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Voices From The Mexican Underground: San Pedro El Cortez From Tijuana

"People do things there for the love of music and art. It's a big challenge, but we have to do it—all together."

One of the most exhilarating acts I caught at Festival Nrmal was San Pedro El Cortez from Tijuana, a five-piece comprised of guitarist/vocalist Diego Cordoba, bassist/vocalist Edgard Collins, guitarist/vocalist Aris Chagoya and drummer Mario Alarcon. Their spirited set was a hard-hitting combination of garage-punk and psych-rock, evoking The Stooges, The Kinks and, at least spiritually,The Rolling Stones, riddled with antics. At one point, Cordoba wandered possessed-like into the crowd, which erupted in multiple mosh pits during their set, and mooned the audience at the end of their performance, while Collins fell to the floor of the stage, going ecstatic on his bass, and later launched the instrument soaring over the heads of festival-goers, sending it skittering into the dirt.

Annoncering

"We always try to do our best, no matter how big or small the show is," Collins said, when we talked beside the stage after their set. "Our goal is to have one of the best live performances. The most important thing is to have fun and love what you are making." This was the second year in a row they performed at Festival Nrmal. According to Collins, the name of the band is a play on words—San Pedro, a type of cactus native to parts of South America containing the hallucinogenic drug mescaline, and El Cortez, the region of Tijuana where they live. Collins was born in San Diego but has lived in Tijuana all his life. Collins and Cordoba starting playing music together in high school. They formed San Pedro El Cortez after meeting Alarcon in 2008. Three years later, Chagoya joined the band, and it began taking shape as its present incarnation. "We could express ourselves through music, and the most natural was rock 'n roll, the roots, the blues," Collins said. "We all like different kinds of music, but it all comes together in the band. We're really open and experimental. Especially right now—I think it's a really interesting time to live. We have all these decades that passed before us, and we're like a hybrid. There's so much music to discover. Right now, it's the time to make something new and unique. The opportunity's there, and we have to take it. It's sad when people don't know a lot about music because they limit themselves. There's so much out there. That's what I like about Festival Nrmal—it gets people interested in music and art."

Annoncering

Diego Cordoba San Pedro El Cortez put out their first record Creaturas last year on Vale Vergas Discos, an independent label based in Mexico City. The album is currently available as CDs and cassette tapes, which they hand-painted themselves. "I fell in love with all the people at Vale Vergas. We're like a family. It's the only really independent label that's legitimate in Mexico," Collins said. "In the states, there are a lot of good independent labels, but here in Mexico, the problem is that nobody wants to do it because it's risky. There's not a lot of money in it. So props to Vale Vergas. I hope they keep it going." "Our next plan is to record a full-length this April. We want to bring back the analog sound," Collins said. "We usually jam for a couple of hours, then take parts that we like and put them into a more structure form. The lyrics come later," Collins added, speaking on their songwriting process. "Because Tijuana is near the border, there's a lot of exported music, especially from LA," which has greatly influenced the band, Collins said. They’re fans of fuzzed-out rock ‘n roller Ty Segall and experimental popster Ariel Pink, both California-based artists. San Pedro El Cortez also plays shows in southern California, particularly San Diego and Los Angeles, and encourages bands from these areas to play in Tijuana, too. "When they come, they have the best time," Collins said.

Edgard Collins Steadily, Tijuana is becoming a cultural landmark in its own right. "Tijuana is getting bigger. It can be overwhelming, because we have a lot of people coming from the south and the states," Collins said. "TJ is called la esquina del mundo—the corner of the world—because it's right there in the peninsula. We have people from all over the world, and it's getting better and better. There are more artists coming. There are more galleries and art spaces opening, as compared to two or three years ago." One example of this is Otras Obras, which opened last October. The six-month experimental art gallery is the collaboration of Los Angeles/Tijuana artist Michael Ray-Von and New York DIY show promoter Todd Patrick, who also helps curate Festival Nrmal. Alarcon, who was idling nearby, chimed in: "It's love and hate, hate and love. Tijuana and San Diego—I'm tired of that shit. I want to live in Alaska." "Before, nothing was happening in Tijuana besides the electronic scene. Nortec put TJ on the map." Collins said. A combination of traditional Norteño music and techno, Nortec refers to a famous collective of artists based in Tijuana that produced and performed music together from 1999 to 2008. "So we started making our shitty music, and a lot of bands started making more music and doing more art. We have this festival, All My Friends. We played there last year," Collins said. All My Friends takes place in November and, like Festival Nrmal, presents a mixed lineup of international and Mexican indie bands. "People do things there for the love of music and art. It's a big challenge, but we have to do it—all together."

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