By Francisco H. Ciriza
Anyone who has ever been involved
in any local music scene knows the level of effort it takes to
get things together. If there is a band, there is the initial
challenge of finding three or more individuals with enough similarities
to be able to function,at the very least, at the most basic level...playing
music together in the same place at the same time. Musical taste,
goals, work schedules, transportation, finances, location, level
of talent, reliability, are all factors that must be taken into
account when a band is formed. That is just the beginning.
San Diego's Emaue began with this sort of process sometime
in 1995. The band, featuring members hailing from as far as Acapulco
and Mexico City and as close as Barrio Logan, has endured the
trials and tribulations of a local music scene. In this case,
a band like Emaue not only has to negotiate the obstacles of San
Diego's music scene, but also jump the hurdles of struggling through
its subscene of Rock en Español.
This bilingual outfit of five gentlemen sat down with La Prensa San Diego recently, to give insights and previews for what seems to be quite a promising near future. Having successfully made it through local club gigs, producing their own demo, and promoting themselves relentlessly, the band finds itself at the brink of some major breaks that could quite possibly to big-time success.
"This past year was the best yet for us," says a proud Cuevo, the band's guitarist and singer. "We've received recognition in both L.A. and San Diego winning some `battle of the band' competitions..." he adds. The band won the local band competition sponsored by local bilingual music magazine, No Cover, and Rock en Español radio station, MORE FM. The Los Angeles competition, sponsored in part by Latino Rock station, VIVA 107, was a major accomplishment for the underdog out-of-towners, "We might actually have a better following in Los Angeles than we do in San Diego, " says the band's bassist, Gus.
The band's accomplishments are extremely impressive. Even more impressive is the fact they've done all of the work themselves sans managers/ agents/ legal representation... etc. At this point, the band is about to have it's CD re-released, is in the process of planning a few tours including a college and high school campus tour with Los Angeles up and comers, Voz de Mano, receiving air play in major cities across the United States and Mexico, and much much more. Gus chimes in once again, "No nos quedamos quietos...Our determination and hard work has gotten us far. We're very hard-working."
The hard-working members of Emaue can be seen this coming Monday at Café Sevilla. The show is key for the band as they plan to begin implementing some changes in their live show in preparation for their upcoming tours. Free promotional CD singles will be given away, as well.
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