Ashley Chaney Ortiz

I don’t care if the skies are grey and the rain is falling down.

I don’t mind if an earthquake rumbles beneath my feet.

And if Hurricane Irene is keeping me under house arrest, I am still not bothered.

This is not because I am apathetic or crazy; this is because I am listening to Rene Lopez’ new album, E.L.S (Electric Latin Soul). Chock full of funky Boogaloo beats that make you get up and groove and lyrics that make you smile, this is the album to listen to when you want to shake away the blues, open the windows and let the sun shine in. Likewise, Rene Lopez himself is like a ray of sunlight.

I met up with Rene at the Blind Tiger in West Village with the intent of sitting down and speaking about his past, present, and future as a musician and son of a musical prodigy. His father, the famed Rene Lopez of Típica 73, led the Nuyorican movement throughout the seventies and his music still keeps people dancing. With questions ready and pen in hand, I soon learned that the interview wasn’t going to follow regular 2-3 salsa clave. This was going to be funky and free.

Upon entering the crowded beer establishment full of fancy beer aficionados, I immediately spotted our subject. He was beaming.

With good vibes all around, we grabbed a couple of beers and began to shoot the breeze while waiting for a table to open up. Once Rene learned that I was new to the city, he immediately began to explain that New York City is the best city in the world not only to live and play but also the best place for inspiration.

“NYC is such a melting pot. One of my favorite things to do is to just walk around this city where the people influence me everyday. The different music I hear from neighborhood to neighborhood…you go into my neighborhood where I have my studio in Williamsburg and all you hear blaring out of the windows is merengue. Just the diversity of New York influences me so much.”

Quickly I snatched a table that had opened up nearby where Rene and I sat along with two strangers who happened to come upon the table at the same time. Interview or no interview, everyone is welcome in Rene’s world. The four of us sat together. The more the merrier!

Another round of good beers for all!

As we sat together, Rene explained to the unknowing table partners that he is soon releasing an album and asked if they would like to be his guests at his album release party. Of course they accepted and without me having to ask a question, our new friends took my place as the interviewer. I was a beer drinking fly on the wall.

Growing up near New York in a small town and visiting the city for his father’s shows, Rene spent his childhood and adolescence on the cusp of diverse city living and rural relaxation.

“I grew up around salsa musicians so that was always a part of my world whether I was at a party or if I was at the club late night with my mom and dad. I absorbed the music. When we moved from the Bronx to Rockland County, I grew up in a neighborhood where all of the kids were listening to rock and roll which influenced me greatly as a drummer.”

Rene explained how the fusion of his father’s taste in salsa and jazz combined along with his interest in pop, rock and roll, and Prince piqued his interest in creating his own sounds.

“My father started playing a lot of jazz records for me at home and I started getting into playing bebop.”

Around the age of 19, Rene took a class with Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, one of the greatest soul drummers of all time.

“One day Pretty Purdie had a contest in which two students who wrote the best song could go with him to the Record Plant. I and another student won, which got me excited about writing more pop inspired music.”

By the time we finished our beers, the table partners insisted that the next round was on them. Let the interview fun continue! These beers were even more refreshing and tasty than before and in a buzzed frame of mind I drew the parallels between Electro Latin Soul and Rene’s general attitude about life. Direct questions are not necessary when a person is creating something from their heart.

“As a child, my fathers music totally influenced what I am doing now. I am going back and all I do is listen to those records as well as boogaloo. Even though I am not a salsa musician, it plays a huge role in the music I am making now,” Rene said.

Since Rene’s time spent in the band ‘The Authority’ and his past solo recordings of One Man’s Year and People are Just People, E.L.S. marks a point in his life where things are just right.

“I think on all of my records I am constantly searching within myself. I was going through some of my past records and listened to “I know what I see” and thought to myself that it sounded very Americana. I was being honest with myself and really digging deep to play what I thought was true. but now, I feel really happy and very grounded with the music that comes out of me. My youth is coming out. My childhood is back.”

E.L.S. is clearly the result of time spent listening, experimenting, and living. The album starts off with “E.L.S.” which is an exuberant fusion of funky pop beats, Latin flourishes, and Spanish quips. Mid song, you can’t help but get up, find a partner and break into a salsa dance mixed with some freestyle groove. Things slow down a bit with the seductive cha-cha inspired “Honey Got Some Love,” which gives listeners the chance to indulge in their own five senses. All in all, E.L.S. is composed of music that is bright, sunny, and extremely optimistic. Such is the case with “Johnny Wants to be a Matador” and “Shing-a-ling Is what I Bring.”

After coming out of my beer induced, parallel drawing thoughts, I came back to the situation at hand and noticed Rene, the table partners, and myself laughing. At what? I don’t remember.

As night began to fall, we all felt like old friends that had to temporarily part. Luckily we will all see each other again at the E.L.S. release party. Before saying our final goodbyes, I asked Rene excitedly if he is planning on visiting Austin, Texas anytime soon to which he responded, “If the offer is there, I would love to go into Austin to play.”

Before meeting Rene, I was slightly annoyed with the term “shing-a-ling.” I couldn’t understand the necessity of this Boogaloo synonym in so many songs. But after meeting Rene, I understand. It’s all about that “shing-a-ling” attitude, and like he says in his song, he brings it.

Watch Rene Lopez perform “I Flow” from E.L.S. below.

Rene Lopez “I Flow” Live at Nublu from LIVE AT THE LOFT on Vimeo.

Lead singer of Le Butcherettes, Teri Gender Bender (Teri Suarez), is disarmingly enchanting with those bright red lips, commanding voice, and boundary pushing performances. Straightforward and unapologetic lyrics along with notorious stage performances have already made Le Butcherettes a force to be reckoned with. Regardless of if you get her of you don’t, one thing is for sure, Suarez’ sheer feminine/masculine energy and her on-stage use of blood, cuts of raw meat, pig heads, masks, and feather boas have left the Americas intrigued. The unabashed angst found on their debut EP, Kiss & Kill, hurled Le Butcherettes into the U.S. music market leaving music fans wondering if they were here to stay… well, if their new album, Sin Sin Sin, is any sign of their future, oh baby, they are here, they are ready to play and they aren’t going away anytime soon.

Sin Sin Sin shows a more mature but just as exciting side of Le Butcherettes in which the passion to communicate through music remains but the in your face anger has been toned down significantly. The album weaves together stories of fictional characters and stories revolving around situations of so-called sin and basic moral dilemmas. The albums starts with “Tonight,” a song that reminisces a twisted fanfare singed with sex. Sung in a ferociously sweet drawl, “I’m Getting Sick of You” transitions from a minimalistic build up to a stronger more forceful anthem. My favorite song on the album is “Tainted in Sin” due to it’s droning, slightly psychedelic sound. The rhythmic tambourine carries Suarez’ chant-like lyrics broken up by a delicious wail of surrender.

Le Butcherettes are young and have started off with a bang. Sin Sin Sin shows that they can do different things lyrically and instrumentally yet keep that same fire they had from Kiss & Kill. In a time where women flaunting their sex for the sake of making up for their lack of musicality, it is refreshing to have a band with a woman lead singer that has attitude, talent, and a message. Together with Suarez on guitar, keyboard and vocals, drummer, Normandi Heuxdaflo, and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta on bass, Le Butcherettes have created an album that is catchy, rollicking, rough and tender that will leave you in pieces and wondering how to put yourself back together.

After listening to the new album and talking to Teri over the phone for an interview with Austin Vida, I am convinced the this young artist has a lot more to offer in the future as she herself has said that her artistry is always changing, developing, and hopefully getting better.

What are your first fond memories of having a connection with music?

I think it has a lot to do with my parents because they both loved music- well, they loved different kinds of music. My dad would play The Who and Tommy on full blast and I remember my mom would yell, “No Roberto, bájale el volumen!” but then he would turn it up even more!  I remember as a child looking at Tommy which was a whole new world of weirdness that frightened my mom and excited my dad… it was just something that made me want to find out more. They introduced me to The Beatles, Cream, The Rolling Stones, and it caused a lot of controversy in my family because my mom never really liked rock and roll that much. But that created a balance since she would listen to classical music.

I grew up in Denver, Colorado and my father passed away when I was 14 so my mother and I moved to Guadalajara, Mexico.  This transition and loss really inspired me to devote myself to music because it was something my father loved along with literature.

Was the move from Denver to Guadalajara a hard transition?

Yes, it was. When I moved to Mexico it was sad because I got picked on a lot because I didn’t speak Spanish very well. But it was hard at first because I also didn’t know how to write in Spanish…the accents and the grammar… These things made it easy for bullying but besides that it was beautiful to get to know the people, the food, the history. I have a lot of good memories as well.

When did you begin to develop music and how was that brought about?

Firstly, I went to this school called Univas from which I got kicked out because I was lazy and wouldn’t go to class. I wanted to be a rebel. So due to this idiotic thing on my part for ditching class, I got kicked out of school and I ended up going to a really bad school, which changed my life. So I went to Univer where I had to where a uniform that included a skirt. That was something I hated with all of my guts because I thought that girls should have the option of wearing pants. I made my own campaign at school to try and fix the system but then decided that I wanted to involve that with music. Many people thought I was crazy and some the girls would tell me that they liked showing their legs, which was fine! But I wanted that option. Uh, ah! Speaking about that right now still pisses me off! I got tons of petitions signed, maybe partially because I made them do it (laughs), but he still didn’t care! Supposedly there were bigger issues to tackle. AH! That definitely inspired me to start a rock band because music has the power to inform more so than petitions.

What do you consider your role to be in the music world?

I would be lying if I said I was writing music just for myself. I want to expose my music to people. I am actually really shy; on-stage I am another person. I love people too much and I am scared that they might hurt me. It happens to everyone. Instead of hiding in my house, I decided to say “screw it!” I am going to write music anyways. There will always be haters but there will also always be people who inspire you.  Music is connected to life! It permits me to live; it’s therapy.

How would you describe your music to virgin ears?

To break it down for them, it isn’t so concrete as the term rock but more of a simmered down punk rock…I sometimes call it butcher rock. I hope people hear my sincerity.

What sort of inspiration have you gotten from living in Mexico and from living in LA?

Well, I had gotten so used to living in Mexico after five or six years and traveling on the weekends to Nayarit or different states around Guadalajara and seeing so much beauty. After going back to the States it was kind of saddening, almost like a little death. I feel like I am leaving a stage in my life in the past to be able to grow as an artist.  I am not saying that in order to be an artist you have to travel the whole time—Emily Dickens never left her home and she wrote amazing things—but I feel personally in my situation that I need to be able to be in awkward situation to be able to write about those things.

Living in LA has been crazy but I still speak Spanish a lot! My neighbors are from Argentina, Chile, Mexico, etc. and LA shows itself to have a lot of cultural diversity regardless of the Beverly Hill stereotypes. It’s inspiring. In fact, the food is really good in Mexico but here there is so much variety especially for us vegans.

What kind of turn of events led Le Butcherettes to being picked up by Rodriguez-Lopez Productions?

I think it had to do with luck and being in the right place at the right time. We played this show, the first drummer, Auryn Jolene, and I, and we played at a little bar in Guadalajara but the electricity went out on the previous bands show. But I had a megaphone and told everyone to not call anything off so Auryn and I played an acapella set with the drums and voice. That caught Omar’s attention and he told his friend that we all needed to meet and have coffee. But really it’s all about not being limited. I didn’t know he was there till after the show. But you gotta be impulsive. People might think you are crazy but you just need to go for it!

In the beginning stages of Le Butcherettes, stage performance was imagery heavy and common social standards were being played with through the use of blood, masks, raw meat, feather boas, and heels. I have read that you are done with that chapter in your music. What do you think the new chapter holds for you, the band, and your music and stage performance?

I am not done with the masks or props but I would like to use other elements. I have doing the blood thing which is not just about gore or trying to gain attention but for me it represents the women who have died for the feminist causes. I have been doing that for two years in Mexico and now I think it is time to move on. It can sometimes be so powerful that it might be misleading and I remember reading something that in effect said that it’s good to shout every once in a while to get the attention but you can’t keep shouting your whole life or else people will get sick of that yelling, it will hurt their ears. In this case, I did my shouting and now I just want to keep cultivating my musical garden. I want to use different elements that represent the woman.

Your last album dealt with many issues surrounding the often-misunderstood term “feminism.” What does feminism mean to you and are you still trying to communicate that through your music?

I am definitely trying to communicate feminism but not in a direct way.  Bikini Kill and L7 already did that—a more in your face kind of feminism. But I feel like if I did that it wouldn’t be as sincere. I never grew up as a riot grrrl, I am from a different generation. To me feminism is being able to please. You have the privilege and freedom to do what you please without hurting others. Creating art to heal yourself. I know that sounds like a really hippie answer but to me that is feminism’s essence. Feminism is not man hating or shunning women who wear make-up, on the contrary, if you are a woman or a man who wants to wear make-up it is your right as long as you aren’t stealing apples from my garden. I want to carry that forever in my music.

How have you grown musically since Kiss and Kill?

I think a lot really. I don’t hate or regret it but it is something that I had to go through, like with the blood, to mature. The new record, Sin Sin Sin, is really different. If a person stays the same, they might bore themselves or others… Who knows? There may be people that like it or hate it and think I should stick with primitive punk but I still do punk, but many songs from Kiss and Kill were written when I was 17 years old. I don’t want to sound like a tortured artist but 17 was really hard for me because that was when I was dealing with the skirt issue in high school and a lot of rage. I am now trying to level that rage down and put it into reason.

Can you give us a little insight into your own ideas and concepts of the new album Sin Sin Sin?

Musically it has a bass now. When Omar was recording he suggested that we add the bass so that in the live shows it will add more body to the music. What I am trying to extend through my CD is that the family on the cover is a nuclear family, a catholic nuclear family. Ever since we are born we hear that sin occurs everyday and even being born is a sin so the only way to redeem yourself is to go to church. I just found it interesting that there is this tendency to think that we have to make up for so many bad things that occur without our consent everyday of our life. Each song is a different voice and the lyrics portray stories that I imagine. I created different characters with different identities, problems, and interpretations of the human perception of sin.

You were in Austin, Texas for SXSW 2011 and got the chance to explore and experience our home. What was your favorite thing about Austin?

I loved the food and the weather! The buildings downtown are beautiful. I am really bad with directions so I got lost so many times which was great! It’s a good place to get lost in.

What are you looking forward to in the future?

I want to keep playing. Playing is therapy to me. On stage I pretend to be something that I am not. We all feel insecure but by being able to play and be heard, I am slowly starting to feel whole. I want to keep recording and throw out more records, hang in there, and see how long I last… Until I crack. Open. Like an Egg.

Listen to Sin Sin Sin in its entirety below: