The Eccentric Café Tacvba

If there is one band that can sell out a venue even if the show is on a weekday, it is Café Tacvba. The band was here last August. This time around, the band opened the first date of the tour called El Objeto (The Object), at The Warfield. 

This year’s tour is focusing solely on promoting their latest CD “Objecto Antes Llamado Disco”, and the show was not a typical “Cafeta” ensemble.

The stage had a enormous white plastic tree, and for every song performed, there was a display of strobe lights, foam which looked like snow, and multicolor laser lights. This was quite a change for the band since they typically choose much more laid-back stage props.

The guys, and more specifically Ruben, were as eccentric as ever! For part of the show, Ruben was wearing a poncho-like with fringes, and a knitted hat. He addressed the audience multiple times, and the crowd went crazy! 

While the band focused on performing pretty much the latest album in its entirety, there were memorable moments when they performed classics such as Eres and Chilanga Banda (which everyone, absolutely everyone sang along to), or when they performed Dejate Caer, and the guys busted out the now famous choreography to the song.

The show felt quite short, it was over before 11:30PM, and the fans were left wanting more! I was able to overhear some people, talking about how they wished that the band would’ve played longer. That is the magic and draw that the band has, shows are never long enough, Café Tacvba is that great of a band.

The tour continues in Southern California, Texas, New York and will play its final stop in Puerto Rico – make sure to check out the their website for the dates, and pick up a copy of the album available on itunes & amazon.

 

Credits: Rogers And Cowan

Photo Credits: Adrian Jusue 

The Timeless Café Tacvba

There are only a few bands that can outlast generational gaps of music and remain relevant, fresh, and loved by fans of all ages - Café Tacvba is able to go on timelessly.

I have been to the Fox Theater many, many times for different types of concerts, but I what saw on Thursday, August 9th, certainly left me speechless. As I was walking towards the venue, all I could see was a never ending line of people patiently waiting to be let into the Fox. The people in line were not there simply to attend a concert, but to make sure that they were up and close to Café Tacvba.

One would think that the band’s fan base is older, you know people in their late 30’s, maybe even in the late 40’s, but the band is just that timeless that their fans are pretty much a wide range of ages. I could see some teenagers, some early 20’s peeps and of course, the longtime fans well in their 40’s. When the band first came out in 1989, I was in kindergarten! And here I was stoked to see them live again for what seemed to be the 100th time.

Café Tacvba was starting their US tour, and they could not have picked a better city or better venue to kick off the first stop; accompanying this incredible show was Bang Data. You all already know my devoted love towards Bang Data. I cannot say enough how talented they are and how every single one of their shows feel as if I’m checking them out for the first time.

 

As usual, Bang Data kicked off what was going to be a spectacular show! Deuce Eclipse wearing a jacket that read “Nicaragua” pumped up the crowd. There were a lot of loyal fans and a lot of people who were checking their set out for the first time. As I was walking around the venue, I could hear people singing along the songs and others paying close attention to the set.

 

It was then time for Café Tacvba to take the stage; I was at awe when I saw Rubén Albarrán – it was as if time had not passed. He is aging extremely gracefully, or there is something magical about being part of such a kick-ass band that made him not age at all. He came on stage looking humble, and his gaze showed just how grateful he was to be on the stage surrounded by thousands of people. When Meme, Joselo, and Quique came on stage, the feeling of gratefulness grew even more. It was crazy to see how, despite their over 3 decades of being together and their international fame, they remain humble, friendly, and grateful towards their fans.

There was not a single song that the fans did not sing along to – even when the band sang their first single, De Este Lado De El Camino (from the new album which comes out in September titled "Lo Que Antes Se Llamaba Disco”) – fans were mumbling the song even if they didn’t know it completely.

The Fox Theater was filled; there wasn’t an empty corner or space, and there were people everywhere and all around the venue. The lucky fans who showed up early enough and waited in line outside rushed to the front of the stage, they didn’t care that they were being packed like sardines. All that mattered was the magical moment of seeing “Cafeta” up-close.

No Controles, Eres,  Chilanga Banda, La Chica Banda, Volver A Comenzar, Dejate Caer, El Baile Y El Salon, La Locomotora, Ingrata, El Puñal y el Corazón – the repertoire of songs did not disappoint.  I can say from what I witnessed that night, that I was not the only one who felt as if they were seeing Café Tacvba for the very first time, the band is simply that magical and timeless.

Credits: Rogers & Cowan / Another Planet Entertainment

HopPo! Brought Earthy Sounds To The Bay

How many bands do you know that take a sabbatical year and their members decide to embark on independent projects?  They usually do it to fulfill the creativity which they can’t express with the members of their band and that is how HopPo! was born.

Café Tacvba is currently taking some time off which was the perfect timing for one of the members of the band, Ruben Albarran  to start an independent project with fellow musicians Rodrigo Aros Gho,  Juan Pablo Villanueva, Alejandra Flores & k´kame. The result, a project called HopPo which means “let’s go.”

The band stopped by the Bay Area this past weekend and had two very successful shows, one at The New Parish in Oakland & also at the Red Devil Lounge.  I checked out the show at the Red Devil Lounge and I wasn’t very sure what to expect. I think Café Tacvba is one of the greatest Mexican bands ever and I know how creative Ruben Albarran is but I definitely had no idea what was in store for the show.

The opening acts were Cuevo (a musician from LA with a very melodic acoustic vibe) and Torreblanca ( a band from Mexico City whose sarcastic lyrics talk about issues like infidelity, parents relationships and other typical issues from your daily life.)

Once the opening acts were done, the crowd was ready to see Ruben, the expectation was building up since the people in attendance had never seen what this project HoPpo! was all about. The sound had such an earthy quality to it, the mix of sounds and the tone of his voice were different & refreshing, the show turned out to be quite magical.  Ruben interacted with the audience throughout the whole show.

 

He also talked about how a lot of the songs that HoPpo plays are covers of songs that have had many covers done in the past, but Ruben’s take of each song was very different.  My personal favorites were La Llorona and the very different version of Mercedes Sosa’s classic Gracias A La Vida.

Overall I was extremely pleased with the show and Ruben’s decision to do this side project was definitely a fantastic idea.

Credits: Club Mercy

Mexican band Café Tacvba First Spanish Rock Band to Play at the Fox Theater in Oakland

Legendary Mexican Rock band Café Tacvba, is celebrating their 20th anniversary with series of 20 concerts in 20 different cities. The band made a stop to play at the newly renovated Fox Theater in Oakland. The band is the first Spanish Rock band to play at this venue.
There were fans from all over the Bay who came to the Fox Theater to see the band performed. There were a lot of non-Spanish speaking fans who were there to support the band and sing along the songs.
Their discography includes 10 records and the band took this 20th anniversary concert to perform several songs from all the records they have put out. The hysteria among the fans was contagious and everyone in attendance was singing along each song, dancing, jumping and overall enjoying  this great show. The band played for over 2 hours and proved once again that they are here to stay. The members were grateful to each of the fans who attended the concert.
The band will continue touring until December 19th when they will play their last concert of the year in Mexico.