9 to 5'ers By Day, Rock Stars By Night (cont'd)
Progress Por Todos
All members of Pistolera are US citizens, but family ties and strong political views have resulted in a band grounded in public support for immigration rights. Their first music video is for the brazenly anti-minuteman song, "Cazador," which debuted on METV in Austin, TX right before SXSW, and was then picked up by LATV, Mun2, WorldBeats in Canada, Free Speech TV, and Democracy Now! It was also recently included in a DVD compilation called, "Gigante! Despierta!," created to inspire and energize protesters and activist groups. Sandra explained why "Cazador" was the only choice for their first video:
"Cazador was the song that people always wanted to talk about and the one audiences cheered loudest for when we played live. The song speaks about the conflict on the border between those who are trying to cross in search of opportunity and a better life and the civilian patrol group the Minuteman Project who are opposed. The song speaks bluntly about how we all know that immigrants come here and do the jobs that Americans do not want to do. It calls the Minutemen hunters and tells them to go home."
It's also an issue that they can't get away from even when they want to.
"Because we sing in Spanish and draw from various latin styles of music, people/audiences are always obsessed with our identity as individuals. At every show, people come up to us afterwards and want to know where we are from. It happened in Europe too. And people never seem to be satisfied with the answers we give them. When I tell people I'm from San Diego, they always reply, 'but your parents are from where?' They want to know why it is that Maria Elena (accordion) and Inca B. Satz (bassis) aren't Mexican but are playing Mexican music? They want to know why do we speak Spanish if we were all born in the United States?"
"It gets irritating after a while, to be honest. Especially in the USA or NYC where people should know by now that there are communities of immigrants everywhere that speak other languages besides English. I finally had to write a song about it. It's called "Extranjero" and you will most likely hear it on the next album. It reminds people that we are all immigrants in this country even though some people have forgotten their roots."
Crossing Borders
It might seem inconceivable that a band comprised of members still holding down "day jobs" and without a label to support them (Siempre Hay Salida was self-released and is available on Amazon.com and at their shows) would be able to tour as much as they do. But a combination of ingenuity, fate, loyal fans, and patient employers has resulted in a successful west coast tour, performances at major music festivals across the country, and most recently a ten-day tour through Belgium and Holland. Sandra explained:
"The whole tour came about because about 8 months prior I received an email from some man in Belgium asking if we were interested in touring in Belgium and Holland. I thought it was spam. It just seemed so random. I almost deleted it! Luckily I didn't though, and sure enough 8 months later we were on our way!"
Sandra described the challenges independent bands face when touring in the USA: "In the states, our booking agent sets up all the shows and then I tour manage. The majority of the stress (of touring in the USA) is navigating your way to the next city and club, and then finding your way to the hotel or friends house after. Not to mention that this country is huge and the drives can be long and tiresome."
"The tour in Europe was so easy from my perspective because we had a tour manager, a driver, a country house to stay in and the clubs fed us. I didn't know where we were going each day, all I had to know was what time they were picking us up. And since Belgium is the size of the state of Maryland, the drives were short and sweet, usually with scenic views of the green countryside along the way."
El Futuro
By the time you read this, Pistolera will have already returned from Mexico City, having performed for thousands of new fans and featured in Mexico City's leading daily newspaper, La Jornada, and on Radio Ibero. They will be setting aside rehearsal time in preparation for their highly anticipated sophomore album, and preparing for their tour dates throughout the summer. Fans can look forward to several NYC shows throughout the summer as well.
Pistolera's definitely a band to keep on your radar, be sure to friend Pistolera on MySpace (www.myspace.com/pistoleramusic) or visit www.pistolera.net.
At the time of this interview, Sandra was five months pregnant, but Pistolera is no stranger to making their road trips a family affair. On their first west coast tour in October of '06, Ani brought along her newborn son. How punk rock is that?
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