Brightest Young Things

Ocote Soul Sounds, a latin funk outfit from Austin, have the honor and pressure of opening for Thievery for their 5 days of sold out shows this week. Their particular kind of sunny psychedelia (with a flute!) is getting plenty of attention from everyone from NPR to music magazines, with their newest album "Coconut Rock" being deemed "a must for anyone who loves a downtempo blend of relaxed Latin grooves". Here are some tracks from it to ensure your interest is piqued enough so you skip dessert and show up at 930 club early enough to hear them do their thing.

"PAN, CHAMBA Y TECHO"

This is a song I had written a couple of years before it came to life with Ocote. What I like about this one in particular was that all the stars aligned perfectly as soon as i showed it to Martin and the Ocote band. I had written almost everything except for vocals and I showed it to the guys in rehearsal and Martin heard it once and suggested the vocal part which just fit like a glove. There's sometimes that as Martin said our ideas go together like "peanut butter and chocolate!" Pan, Chamba Y Techo translates to Bread (food), Work and a Roof over your head...the three basic human needs which we feel if a government so rich can't provide a people so taxed somethings just not right. I also love the song because it was one that came to life with the help of the Ocote live band and really showcases every member in the second half's "descarga" (jam) session when we perform it live.

"EL DIABLO Y EL NAU NAU"

I have about instrumental songs written and recorded that I'm on a constant quest to find the right singers for. Occasionally I dip into this stash for ideas for Ocote and this one in particular I had sent to Chico Mann a couple of years back and never heard anything come of it. When we were fine tuning "Coconut Rock" for completion he snuck it in with some other stuff he had sent us that we had him record. He added some early 80s flavor synths and three part harmonies that were begging us to make the record! It's a great feeling to know we have a such an incredible pool of talent around us.

"RETURN OF THE FREAK"

I wrote the lyrics and the vocal melody to this song about six years ago walking around an industrial area of Richmond,Virginia while I was on tour with Antibalas. It sat as a demo forever on my computer until it was time to make the Coconut Rock album.

The lyrics are very important to me.  I honestly don't know how we can survive into the future unless we study and learn from the wisdom of our ancestors. I like the groove between the bass and the drums. They are both really rigid so that even the smallest syncopation added gives the song a lot of bounce.

"REVOLT OF THE COCKROACH PEOPLE"

This song was inspired by a book of the same name by Oscar Zeta Acosta who was a Chicano civil rights lawyer very active in California in the early 1970s. It is a homage to his determination and spirit as well as all the other Latinos who became politicized and mobilized during that period and who are an inspiration to us  now.

We were lucky to be able to collaborate again with trumpeter Todd Simon, whose solo you hear at the end of the song. We worked with him on one song on our previous album and it is great to be able to have that collaboration across time and space with musicians that we love.

want more:

Ocote Soul Sounds are on myspace and their music is available at ESL Music. Plus, check them out live all this week, opening for Thievery @ 930 Club