Kansas City Star
LOS LOBOS OUTDOES ITSELF IN SHOW AT KNUCKLEHEADS
Kansas City Star Magazine
BAND SETTLES ON A NEW-OLD SOUND
RADAR: MAKING MOVIES 11.15.2010
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Northeastern Illinois’ The Independent
MAKING A SECOND HOME IN A SECOND CITY 3.11.2011
After performing for two consecutive nights at Estrella Negra and the House of Blues, the guys of Latin rock band Making Movies were thrilled to be playing once again at the Cobra Lounge for their weekend tour in Chicago.
Making Movies, originally from Kansas City, Mo, is made up of Enrique Chi on lead guitar and vocals, Juan-Carlos Chaurand on percussion and keys, Nic Kolar on bass and Brendan Culp on drums. The band’s set for the night included songs off of their LP, “In Deo Speramus”, as well as a salsa classic, a catchy cumbia cover of “Float On” by Modest Mouse, and a few of their new songs.
The guys strive to maintain a personal and friendly connection with their fans, making them feel right at ease. ”We’re never standoffish with our fans,” said Chaurand. “We’re very appreciative, and we thank them for all of the support they’ve given us these past two years.” With no publicist or manager, the band makes its goal of being independent much more clearly. ”Our goal isn’t to sell as many records as possible—we just want to make the best music that we can for everyone and travel,” said Chi. “We’re not trying to get signed; I mean, it’d be awesome if someone came up to us and said, ‘Hey, we want to sign you guys to our label and let you make music the way you want to,’ but that never happens. But it’s nice to be able to manage ourselves.”
Chi, who was born in Panama, remembers growing up listening to the English rock band Dire Straits, whose album “Making Movies” serves as the reason for the band’s name. ”My dad would play their songs, and I’d go around singing along without knowing any English,” he said. “But I always liked how the name looked, so I guess it just stayed with me.”
His cultural roots also stayed with him, since the band’s sound is an interesting one of alternative rock mixed with a tropical flavor. ”I try to steal some Latino rhythms, which I think are the best in the world,” said Chi. “Then from there, we create our own artistic touch to make modern songs.”
Chi mainly writes the lyrics based on experiences, or stories, and characters that he creates, though there’s much of a collaborative approach in the overall process. ”The songs are like Enrique’s blue prints—his brainchild—and then we add to what he comes up with,” said Culp. Meeting Perrozompopo, the brother of salsa singer and Latin Grammy winner Luis Enrique, inspired Chaurand to want to tour with him in the future—as well as having taught them a thing or two about Grammy after parties. ”He actually snuck us into a party after the Latin Grammys,” said Chi, as he and the guys laughed at recalling the memory. “We were on a rooftop with all these famous people, and had an amazing view of the city.”
Making Movies also recognizes social injustices towards Latino communities, and was involved in activism as support in getting the Dream Act passed. The video for their song “Tormenta” featured statistics about undocumented youth, as well as children from the Mattie Rhodes Center in Kansas City, a non-profit organization that offers community services, created especially for Latino families. The band hopes to be a part of the continuous fight for social progression for Latinos. ”We’re very disappointed that the Dream Act wasn’t passed, but it’s a future goal of ours to include [immigration reform] in our music,” said Chi.
Playing in places like New York and California and having a current line-up of Minneapolis, Nebraska, and Texas, the guys have each gained their own insights that traveling in a band has helped them attain. ”I grew up having brothers, and being in a band is pretty much the same thing,” said Chaurand. “So, I always remember it’s important to take care of my brothers—of my family.” ”I’ve learned there are so many different ways to live life and to view the world,” said Chi.
But there certainly is a suggestion that the guys agree on, and it’s geared towards bands trying to make it big. ”Learn and practice as much as you can, because no show is ever too small,” said Culp. ”Yeah, you never know who you’ll meet,” added Chi. “Sometimes you’ll play for two or three people, but one of those people can end up being someone who’s going to host a music festival and wants you to play in it.”
Shortly after, Making Movies took the stage. Fans and friends alike came out to support the members, whose vigor before the show was unquestionably visible during their dynamic performance.
BY DULCE ARROYO
Minneapolisfuckingrocks.com
INTERVIEW: MAKING MOVIES 2.28.2011
MFR: What originally inspired the conception of the band?
Making Movies started as a project with a rotating cast of players. It was a way for me to perform my songs live with help from my friends and family. Over some time, the concept of incorporating afro-cuban rhythms into the bi-lingual songs emerged and we started traveling. It slowly evolved into a solid band.
MFR: When and where was the first moment you decided you needed to be in a band?
I remember being 11 years old and telling my parents that when I turn 18 I was going to move to a big city and pursue music before going to college. They told me that sounded like a bad idea, that I should do college first.
MFR: Which family member influenced you the most musically growing up? What music did they introduce you to that you would consider formative?
This question is easy, my dad is the reason I play music. There is a picture of me hanging on to his guitar strings when I was less than two years old. I spent most of my summers as a kid with headphones on listening to his Beatles, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Dire Straits Rolling Stones and Santana vinyls. I didn’t really like current music until I was like 16. I remember OK Computer being the first modern album I loved.
MFR: What bands do you listen to now that you listen to before you were 16, if any?
I still love the artists listed above.
MFR: Have you ever thought of quitting the band life? What kept you going?
I have thought about it but I guess I feel that the music we are creating needs to exist. There aren’t a lot of Latinos in the US really making artistic statements with music. I’ve worked with a Hispanic non-for profit giving free guitar lessons for the last few years and I’m always astonished at how much these kids don’t even realize that artistic lifestyles are a possibility. As much as its tough to be a musician, it would be a lot tougher to be a manual laborer in a third world country. I guess that keeps me going.
MFR: Who is your favorite current Top 40 artist and why?
Kanye West is my favorite ‘pop’ artist. I think that his new record takes risks is at times uncomfortable to listen to and other times beautiful. I don’t really see anyone else at his level of ‘stardom’ pushing so many boundaries.
MFR: Who is your least favorite current Top 40 artist and why?
Katy Perry. My little sister likes her music (she is 12) and she was watching her live at the AMA’s. It was atrocious, she can’t sing or dance. WTF? I guess her best selling point is that she looks kind of like a roadworn Zooey Deschanel.
MFR: What band has truly blown your mind in the last year? Last five years?
The Delta Spirit has been my favorite live band for a few years now. I think they are everything you want to see in a rock show. We had a chance to play with them and I’ve caught them a few other times. Their show is gritty, raw, but extremely tight. Matt’s voice kills every time and the songs are great.
MFR: What would you consider your big break? If you haven’t hit it, what would it be?
We just had a big one. AMC Theatres just licensed one of our songs for a nationwide theatrical trailer.http://amctheatres.com/bps
MFR: What has been the most effective method for you to promote the band?
Touring has been by far the best avenue to promote the band. Nothing is better than sharing the experience of a live show. I think it makes a lasting connection with fans.
MFR: What benefits do record labels provide bands nowadays?
I think record labels provide bands with funds and a few extra hands.
MFR: Do you have any pets? What are they?
I have a dog that lives with my parents because I travel too much. He is a puggle named Mr. F.
MFR: What is your idea of the perfect Sunday?
I love cooking so I’d walk to the farmers market after breakfast and make a big lunch. Have some coffee in the afternoon, write a song then switch to some whiskey by dinner. You’d be surprised how little time I get to just sit and listen to music without distractions. I’d probably play a record and maybe finish the day with a great movie.
BY IAN ANDERSON
Austinvida.com
MAKING MOVIES A BAND MAKING MOVIES 8.23.10
AV: Tell me about your experience at the Latin Alternative Music Conference.
Enrique: Well, we went up there (New York City), we were lucky enough to get some free passes. We went to see The Pinker Tones at Central Park. La Maldita, the Ozomatli show, then we had a showcase in Queens at el Antigua, which is where a lot of the smaller bands were playing, it was good experience; it was cool to see all the networking, there’s a definitely a lot of crops of progressive Latin bands all round the nation.
AV: You were supposed to be at Pachanga Fest, but that didn’t work. So is this your first time in Austin?
Enrique: Yeah, this is our first time in Austin. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out at Pachanga. It’s been a bad year for money for everyone. We were really excited to be a part of Pachanga; hopefully, we will be part of that next year.
AV: Tell me about your guys’ influences. And what are you listening to now?
Enrique: I think my biggest influences are things I grew up listening to at home, so my mom loved listening to dance music, so like salsas, cumbias, merengues. She loves merengue, and I think listening to that and coupled with my dad who played guitar, he loves The Beatles, pink Floyd and of course Carlos Santana. That combination of music is my biggest influences. New bands, I like this band called Delta Spirit; they are really cool and we got to do a show with them. I listen to Ruben Blades. He has a new CD.
AV: Yeah, that song “Las Calles.”
Enrique: Yeah, “Las Calles” is an amazing song.
Juan-Carlos: For me, I grew up mainly listening to Latin stuff; I didn’t grow listening to rock. Of course my dad listened to The Beatles and stuff like that, but it was mainly like Mexican folklore and mariachi music. And then when I was about 13 I started getting into salsa, merengue. That’s how I started to playing salsa music, so those are mainly my influences of music, from anywhere old salsa like Buena Vista to more modern salsa like Victor Manuelle and Gilberto Santa Rosa. Right now it’s mainly the same thing, these guys started getting more involved into the indeed rock and stuff like that, so imp still trying to.. I love music so imp trying to take it all in. So those were my influences when I was younger. Mainly Latin stuff.
Brendan Culp (drums): Just as Enrique was talking about things that you listened to at home, growing up my dad and mom, but mainly my dad listened to Led Zeppelin. But I was introduced into salsa music by Ruben Blades. I really like Calle 13. I think the rhythms on that are really neat and unique. Current bands, Mute Math, they’re from Missouri, so close to home.
AV: Brendan, you being one of the “non-Latin” band members, were you hesitant to join the band at all?
Brendan: No, not at all. Actually, I thought it was really neat. I have always liked the rhythms because, as a drummer, complex things are awesome and intriguing and now to be able to tackle that is exciting and fun, so there was no hesitation
AV: Now the name Making Movies, I know comes from a Dire Straits song is that correct?
Enrique: Yeah, okay, it comes from a Dire Straits album and it just kind of like I always saw it around the house and the Dire Straits was the first thing I remember liking in music. I was in Panama, and I didn’t speak any English, yet I loved one of there songs, so every time I hear it I get really excited about hearing it. So that was my first musical memory, so seeing that record at home, I always thought “that looks cool” on a record.
Live at Momo’s / photo by Miguel Angel
AV: What was the initial reaction in Kansas City? How did you sell yourselves to club promoters? “Yeah, we’re a Latin rock band.”
Enrique: It took a while, but luckily we had a lot of friends supporting us, so that helped us out. Once we got the ball rolling, being the only thing happening in Kansas City helps to, cause then to the Latin radio stations and Hispanic radio station and even the English media, we’re one of the few Hispanic things they can talk about. There are a few traditional salsa bands, but that’s not really hip or new. That’s a cover band, so we’re about it going on, so we get a lot of coverage. So it helps us out.
AV: So has the Latin scene boomed or has it stayed the same since you guys started?
Enrique: It’s grown. We started bringing shows, kind of promoting shows, so we brought Alejandro Marcovich from Los Caifanes to Kansas City and we did a tour with them and we where the backing band, so we learned all the Caifanes songs.
AV: You played with Aterciopelados, what did you take from that experience?
Enrique: Wow, a lot; the main thing I took was, they have a very open-arms attitude with there audience, even though they are Grammy winners and all that crazy stuff. You know they don’t mind meeting any fans. They are so down to earth with us and we have played with some other famous people not down to earth at all.
Juan-Carlos: …to where I was able to play with them
Enrique: They asked Juan-Carlos to jam on stage with them
AV: Wow, jamming out with Los Aterciopelados…
Juan-Carlos: Yeah, just the kind of people that are very open-armed people.
AV: The new album, In Deo Speramus. What exactly does it mean and where did come from?
Enrique: A couple of things, there is a lyric in one of the songs I say “If it’s in God we trust,” which is what it means, “I’m worried for us.” And it’s kind of a little bit of a statement on what I felt about what was happening in the country at the time. But then, it’s both ways so it’s kind of an attack on that. And on another side of it, it’s the reality that everything kind of came together for the band in kind of a neat way. So maybe there is something out there that’s directing everything; I don’t know.
AV: I’m starting to notice more Latin bands, not just come out with English song or English album, but now they are starting to use bilingual lyrics, for instance Monte Negro. I know you do the same thing. When did you start experimenting with that?
Enrique: Right about the time Brendan started playing with us, we were experimenting with both languages because for me my life has been in both languages since I was I was 6, so it felt natural that music should be like how I talk to people. I talk to some people in English and others in Spanish.
AV: In the song “Tormenta,” you mention “la patria,” in reference to being Panamanian. Are people aware of your band in Panama? Have you played in Panama?
Enrique: We have not played a show in Panama. I went down there for a quick promo run; I did a radio interview down there. We are very blessed that I had a good friend in Panama, Omar Alfanno, who is a songwriter who wrote a lot of hits for Willie Colón. He has written a lot of Marc Anthony’s hits, everything from the ’70s Fania Records stuff to all the way up Marc Anthony’s new record. I befriended him, so we want to make a run down there and start it down there.
AV: What’s on the horizons for Making Movies, Where do you see this band in let say three to five years?
Enrique: We’re gonna go home for a couple of months, because we need to make a music video. Then in October we’re going to do a whole West Coast tour, so I think we will come through Texas. That’s the immediate future. Where I see this band in three to five years is touring national and internationally and being home less and being away more.
AV: You mentioned a West Coast tour. Now, Arizona, are you going to just hop-skip that state?
Brendan: Well, we’ll maybe accidently drive though there
Enrique: We might hop-skip it.
AV: What are your thoughts on all that is going on in Arizona?
Enrique: I disagree with what they’re doing. I don’t necessarily have so much with the fact that they have a law that you have to show your ID. That’s not even what bothers me or the racial profiling, because an individual cop can choose to do those things. What bothers me is, this land is for a certain type of human being and we want to keep it that way cause places like Texas and Arizona have only been a part of the U.S.A. for 150 years, 1850. And even the war that chose that line, Abraham Lincoln said this is a vanity war; I don’t want to live in this country if we make a war like this, and that’s the reason why certain type of people are allowed here and certain type aren’t allowed here. I think that’s bullshit. Yes, I think people should be here but they need to be given the option to live here legally ’cause there is not one land or place that is for a certain type of person, you know what I mean? It’s as silly as when the Old Catholic rights said God has given this land to this people, so you are allowed to kill everyone else. It’s almost that silly.
AV: Is there anything more you would like to add?
Enrique: The only thing is, I feel we have a little bit of a responsibility as Latinos in this country right now to kind of be a voice and to be artistic. And we have some friends in San Antonio that are very involved in the community and teaching ’cause a lot of the underprivileged Latinos that come here aren’t aware that you can have an artistic life. And we feel it’s a responsibility and we’re thankful for people like Austin Vida and for any of the progressive Latino media. So if there is anything I would like to add, it’s just for the people that are doing it, keep doing it and for the people that aren’t, this is the time.
BY WINSTON RIVERA
Cafe Con Musica
VIDEO INTERVIEW 5.24.10
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