We were among the last winners and we waited like 45 minutes. But without a doubt, the Grammys was a lot of fun because when we received the award, there was an issue with the door and we couldn't make it onto the stage to accept it. Almost all of our performances are memorable. What has been your most memorable experience? And you've won the 2009 Latin Grammy for your album, Commercial. You've been nominated for several Latin Grammys. From there, we became an indie, underground Venezuelan band and transitioned more to mainstream. But David Byrne, the ex-vocalist of Talking Heads, discovered us. We've done it all - salsa, merengue, funk - but all of our music is danceable. Everyone who sees us perform goes to a party, not a concert. Your music has been described as dance, funk, acid dance, gozadera, electroparranda, disco. We still like to play and make music that we really like, and we have a good time doing it. How have you kept thriving for more than two decades? You guys have been together since the early '90s. And with the name, people made the connection. Jose Luis Pardo (Cheo): It was a phrase from Arturo Uslar Pietri from the TV show Valores Humanos that they made us watch as kids. The Breeders' Last Splash 20th Anniversary Coming to Grand Central MiamiĬrossfade: Where did the name Los Amigos Invisibles come from? He talked about everything, from the time Amigos won their first Latin Grammy (but never made it onto the stage) to the band's first bi-lingual album, Repeat After Me, and Venezuela's political future. Over the last 20 years, these chamos musicales have definitively proved that Latin dance music is more than salsa and that the guitar can do more than rock.Īnd yesterday, Crossfade spoke with guitarist Jose Luis Pardo (AKA Cheo) ahead of Los Amigos Invisibles' show at Grand Central. Subscribe to the Sounds and Colours Newsletter for regular updates, news and competitions bringing the best of Latin American culture direct to your Inbox.At a time when most bands were either grunge, punk, or nu-metal, Los Amigos Invisibles took a different route - danceable Latin funk - and it was a path that led them to becoming the premier party band in Venezuela. TOUR DATES: 4/2 – Atlanta, GA Terminal West 4/3 – Chapel Hill, NC Cat’s Cradle 4/4 – Washington, DC The Fillmore 4/5 – Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live 4/6 – New York, NY Webster Hall 4/9 – Boston, MA The Paradise 4/10 – Montreal, QC Club Soda 4/11 – Toronto, ON El Mocambo 4/12 – Pittsburgh, PA 4/13 – Chicago, IL House of Blues 4/15 – Minneapolis, MN The Varsity Theater 4/17 – Denver, CO The Bluebird Theater 4/19 – Seattle, WA 4/20 – Portland, OR Star Theater 4/21 – Vancouver, BC The Vogue Theater 4/24 – San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 4/26 – Los Angeles, CA The Fonda 4/27 – San Diego, CA House of Bluesįollow Sounds and Colours: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Mixcloud / Soundcloud / Bandcamp You can listen to a preview of the album below or buy it from iTunes. Whether the recorded album gets you moving or not, a live show will most definitely have you dancing long after the band leaves the stage! I can admire that ethic and attest to their brilliant live performances. The thing that Los Amigos Invisibles undoubtedly bring to the scene is hard work. Starting their own label, moving themselves and families from Venezuela to New York, and touring almost every year for the last decade the group seemingly never takes a day off. On the edge of Latin Alternative music and full-blown pop, Los Amigos Invisibles are ever so slowly becoming more mainstream. This can be seen by the move from Caracas to Brooklyn and the group’s recent behind-the-music documentary. After so many original and inventive years of music, this album feels more like a fill-in-the-blank copy of previous works. There is a lack of creativity on some tracks that presents a repetitive sound and a shallow body of songs that leaves this listener asking, “Is that it?” The sound of Los Amigos Invisibles has always been lost in space, but on their latest creation the lyrics may have been written here on Earth by any average human. The upbeat whistling on the hit single, “La Que me Gusta” tickles the ear, while the lighthearted lyrics on tracks like “Sex Appeal” and “Reino Animal” give the listener some idea about what type of album this is. The album leans on the crutch of catchy sing-a-longs in both English and Spanish, synthesised beats and recorded effects.įluttering in the era of disco, funk and ballads we like to refer to as the 80s, the album has a retro feel to it. Repeat After Me is the group’s sixth studio album and exudes a polished poppy sound that comes from years of experimentation. Los Amigos Invisibles have been visible in the Latin American musical realm for some time now. The disco-funk rockers from Caracas have worked hard over the past twenty years to create a distinct blend of sounds and musical rhythms.
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