The members of Caifanes were young when they started playing as a band. They did it in a naive and unpretentious way on the roof of one of the members’ house. They didn’t need much: the basic instruments, a guitar and a synthesizer.
“What we wanted was to play,” said Diego Herrera, keyboardist and saxophonist for this revered Mexican rock band. “That remains intact; It is a daily necessity.”
The comment is relevant because currently, after 37 years, the Caifanes are still active, as much as in their best times, only with almost 40 more years on them.
“[La diferencia es que] probably now we are more grateful for life, for people,” said Diego. “For continuing to do this; “A band that has been together for 37 years is not anything.”
Los Caifanes, whose formation is led by the enigmatic Saúl Hernández on vocals and guitar, Alfonso André on drums, Rodrigo Baills on guitar, Marco Rentería on bass and the person interviewed for this note, are on an intense tour which not only draws attention for the large number of shows they are offering in various cities in the United States and Canada, but because now they do it—something quite unusual for them—alongside another revered Mexican indie rock band, Café Tacvba .
“We are covering all the land we plowed together,” Diego said. “We were pedaling a lot to make things happen.”
Both groups have already left their musical history in cities in California, Las Vegas, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and are now getting ready to perform on Wednesday at the SummerStage in Central Park, in New York. They then travel to Ontario, Canada, Chicago and close in Indianapolis on June 30.
“Share with the band [los tacvbos]with something they do every year, it has its charm,” said Diego from his home in Morelos, the Mexican state where he lives.
And Café Tacvba is a group that seeks to have a constant presence in the United States; Last year he gave a pair of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s summer season. The director of the philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, invited the chilanga band to share the stage with the boys of the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA).
For its part, Caifanes, whose career has not been as consistent – the group has undergone changes in its formation and its name, has had to deal with notorious lawsuits between its members and some of its members, including Saúl himself, have faced health problems—now facing a musical drought. His last album, “El nerve delvolcano”, was released in 1994, and he celebrated 30 years of its release in a recent concert in Colombia.
Although Diego doesn’t offer a precise reason as to why the combo hasn’t recorded an album in so long, he acknowledges that the way music is produced these days has them overwhelmed. Artists of the new generations do not usually produce complete albums, but rather singles that when they are no longer new, they release another song and so on.
“Adapting to the new system has not been easy,” said the musician. “We are looking for a space to lock ourselves in and do three or four more songs and then let’s see what.”
The band recently released “We are wounded”, “Only you” and “Inés”. But so far it has not been announced whether they will be part of an album.
In any case, these songs are not necessary in the tour concerts, as at least happened in the Los Angeles show; Caifanes’ repertoire is so vast that its segment is hardly enough for them to perform all of their classics.
“It’s going to be cool,” Diego promised. “Touch with these carnals [los tacvbos] It is going to make us remember many things.”
In detail
What: Caifanes and Café Tacvba Concert
When: Wednesday, June 26, 7 p.m.
Where: Central Park- Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com