Right smack dab in the middle of the manic, guitar driven alliance of Latin and punk rock that is Fayuca’s “Por Se Seguir” (which roughly translates to “question authority”), the group break into traditional cumbia. Then the tune retreats back to a fist-in-the-air mantra, which was inspired by the perpetual upward battle the persecuted face from big-egoed governments.
Frontman Gabo explains. “Why should we continue to play your game?” he says. “We’ve already played for many years and still haven’t seen our share of the pie.”
“Por Se Seguir” is one of Fayuca’s songs that inspires its three members to wear sequine-laden lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) masks, which they’ll most definitely sport on Friday at Casa Sorrento.
“We wear [the masks] to symbolize the oppressed moving forward, the rebellion,” Gabo says.
The fight song opens Fayuca’s Barrio Sideshow, which was produced by Ralph Patian, who has also collaborated with Jamie Foxx and Megadeath.
Gabo considers the product a big step up from their previous album, The Assassination.
“We poured our heart, blood, sweat and tears into every song [on The Assassination] but we were still a little careful about what we put on the recording and we hadn’t really developed into the musicians we are today,” he says.
Additionally, Barrio Sideshow represents the group’s new found confidence: They pretty much let their label know that they wanted full creative control. And they got it.
“We’ve evolved as musicians and we’re not scared to try new things and we write music that we love,” Gabo says. “We feel that listeners have latched onto it and love it as much as we do.”
Gabo believes its listeners, especially from their hometown of Phoenix, have also latched onto the band’s name, Fayuca, which is Spanish slang for black market swap meets in Mexico featuring contraband from all over. Initially, the name was intended to be temporary, but it stuck.
“Since we take genres from different cultures all over the world, like reggae, Latin, cumbia and punk, and mash them all into one, Fayuca turned out to be the perfect name for us,” Gabo says. “Fayuca also works for those who don’t know what it means because of the mystery behind it.”
FAYUCA performs at 9pm Friday, Feb. 21, at Casa Sorrento, 393 Salinas St., Monterey. $10. 757-2720.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.