Interview: Austin Latin funksters Superfónicos discuss new single, Jim Eno and bee stings

Friday, Austin Afro-Colombian Latin funksters Superfónicos release single “Cumbéalo” along with B side, “Tropidelico” on 7” vinyl. The record was produced by Spoon drummer and Public Hi-Fi Studio owner Jim Eno. Eno approached the band following sessions he recorded with the band as part of local singer, Walker Lukens’ Song Confessional project. After witnessing how well the group recorded that track live, Eno circled back around for the current project which is the first recording (Volume 1) in the Spotlight Series offered by Public Hi-Fi and Gold Rush Vinyl. The single release party is this Saturday, May 11 at the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) presented by KUTX. The show will highlight the roots of Cumbia from Africa to Texas. The show will be held indoors in the MACC Theatre with special guest performers. Fans may RSVP and purchase tickets in advance via the event Facebook page.

Superfónicos release the tracks after a landmark 2018 for the group which saw the world-music octet perform at SXSW, ACL Radio’s Blues on the Green, Austin City Limits Festival and New Year’s Eve at Auditorium shores.  This culminated in the group being nominated for “Artist of the Year” in the Austin Chronicle Music Awards. The group led by founders Erick Bohorquez and Nico Sanchez, have made huge strides in the four short years they’ve been a band. Superfónicos along with psych-Cumbia innovators Money Chicha lead the Cumbia-fusion movement in Austin. In fact, Money Chicha drummer, John Spiece (Grupo Fantasma, Brownout) appears on the new record.  Colombian Cumbia music is extremely popular in Latin America. Superfónicos (and other Cumbia-fusion acts) represent the cutting edge of this immensely popular musical form. The genre has the added benefit of getting music fans shaking their hips. Frankly, it’s difficult to hear this type of music and not move around a bit. The beat is intoxicating.

We sat down with Sanchez and Borhorquez at 24 Diner to discuss the new record, the band’s steep career arc and crazy things that have happened while on stage. You’re not going to believe Sanchez’s weird story on that experience…

The Cosmic Clash: Why did you want to form an Afro-Colombian act? 

Nico: A mutual friend introduced me to Erick and mentioned that he had a reggae band, they’re looking for a bass player. So I made it over to his place and I started looking around on the walls. He had like all the same artwork that my mom, dad and my cousins have. And I said to myself, this dude must be Colombian. And then I look on the coffee table and there is this book of Colombian art. It’s the same book that my mom gave me when I moved out of the house. So I was like, OK… cool yeah. So, there was always that Colombian connection with me and Erick. Through the years we really wanted to put together a thing that focus a little bit more on our Colombian roots and that kind of thing. But we were busy with our own projects at the time and it’s just one of those things that was in the back of our minds for like, a decade.

Erick: We both grew up with Colombian parents, so naturally we’ve always been drawn to what our parents were listening to. The idea had been brewing for a long time. It just seemed like the timing was never on our side until the summer of 2014.   

TCC: How does working as a musician in Austin differ from other places? Discuss the pros and cons of being an artist in Austin. 

Erick: For the most part being an artist in Austin is great. We are incredibly lucky to be supported by so many great organizations such as the Austin Music Foundation, HAAM, Sims Foundation, and Black Fret.  There are however a ton of bands in this town, so I guess if I had to pick a con it would be that. If you want to thrive in the Austin music scene, talent only gets you so far. Originality, professionalism, and perseverance is key to making a name for yourself. If you slack even the slightest, you’ll be forgotten quickly. Sounds harsh but it’s true.  

Nico: Austin is an amazing place to be a working musician. You can find gigs every day of the week and there is an audience. The other side of that is. There’s a million people trying to do the same thing. So lots of competition, which is great because it kind of ups the quality too. I mean if you if you’re not putting in the work you’re going to get left by the wayside because there’s so much talent here.  It’s great in that sense. There are definitely some issues with like housing and other costs that are just making it not as sustainable to be a musician in this town anymore which you know, originally this was an artist Mecca. Musical artists and visual artists have moved here [in the past] because of a cheap rent. You could play a couple gigs and then you know, have enough to rent a cool bungalow in south Austin and live your artist’s life. Now it’s a little bit different because everybody’s got to have day jobs or side hustles or play in ten different bands and drives Uber or works at record stores (Sanchez works at Waterloo Records) or whatever you know. Everybody’s got their thing. And it would be nice to go back to that old Austin but you know it’s changing so there’s definitely good and bad with it.

TCC: SXSW can offer an opportunity to expand your band’s reach. How did the 2019 edition go? 

Erick: If it weren’t for the two years we played SXSW, we may have not received some of the national attention, like from NPR, that has really grown our following and broadened our reach.

Nico: 2019 was good. We were fortunate enough to be included in the official South by closing party at the Palm Door and that was really awesome. We played with some cool groups over there and it was a nice way to send off SX and all the people that were still in town maybe waiting on flights or whatever. So that was lots of fun and we did a great show over at Russian house which was also lots of fun. We played with a cool group, some Colombians who are living in New York called Grupo Rebolu. That was lots of fun, we made some good connections with them. So next time we’re in New York you know we’ll hit those guys up.

Like last year we got a really nice write up from a Latino NPR. It’s [SXSW] one of those things where you just kind of gotta do it and then hope for the best and hope there’s somebody in the room that can write something [about the band]. It’s also kind of one of those things that now going into Sx there’s this hype machine that hypes up like 10 bands or something and then everybody goes to see those bands. If you’re lucky enough to be part of that machine or be on a bill with one of those bands and people see you, that’s cool.

TCC: I’ve heard Superfónicos prefers recording live like you did with Jim Eno on the upcoming release. Why do you prefer live recording to tracking songs?

Erick: It’s been an absolute joy working with Jim at his Public Hi-Fi Studio.  We all share a fondness for the great classic albums that were cut to tape, so this was something we always hoped we would have the chance to do.  It’s an all or nothing kind of deal, so there’s a lot of pressure to play perfectly. It was a huge mental and physical test for me as a musician. Somewhere in the back of your head there’s a voice saying, “I better not screw it up for the rest of the guys.” Of course, the more challenging it is, the more rewarding and ultimately, we created something so unique and something I’m really proud of.

Nico: We were approached by Walker Lukens late last year to do one of his Song Confessionals. And we just psyched to do it. He wanted us to make a song based on one of the [election] candidates’ “Confession” or story. So we did that and it was an awesome experience. It was really cool getting an idea together from start to finish from like you know conception to birth in a matter of three or four hours. It was a really fun thing and Jim Eno was  mixing in the other room and he heard this maraca when he was listening to the playback and he heard this sound and he’s like, “That sounds awesome I need to go in there and see what that is.” So he kind of like popped his head in while we’re you know listening back and it has a very particular sound. It’s a very Colombian sound. If you hear it, you can pick it [the sound] out from standard Latin music that you hear on a bunch of salsa recordings. It’s got a really rootsy, rustic sound. It’s the sound made out of a particular gourd and a particular kind of bead it’s played slightly differently than other modern Latin music. So he popped his head in and out of that sound he was interested in us coming to his studio and working on this project.

 TCC: What new music have you been listening to? What’s hot now in your opinion?

Nico: Cochemea… It’s a new thing out of Daptone [Records], which is really cool. I need to do a little more research about that the origins behind it but it seems like it has some kind of Native American influence. It’s a lot of the same Daptone players… Axelrod played keyboards and stuff. So, some of the same guys that have put out some of those Daptone recordings but it was a very different [listening] experience and had very little drum kit if any. It was just like mostly percussion. Alto Sax too. I think there was some flute in there. It was just a really cool thing. I really enjoyed it. It was very different than what I was expecting. Something more like the Afro-funk stuff that I’m so used to hearing from Daptone.

There’s also this new Marvin Gaye compilation which I guess they’re calling his unreleased album. But I mean I think most of this stuff had been released in some form or fashion throughout the years on different expanded editions of [other albums] or something but this is the first time it’s been kind of compiled and I want to see if some of it was remix or really something new. It was really cool to hear some of that stuff. Compiled together it kind of works on its own.

Erick: Right now, I’m really into a band out of Havana called Cimafunk. They’re doing some funky Afro-Cuban soul stuff you should check out.  

TCC: How does non-Latin music inform your songwriting. Talk about how different genres influence your music.  

Erick: So much of my past influences play a role in songwriting. Reggae, blues, and funk probably take the top three spots for me. For example, a reggae guitar skank is similar to what is called the Llamador (a percussive instrument from the coast of Colombia) used to interpret the rhythmic upbeat of Cumbia.

Nico: One thing that we want to show is how how similar cumbia and funk can be. And you know, you think Cumbia, you think South America. You think funk, you think North America. We sort of want to blur those lines a little bit. The influence is there and people can appreciate music on both sides of the aisle. There’s more connectivity… more like a relationship there than maybe on the first look. You might miss it on the first look, but it’s there. One interesting thing to note, The accent in Cumbia and reggae even is on the upbeat.. So if you just bump over… push it off the one, you have a cumbia feel. We’re all very influenced by African music, and funk, jazz and blues that we try and find that common thread.

 If it [music] does have like cowbells and congas and stuff on it. It’s good. You know it doesn’t matter to us if it’s in Spanish, English, Portuguese or Swahili or whatever. You know it’s all really the same. Right?

TCC: How much did performing at ACL Festival affect Superfónicos’ career arc? What were the benefits getting on that bill?

Erick: It’s definitely opened doors that were once closed a few years back. All of the sudden you’re getting more looks and taken a little more seriously. I’d say one great benefit was all the press and media we received.

Nico: I think it was really special to play [ACL Fest] and we’re very humbled to be asked to do that so early in our career. Yeah, that was one of my favorite shows that we’ve ever played. That was that was a ton of fun. It was great because a lot of those people had never heard the band before and they’re just probably perusing the schedule and “oh look OK. This sounds interesting. I want to check this out.” By the end of the set people are like grasping on and singing along and stuff. So that’s really cool.

TCC: What Austin artists inspire you? Who locally is making new music that is getting your attention? 

Nico: I really love this group in town called Ley Line. They’re like wonderful quartet for powerful women. They’re amazing musicians.  They’re probably like the best musicians in town that I’ve heard anyway. I’m not terribly religious or anything but if I were to hear what angels would sound like I would think of Ley Line. I always try and get them on the bill [with us] just because they’re wonderful musicians.  

There’s a lot of great bands in town that are fronted by women but it’s rare to see a group of all women who are amazing, wonderful musicians. I think it’s important for people to see that. They’re actually they’re playing with us on May 11 at the release show. They’re going to join us for a song.

Erick: Grupo Fantasma has a fantastic new album out called American Music: Volume 7. I’m also really digging on what Black Pumas are doing. Check out their latest single called Colors.  

TCC: What’s the craziest thing that has happened to you on stage? 

Erick: Once I had a lady come along the side of the stage where I was performing and she started playing with my feet and toes. I’ll never go barefoot again. Ever.  

Nico: This was with the band Don Chani some years ago. I had a Shiner beer in a red Solo cup and we’re, you know usually we had like four or five songs together before I was like, I really want to take a sip of that beer, it’s super hot out here. This was during the day and so we finally got a break [in the song] where I’m not playing, you know maybe it was like a rhythm thing where it was just the the drums and the guitar going. So I go to pick up my beer and I knew I wouldn’t have another chance to drink it until much later. So I chugged about half of it and then  I realized… Hold on. There was something in there and then I feel something on my tongue. And I was a bee in my beer.  And it stung my tongue!  I pulled the stinger out and threw it and then the drummer’s counting me in and I’m like oh shit. Yeah.

And the whole time I’m like, I’ve never been stung by a bee. I hope I’m not allergic. I was thinking of that movie with Macaulay Culkin where he gets stung by bees and he dies at the end. So I was thinking of that and I’m like. Oh. I hope I don’t die. If I die and die playing music I guess it’s ok. Luckily I didn’t die. But by the end of the song my tongue was like the size of a wallet. It took a couple of hours for the swelling to come down.

TCC: Fun question… I’m a foodie and always looking for new places. Where are you dining or drinking that is new or I might not know about? 

Nico: So. there is a new spot in town called Plaza Colombian Coffee. They just have some of the best coffee in town and they’re so damn good.  And they have the traditional Colombian pastries that you usually eat with your coffee. So that’s kind of my spot right now. I don’t think to have like dinner or lunch kind of stuff but it’s just like these awesome pastries baked in-house.

Erick: If you haven’t been to Suerte on East Sixth Street, you should. Their homemade masa is the bomb.