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| FAVX in NYC by @noussnou |
We Want Our Free Backpacks
This Monday night, March 4th, Little Dickman Records and CoolDad Music will be hosting a show at The Saint in Asbury Park featuring Madrid, Spain's FAVX. The band have landed in the US for an extended tour that will take them to the South By Southwest music festival in Austin for the second year in a row.
FAVX formed as a three-piece in the suburbs of Madrid, Spain. Carlos, Daniel, and Nicolás released their debut EP, Welfare, on Burger Records last year and supported the record by playing over 80 shows all across Spain, Europe, and the US. This past January, FAVX announced the departure of founding member, Nico, but vowed to carry on. They kicked off a 6-week US tour in Brooklyn just this week.
I sent a few questions over to Carlos and Daniel as they tore their way through 3 of NYC's 5 boroughs on their way down to the Jersey Shore. FAVX give us their perspective on touring the US, the current state of the Spanish music scene and rock in general, and more below.
Come check FAVX out at The Saint tomorrow night as part of a fantastic bill that also includes Yawn Mower, Lunch Ladies, and Mulch (NJ's #1 Dentist Tribute Band). It's a party to help send a bunch of those bands on their way down to Austin. Oh, and we'll also be celebrating the 7th anniversary of CoolDad Music! Doors open at 7:30pm, and $8 gets you inside.
Welcome! You've just arrived in the US for a long tour that will take you to Austin for your second trip to SXSW. How was the last trip to SXSW, and what are you expecting to get out of it this time around?
Thanks! For us, SXSW is an overwhelming festival. There are too many things going on at the same time. We had a great time, played til we fainted, and met many new bands and friends; and that's what we expect to get out of it on our second round. We're playing 9 shows in 3 days, so we hope to get out alive. Whatever is happening, we want our free backpacks.
Asbury Park will be a new stop for you, I think. What do you already know about Asbury Park and New Jersey? Are there any other places you'll be hitting for the first time that you're looking forward to?
We just know Asbury Park because of Bruce Springsteen; and, about NJ, we can tell you about New Jersey Nets (RIP) and Ho99o9. We spent hours playing against Jason Kidd in NBA Live 2005.
Can you talk a little bit about what it's like as a European band touring around the USA?
Well, we are more Spanish than European. For us, everything here is too big and too expensive. We've never toured this much before; so, in between shows, we'd love to see the weirdest North American tourist atractions like the biggest potato in Idaho and stuff.
I was at the "Pit Party" show for a bit at Barracuda at SXSW last year. You were on the bill along with Kings of the Beach from Vigo. I saw Hinds wandering around in the audience. It seems like more Spanish bands are starting to venture outside their home country. Why do you think that is? Why now? What's held them back before?
Spanish scene is flourishing within the last 4 years. Accidente, Hinds, or Rosalía are recent examples on how it's happening in different genres. Spanish scene has always been very plural and interesting, and it's finally getting the attention it deserves. It's not that we are starting to venture abroad, but more that people outside Spain are getting more interested in us, which is really cool!
What is the music scene like in Madrid and the rest of Spain these days? Who are some other Spanish bands we should be looking out for?
We are really proud of Madrid's music scene and Spain in general. Some bands like The Parrots, Hinds, or Mujeres smoothed the way. Baywaves, Vulk, Alien Tango, or Cariño are also building something cool. Tensión, Sudo,r or ZA! have a really sick live set that's worth checking out.
You released Welfare last year with Burger Records. It's loud and experimental, but there are also familiar elements of post punk and pop. How did you arrive at the sound on that record?
We spent almost two years on recording a proper version of Welfare. In between, we experimented with lots of recording methods (mostly Albini's style at ZTA with Ojo), but we finally decided to work with Hans of Monreal Studios, who has a big electronic music input, which was the complete opposite of what we were doing before. With Hans, the purpose was like "let's make guitars not sound like guitars." We mixed all our noise / punk / electro influences and we finally came out with the sound of Welfare. For our next record, we've twisted the sound even more. You can have a taste next Friday with the release of our new single "From Above."
On "Born in the 90s" from Welfare, you write about forging a path that doesn't depend on ideas from the past. Do you think rock music can get bogged down by nostalgia? Is that something you consciously try to avoid?
We live in the decadence of rock and roll as a music genre. Rock has become an inoffensive form and a commercial backtrack, slowly fading away from social causes and reality. Most of the self-considered "rockers" are old men trapped in the idea that "There will not be a band better than The Rolling Stones (or any other classic rock band happening from the 50s to the 90s)." In Spain, trap and reggaeton music hyped recently, especially into young people; and many music journalists were blaming the youth for it (Ignoring the racist fact behind blaming people for suporting music with racial roots). "Born in the 90s" was written as an angry response to all the hordes of old men pointing at our generation for tearing rock apart, while those same men were the ones that killed rock. They were the ones that pushed rock from alternative clubs to massive music festivals and turned small bands to massive commercial bands. The same people that put the blame on young people for the decadence of rock curate big festivals and book jurassic rock bands instead of supporting the new generation of bands. Now they blame us because rock is inoffensive. Not our deal.
What are you working on for the future?
We just recorded an LP, and we are now looking for record labels. This Friday we will release our first single "From Above." When we come back home, we will focus on the artwork, videoclips, and promo for the LP. DIY!
And, I just have to ask. As people who are able to look at the US from the outside, what do you think of everything that's been going on here since about 2016?
In Spain, especially after Marshall's plan, the USA is always a background track. Since we have democracy, Spanish politicians have always compared us with the US. Trump's election is just the confirmation of the worldwide alt-right uprising, wich Europe's also been suffering, especially during the last 3 or 4 years. Besides the terrible meaning behind someone like Trump governing the US, his racist, homophobic, misogynist, and specieist ideology legitimates hate speech worldwide and especially in the countries of the second order as Spain. Lately, in Spain, the alt-right party VOX has gained popularity; and that's something that couldn't have happened if Trump didn't come out before. It's a really tough time; but it's also an opportunity to gather and fight against bigotry, stand up for social rights, and end all of this crap.
Gracias, FAVX. Safe travels on tour, and we'll see you at The Saint in Asbury Park!
Thank you very much and see you soon! We are really looking forward for the show ¡Muchas gracias!
Welfare by FAVX is out now on Burger Records. New single, "From Above," comes out this Friday, March 8th.
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