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Los Angeles Times
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The McCharmlys charm local fans — and each other
The McCharmlys, a local band with a retro sound, is made up of four musicians who are all pretty big fans of each other. 'Every single person in this band has been a part of other bands that I love and admire,' said lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Angie Monroy, who started the band in 2018. Monroy was a fan of bassist Yari Bolanos, who was playing with a band called the Mellows in Texas. Dummer Cole Maxwell was a fan of the McCharmlys before he joined the band. 'I was a fan of this band for a long time, and then I saw Angie at a show,' said Maxwell. 'I was, like, what could the be the harm in introducing myself and saying how much I love the music?' Guitarist Eddie Gutierrez was last to join the band in 2021. 'Angie says that when I joined the band at that time, it felt like the band really solidified,' Gutierrez said. The Santa Ana-based group borrows their name from an obscure Beatles interview in which John Lennon introduces the band as 'George Parasol, Ringo Stone and Paul McCharmly.' 'I guess technically, John Lennon named us,' said Monroy. They have been making a name for themselves in the local Orange County and Los Angeles music scene with a sound that blends elements of surf rock, '60s girl groups and old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. Their latest record, 'You'll Be Fine,' dropped on Jan. 14, released on Nu-Tone Records, a sister label to Hi-Tide Recordings. The band celebrated with a listening party at Bar 616 in Santa Ana where their own fans got to hear the song for the first time and watch a screening of the pulp noir-style music video. 'From the beginning there wasn't an aim to be retro-sounding,' said Monroy. 'The sound really developed when everybody came together. We all have our own influences and ones we all have in common.' Collectively the group references the Ramones, Roy Orbison and the Beach Boys as key influencers of their sound, but members' Mexican American heritage finds its way into the music as well. 'The stuff that I like, that I grew up with, is really just a lot of music that my folks listened to, like rock 'n' roll from the past,' said Gutierrez. 'Watching 'La Bamba' as kid made a huge impact on me.' Monroy agrees. 'I was raised on banda fresa, banda limon, all these different genres and a lot of really strong women, like Lola Beltran and Ana Gabriel, women with really raspy, rock 'n' roll voices,' said Monroy. 'Mariachi can still be rock 'n' roll, in a way.' The McCharmlys single 'Tu Seras Mi Baby,' a Spanish-language take on the Ronettes' 1963 hit 'Be My Baby,' currently has 355,810 listens on Spotify. 'We are Latinos, our parents are immigrants and they are the ones who showed us pretty much everything, and doing this song, specifically 'Tu Seras Mi Baby,' was inspired by Les Surfs,' said Monroy. A lesser known group than the Ronettes, Les Surfs was a pop group from Madagascar that recorded from 1964 until 1971. 'They sing in lots of different languages but they do 'Tu Seras Mi Baby' in Spanish, and us being nerds about vinyl and enjoying old music on YouTube, when we saw it we were, like, man, that is a cool one. And of course I have huge love and admiration for Ronnie Spector.' The band has recorded original music in Spanish too, which Monroy calls 'challenging and beautiful' work that connects her to her community. 'Especially when you see a lot of la raza coming through in different places around the world,' Monroy said. 'It's special; you are never alone. Sometimes you feel alone and then you look around, and you're like 'My people are here.'' No matter what language you speak, the McCharmlys feel they have something audiences can connect with. 'Rock 'n' roll is such an inherently American thing, and I think that we all can vibe to that,' said Gutierrez. The vibes are good and the band is enjoying a bit of buzz around their new single. Recently the McCharmlys were featured at a 95.5 KLOS 'Breakfast with the Beatles' live event at Hollywood's Hard Rock Cafe. The 'Breakfast with the Beatles' segment on the popular classic rock radio station introduced Gutierrez to the band's music as a teenager. 'I would tune in to that pretty often, and to be able to play for Chris Carter and just the mere fact that we were on the radio was an honor and privilege,' said Gutierrez. This week band members pack their bags for Spain, where they will play the European music festival 'Rockin' Race Jamboree' ahead of headlining their own tour across the western United States. The McCharmlys will kick off their tour with a show at the Observatory in Santa Ana on Feb.16 with Ramona and Los Tranquilos before playing dates in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. They are excited about the upcoming travel plans but even more excited about getting to connect with fans. 'Music brings people together, and we have created a community around that,' said Gutierrez. 'It is a wonderful thing.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Best concerts in Austin this weekend: Groove to Colombian powerhouse Superfónicos
What a weekend for Austin music. This city continues to be a melting pot, but this edition of show selections is an especially mixed bag. From a Colombian fusion residency, to an interactive audio-visual installation and an American Heart Month showcase, here's a curated list of live concerts to make your precious off work hours count. Colombian root fusion band Superfónicos is kicking off their C-Boy's Heart and Soul residency taking place every Thursday in February. Fronted by Jaime Ospina, the group recently received two Austin Music Award nominations — Best Latin Act and Best Album — for their 2024 release 'Renaceré.' The mighty 'Caríbe soul' collective is joined by Hotel de Nova, a band composed of members Superfónicos and El Combo Oscuro, playing a concoction of cumbia, chicha, bolero and other Latin sounds each night of the residency. Come to the club early to catch Allisen and the Wy's Guys and head upstairs for James Lott and Mel Davis (from the Blues Specialists) in the Jade Room. Info: 21 and up, $12, Lord Buffalo at 29th St. Ballroom: All ages, $20, TC Superstar, Conner Stephens and Country Worms and Goldrush at Feels So Good: All ages, $15, Darden Smith at Cactus Cafe: All ages, $23, Small Engine Fire (EP Release) with Hex Boyfriend and TV's Goodtimes at Hole in the Wall: 21 and up, $12, Blue Tongue, Signature Dish and Blue Bee at Radio/East: All ages, $12, Tomika Records, an independent record label run by Leila and Theo Lawrence, brings their roster of artists — including Phil Hollie, the Mellows and Sentimental Family Band — to Sagebrush for a special Friday night showcase. Theo Lawrence released a new single 'Thank You, But No Thank You' on Jan. 15, recorded with Austin-based singer Melissa Carpenter in Nashville. The Mellows most recently released the album 'Satisfy Your Soul' which the Statesman ranked number 11 in a list of the top Austin albums released in 2024. The lineup is rounded out by two other Tomika Records artists, Phil Hollie and the Sentimental Family Band, for this second iteration of 'the Austin Sound.' Info: 21 and up, $15, This is going to be one wild night at dadaLab. A.M. Architect, an audio and visual project by Diego Chavez and Daniel Stanush, will be debuting their new album 'Avenir' with an interactive music and art installation. According to dadaLab, the A.M. Architect duo blend music and film with 'machine learning, generative art and live-coding to push their audio and visual work closer towards becoming a singular articulation of their ideas and themes.' The event will feature live, reactive visuals throughout the evening and a DJ set by King Khary. Info: All ages, $12 GA and $7 Student, Holy Wire, Raudiver, Death Palmz and Gleaming at Chess Club: 21 and up, $12, Slow Joy with Ritual and Nervous at Mohawk: All ages, $19, Bloomrot and Marathon Runner at Hotel Vegas: 21 and up, $12, High Fade at 29th St. Ballroom: All ages, $20, Pump Action with Rococo Disco and Valice at the Far Out Lounge: All ages, $10, Described as 'a night of music, heart and purpose,' Heart to Heart2Heart Live is a showcase presented by Austin music scene multi-hyphenate Nagavalli Medicharla in support of the American Heart Association. The show will feature Nagavalli, Francisco Rosales of Midnight Navy, Quentin Arispe of the Past Lives, Blackchyl, Short Life, Chief Cleopatra, Somebody Someone, Lara Price, Shanik Hughes and Adi Rao. A celebration of American Heart Month, the performance has a mission of raising awareness of women's heart health and is supported by the City of Austin Economic Development Department and KUTX 98.9 FM. Info: All ages, $15 and up, Faux Real with J'cuuzi and Modernform at Hotel Vegas: 21 and up, $20, Hard Proof and the Point at Continental Club: 21 and up, $15, Daydream Twins with Temachii and No Desire at Mohawk: All ages, $19, Heavy the Mountain, Marry Cherry, the Holy Temple (tape release) and the Dead Canyon Family Reunion (Single Release) at Chess Club: 21 and up, $12, Whisk, Capital Vice, Yasone and NSFWHO? at Valhalla: 21 and up, $10, SIMS Benefit Show with Geto Gala, Nolo and Semihelix at Antone's: 21 and up, $15, Kuru with Molly Ringworm, Laugh Track and Skratz at Mohawk: All ages, $15, Lomelda with Greg Mendez at Parish: All ages, $22, This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Live music picks for this weekend in Austin, including Superfónicos
