the night here
and ask if we are allowed to play"
and if they'd let us stay for free and gave us food or something,
and effectively, we went there and spoke to them
and just by talking, you know... that open mindedness of them to the arts
and to allow that kind of exchange, was amazing.
But we didn't have all the instruments and equipment
we didn't have speakers and such...
so we were like: "well let's walk around and see if we find any"
something that's completely ridiculous and sounds stupid
to do that in a place you've never been before.
I think not even him, have went that place before—
Oh! yeah so we went to a church
and we asked to borrow equipment, and I don't know how,
there's a little bit of that, that appears in one episode (of the documentary), but
the equipment appeared. And the show was given
and it was great, and they let us stay for free
and they gave us food
and that's when you say, well one has to risk it and go on to have this experiences
without necessarily being fully prepared
because they push you, and make you very creative
and that was how the rest of the tour went, everything kept falling in place.
So that was one of the concerns that marked us,
The "being prepared" vs. "getting prepared"
vs. "plan things thoroughly"
the lesson was more like: "well you gotta risk it".
and I think that's already a part of our methodology as a group,
well, getting much from improvisation.
And another thing is—generally speaking about music—
the music we do
is the integrity and compromise we have to the music
that we want to do.
And something surprising about that trip was
wherever you went
the people were astonished
in a way that they hugged you at the end of the show
that to me, that was very shocking
you know, was like you started a show, did what you always do
with great passion and energy
and people at the end payed you with hugs and affection
and you're like: "well, ok, this is good"–
That's a hint you know?
Like, they're hoping to have a couple of hugs from you at the end
no?
That's the thing!
We never hope for that,
but when you get them,
you're like: "oh well, we're doing what were supposed to"
In a way, is like: what you give
people receive it in a way, that
they are willing to present the best of them to us.
People didn't know us, but they watched us play
and when the show ended
they came to us, and you felt they wanted to present the best of them to us
they would come over with such a great vibe, to thank us.
They understood that we were visiting from Puerto Rico,
and the efforts, and people were very good about it.
Like there would be times that we played at one place,
and the next day play at another place, 10 hours from that one
and whole families, that we saw the day before at the previous place
would be at this other venue again!
That was like giving it all back to us, you know...
They'd gave it all back.
What one gives, made people gave us back the best in them.
How beautiful!
Very nice.
I'm guessing that's way more than you'd hope to find out there
from the reaction of the natives of Guatemala.
Ok! Well, let's talk about your music.
You're music is experimental and avant garde
and in that experimentation, you include what's free jazz
rock and latin american folklore, right?
So, again, how did that happen?
that's my favorite question.
How did that happen? How'd you decide that was your style?
and within such a broad experimentation,
how do you define a song in your creative process,
and finally decide: "ok, this will be one song",
"and this is the style we'll go by, for this specific song"?
I don't know if everyone haves a different opinion, but
but I don't think is a decision of
"ok, let's do this song in a specific style. Let's do this one blues, and that one folklore..."
One of us simply starts to play and it already comes out with
a folkloric or jazzist influence to say.
And another one starts playing something over it.
It's like a communication, just as we're doing now
and it continues to develop.
And I think one of the most beautiful elements of this band
is that we listen to each other
and we see what each of us is bringing
and with a lot of respect,
we say: "well that sounds good" and "what if we add this"
"oh, but I'd like more this or that"
Is a very horizontal relationship–
and organic! yeah
because it flows.
Even the name of the band was developed organically
we didn't know what will happen
we didn't had a north, at the beginning we thought this would be something more acustic
but then we realized we needed this man's power in the drums
so better things started to happen when we started listening to the own project
and it's own process settlement.
I think is the best we've done, to let it all flow at its own pace
this does't mean everything is "flowing",
and let everything happen whenever,
I mean, there are sacrifices to be made and work to be done.
But there are certain things that when creativity is needed
We gotta let things happen naturally.
So 'Bhava', is your first and last record production...
(Not the last one!)
Exactly! Not the last one, but the most recent.
Your first and most recent!
And the first one of many.
So, before 'Bhava', are there any other EPs from before?
Or is this your first production ever?
Yes, we launched a couple of things in acoustic format before.
In fact, this record, was sort of our attempt to turn a page already
because we were carrying the same songs for a long time
and going forward and backwards with the concept
so we decided that with this record we would–
and excuse the term— but to 'vomit' it.
We vomited the record
so we could open space for new things
because even though we love what we do,
the concerns are still there, so
this record was more for that
to get out of a lot of–
it almost was something like–
Like a detox!
Exactly, a detox; and Guatemala was
like a refresh.
So Guatemala (the song), put us more in perspective.
Super.
And what are your plans now?
If any...
More records, to travel, and
to keep playing... Don't think there's more to it than that.
To keep meeting artists, collaborating...
Any shows coming up soon?
that you know of...
confirmed?
There are a several, but the dates will go out soon
At Facebook?
We have one at Libros AC,
We're planning a summer tour
to New York
with Los Bronson, and Sr. Langosta
also as part of that collaboration with other bands and artists
so we wanna give a taste of Puerto Rico, to New York
so is a Puerto Rican tour with this 3 bands
and that's our next adventure.
Very cool!
Well... Thanks for coming to the Green Sofa
and accept my invitation.
I feel very honored and cool to have cleared all my questions about Baba Gris.
We wanna give thanks to Moni & Coli,
for the outfit of Fiamma, our favorite host.
A round of applause for Fiamma.
And my dress is also from Moni & Coli,
my shoes are from Finders Keepers,
this super cool chair–
so you can see my dress too–
is from Finders Keepers.
Finders Keepers is a local store that sells vintage clothing,
furniture, and a lot of amazing things, also from local designers.
And Moni & Coli, is also a local store located at Santurce.
Our main sponsor, that's Sangria Cayo Buí
How's that sangria?
Good? Louder.
I wanna hear it!
Sangría Cayo Buí
A round of applause for the owners of Sangria Cayo Buí
that are here with us.
Than you for your sponsorship to the local art scene,
the emergent arts and the artists.
We also have an after party at El Nie Bar
You see? that car that passed through is ready for El Nie Bar
So... you're kinda behind.
Alright, after here we go to El Nie Bar, but first!
Let's listen to Baba Gris!
Let's go to the fifth dimension.
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