Mid-Week Intermission Artist Edition: Las Cafeteras
Our weekly dose of curiosity comes from Las Cafeteras, whose community-building, Afro-Mexican beats are not only magnetic, but also headed your way soon. Hear from the band in today’s Mid-Week Intermission, and don’t miss out on their November 12th lookOUT performance with Flor de Toloache and Austin locals The Los Sundowns. And now, let’s see how Las Cafeteras stayed creative, curious, and connected.
GET CURIOUS WITH LAS CAFETERAS
Long Center: Tell us a little bit about how Las Cafeteras has handled the chaos of the last year. How did you stay creative? What was rehearsal like How did you stay connected to each other?
Las Cafeteras: In retrospect, the band needed a break. We have been going strong for 10 years and when the Quarantine happened, the step back was much needed. The break allowed for each individual to be creative in their own space and to create art that was more reflective of the individual, rather than the collective.
When it came to recording, work was done remotely and through online sharing. We would book studio dates, get tested 2X and then record ideas. Creatively speaking, we were on FIRE! We put out more content this last year than we did in the last 3 years.
Long Center: We’re incredibly excited to be launching our lookOUT series this fall with such a broad lineup, including your performance with Flor de Toloache on November 12th.
What’s it been like to tour again? Has it been exciting, nerve-wracking, or freeing to play for crowds once again?
Las Cafeteras: We’re not the same band that we were before Quarantine… I don’t think anybody is, and I don’t mean that as a bad thing. The band was already at a crossroads with our sound and performance. With the release of songs like “Long Time Coming” and “La Sirena,” it is clear that we have matured sonically and have had to grow our performance as well.
But you can’t really hone in on your performance without performing. IF there was an emotion for high anxiety and excitement that’s where we’re at.
Long Center: Any new projects or albums in the works that you can share with us?
Las Cafeteras: We just released our latest single, “Oaxaca Love Song No2,” a rockin’ sonic homage to Oaxaca culture, comida, and Indigenous resilience. The music video is a hot black and white throwback to the Mexican Rock ‘n’ Roll era of the late ’50s. The song will be part of an upcoming EP.
Long Center: As we get back out into the open, we’re encouraging all of our readers to give into their curiosity and discover new artists, hobbies, art, or community organizations, or even revisit the activity that’s already around them.
What has Las Cafeteras become curious about? What will you explore next?
Las Cafeteras: In Quarantine, we explored a lot of collaborations. We worked with rappers in swing states, a Hip Hop producer in Seattle, artists in the Southwest (Arizona and El Paso), and worked with several different dance companies.
We want to continue to work with different artists, within and outside of our genre.
Long Center: What can our lookOUT concertgoers expect from your show on November 12th?
Las Cafeteras: We’re gonna take the audience on a journey. From Jarocho to Hip Hop, from Folk to Funk, from Afro-Mexican to Americana. We’re gonna dance, groove, and move together.
We can’t wait.
At the Long Center, we’ve always got a new partnership or something cool we know you’ll want to check out! Find and follow us @longcenter on your social media platform of choice, and we’ll see you real soon.
