Chicano Batman
with with Crumb & Inner Wave
They came out of L.A., four young men in vintage formalwear, playing songs that blended Brazilian Tropicalía with early '70s psychedelic soul and the romantic pop of bands like Los Ángeles Negros. It was an immediately addictive sonic brew, and their reputation grew fast. Since forming in 2008, Chicano Batman have released two full length albums--a self-titled 2009 debut, and 2014's Cycles Of Existential Rhyme--and two EPs. The band has played Coachella, and toured with Alabama Shakes and Jack White, among others. Now, they're making their boldest statement yet with Freedom Is Free, their third album and ATO Records debut.
Frontman Bardo Martinez met bassist Eduardo Arenas in 2008, and they quickly found common ground in the work of Caetano Veloso and other Tropicalía performers, as well as the kind of vintage soul and pop heard on "the albums our parents have in their closets." They recruited drummer Gabriel Villa and made their first album as a trio; guitarist Carlos Arévalo joined the band in 2011 and they released The Joven Navegante EP the following year.
Chicano Batman's look has done as much to set them apart as their sound or their name. Since the beginning, they've performed in matching suits and ruffled shirts; Bardo explains, "We're making a particular reference that some people understand-- Los Ángeles Negros, Los Pasteles Verdes. In the '70s, it was a big thing where all these cats were playing romantic ballads, but they were funky as hell."
That sharp funk groove shows up throughout Freedom Is Free, but especially on the title song. Bardo's uplifting lyrics, delivered in his uniquely dreamy/romantic style, are bolstered by the backing vocals of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. "It's a counterpoint to the propaganda catch phrase that was invented by the US government during the first Iraq war, 'Freedom isn't free,'" he explains. "It's a counter-narrative..."
Crumb - Crumb's tour launches on the heels of the band's latest album Ice Melt, released earlier this year. Rolling Stone described the album as "a captivating trek to the metaphysical and back down to Earth, dancing along the gap between what exists on the surface and what lies beneath," while Pigeons & Planes lauded the record as having "cemented their place on the genre's cutting edge," including previously-released singles "Trophy," "Balloon" and "BNR."
Los Retros - Mauri Tapia, a.k.a Los Retros, is a Mexican-American artist who started making music when he was just 16-years-old. Now twenty-one and a father, the California native draws influence from a wide range of places such as American soft-rock, South American pop and 90s hip hop. In 2019, Los Retros released the debut EP Retrospect, which drew praise from The Los Angeles Times, FADER, Dazed, and Remezcla, who described Mauri as "one of the most exciting artists making indie today" and features the hit song "Someone To Spend Time With."
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with with Crumb & Inner Wave
They came out of L.A., four young men in vintage formalwear, playing songs that blended Brazilian Tropicalía with early '70s psychedelic soul and the romantic pop of bands like Los Ángeles Negros. It was an immediately addictive sonic brew, and their reputation grew fast. Since forming in 2008, Chicano Batman have released two full length albums--a self-titled 2009 debut, and 2014's Cycles Of Existential Rhyme--and two EPs. The band has played Coachella, and toured with Alabama Shakes and Jack White, among others. Now, they're making their boldest statement yet with Freedom Is Free, their third album and ATO Records debut.
Frontman Bardo Martinez met bassist Eduardo Arenas in 2008, and they quickly found common ground in the work of Caetano Veloso and other Tropicalía performers, as well as the kind of vintage soul and pop heard on "the albums our parents have in their closets." They recruited drummer Gabriel Villa and made their first album as a trio; guitarist Carlos Arévalo joined the band in 2011 and they released The Joven Navegante EP the following year.
Chicano Batman's look has done as much to set them apart as their sound or their name. Since the beginning, they've performed in matching suits and ruffled shirts; Bardo explains, "We're making a particular reference that some people understand-- Los Ángeles Negros, Los Pasteles Verdes. In the '70s, it was a big thing where all these cats were playing romantic ballads, but they were funky as hell."
That sharp funk groove shows up throughout Freedom Is Free, but especially on the title song. Bardo's uplifting lyrics, delivered in his uniquely dreamy/romantic style, are bolstered by the backing vocals of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. "It's a counterpoint to the propaganda catch phrase that was invented by the US government during the first Iraq war, 'Freedom isn't free,'" he explains. "It's a counter-narrative..."
Crumb - Crumb's tour launches on the heels of the band's latest album Ice Melt, released earlier this year. Rolling Stone described the album as "a captivating trek to the metaphysical and back down to Earth, dancing along the gap between what exists on the surface and what lies beneath," while Pigeons & Planes lauded the record as having "cemented their place on the genre's cutting edge," including previously-released singles "Trophy," "Balloon" and "BNR."
Los Retros - Mauri Tapia, a.k.a Los Retros, is a Mexican-American artist who started making music when he was just 16-years-old. Now twenty-one and a father, the California native draws influence from a wide range of places such as American soft-rock, South American pop and 90s hip hop. In 2019, Los Retros released the debut EP Retrospect, which drew praise from The Los Angeles Times, FADER, Dazed, and Remezcla, who described Mauri as "one of the most exciting artists making indie today" and features the hit song "Someone To Spend Time With."
Chicano Batman
with with Crumb & Inner Wave
They came out of L.A., four young men in vintage formalwear, playing songs that blended Brazilian Tropicalía with early '70s psychedelic soul and the romantic pop of bands like Los Ángeles Negros. It was an immediately addictive sonic brew, and their reputation grew fast. Since forming in 2008, Chicano Batman have released two full length albums--a self-titled 2009 debut, and 2014's Cycles Of Existential Rhyme--and two EPs. The band has played Coachella, and toured with Alabama Shakes and Jack White, among others. Now, they're making their boldest statement yet with Freedom Is Free, their third album and ATO Records debut.
Frontman Bardo Martinez met bassist Eduardo Arenas in 2008, and they quickly found common ground in the work of Caetano Veloso and other Tropicalía performers, as well as the kind of vintage soul and pop heard on "the albums our parents have in their closets." They recruited drummer Gabriel Villa and made their first album as a trio; guitarist Carlos Arévalo joined the band in 2011 and they released The Joven Navegante EP the following year.
Chicano Batman's look has done as much to set them apart as their sound or their name. Since the beginning, they've performed in matching suits and ruffled shirts; Bardo explains, "We're making a particular reference that some people understand-- Los Ángeles Negros, Los Pasteles Verdes. In the '70s, it was a big thing where all these cats were playing romantic ballads, but they were funky as hell."
That sharp funk groove shows up throughout Freedom Is Free, but especially on the title song. Bardo's uplifting lyrics, delivered in his uniquely dreamy/romantic style, are bolstered by the backing vocals of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. "It's a counterpoint to the propaganda catch phrase that was invented by the US government during the first Iraq war, 'Freedom isn't free,'" he explains. "It's a counter-narrative..."
Crumb - Crumb's tour launches on the heels of the band's latest album Ice Melt, released earlier this year. Rolling Stone described the album as "a captivating trek to the metaphysical and back down to Earth, dancing along the gap between what exists on the surface and what lies beneath," while Pigeons & Planes lauded the record as having "cemented their place on the genre's cutting edge," including previously-released singles "Trophy," "Balloon" and "BNR."
Los Retros - Mauri Tapia, a.k.a Los Retros, is a Mexican-American artist who started making music when he was just 16-years-old. Now twenty-one and a father, the California native draws influence from a wide range of places such as American soft-rock, South American pop and 90s hip hop. In 2019, Los Retros released the debut EP Retrospect, which drew praise from The Los Angeles Times, FADER, Dazed, and Remezcla, who described Mauri as "one of the most exciting artists making indie today" and features the hit song "Someone To Spend Time With."
read more
with with Crumb & Inner Wave
They came out of L.A., four young men in vintage formalwear, playing songs that blended Brazilian Tropicalía with early '70s psychedelic soul and the romantic pop of bands like Los Ángeles Negros. It was an immediately addictive sonic brew, and their reputation grew fast. Since forming in 2008, Chicano Batman have released two full length albums--a self-titled 2009 debut, and 2014's Cycles Of Existential Rhyme--and two EPs. The band has played Coachella, and toured with Alabama Shakes and Jack White, among others. Now, they're making their boldest statement yet with Freedom Is Free, their third album and ATO Records debut.
Frontman Bardo Martinez met bassist Eduardo Arenas in 2008, and they quickly found common ground in the work of Caetano Veloso and other Tropicalía performers, as well as the kind of vintage soul and pop heard on "the albums our parents have in their closets." They recruited drummer Gabriel Villa and made their first album as a trio; guitarist Carlos Arévalo joined the band in 2011 and they released The Joven Navegante EP the following year.
Chicano Batman's look has done as much to set them apart as their sound or their name. Since the beginning, they've performed in matching suits and ruffled shirts; Bardo explains, "We're making a particular reference that some people understand-- Los Ángeles Negros, Los Pasteles Verdes. In the '70s, it was a big thing where all these cats were playing romantic ballads, but they were funky as hell."
That sharp funk groove shows up throughout Freedom Is Free, but especially on the title song. Bardo's uplifting lyrics, delivered in his uniquely dreamy/romantic style, are bolstered by the backing vocals of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. "It's a counterpoint to the propaganda catch phrase that was invented by the US government during the first Iraq war, 'Freedom isn't free,'" he explains. "It's a counter-narrative..."
Crumb - Crumb's tour launches on the heels of the band's latest album Ice Melt, released earlier this year. Rolling Stone described the album as "a captivating trek to the metaphysical and back down to Earth, dancing along the gap between what exists on the surface and what lies beneath," while Pigeons & Planes lauded the record as having "cemented their place on the genre's cutting edge," including previously-released singles "Trophy," "Balloon" and "BNR."
Los Retros - Mauri Tapia, a.k.a Los Retros, is a Mexican-American artist who started making music when he was just 16-years-old. Now twenty-one and a father, the California native draws influence from a wide range of places such as American soft-rock, South American pop and 90s hip hop. In 2019, Los Retros released the debut EP Retrospect, which drew praise from The Los Angeles Times, FADER, Dazed, and Remezcla, who described Mauri as "one of the most exciting artists making indie today" and features the hit song "Someone To Spend Time With."
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The Warfield
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