San Diego fusion group to share Festival Latino stage
By Kiran Puri
April 12, 2007 9:01 p.m.
If you think it’s difficult to persevere in the music industry as a lone singer-songwriter, try doing it as a nine-person band. That’s been the struggle for ““ and the appeal of ““ the San Diego-based fusion group, the B-Side Players.
The B-Side Players, who will be performing on Saturday as part of the ninth annual Festival Latino at UCLA, were formed in 1994 by trumpet player Karlos Paez and several percussionists in an African drum class at a local community college.
Finding traction with the acid-jazz movement in the ’90s, the band began touring intensely (upward of 280 shows a year at one point), slowly gaining exposure but also struggling with independent artistry. The exhaustive tours led to a frequently-changing lineup of musicians as band members would leave the group because of the stress.
“The whole B-Side story is a struggle in itself,” Paez said. “The odds have always been against us to survive as a big band and for us to just keep going and not give up. It’s hard for us to go on the road as a big band and come back without making money and (having to) sacrifice our families.”
Though the band’s size has proved a financial hindrance, it has also helped to invigorate their sound with a melange of musical styles including reggae, funk, salsa, hip-hop and Afro-beat. Artists such as Ozomatli, Ben Harper and The Wailers, many of whom embrace a similar musical diversity, have had the B-Side Players open for them on tour.
“We’ve kind of just delivered everything that we do; we just do a whole mix of different rhythms and cultures,” Paez said. “As a musician, it’s a dream to play different styles and not just one genre or one style, and that’s the most fun thing about this band ““ it’s just everything. It’s a world music band.”
The medley of musical styles supports the varied themes the band explores in their lyrics, which are socially conscious but still colorful and uplifting, addressing such issues as immigration, poverty, ethnic diversity and the power of activism.
“I don’t think it’s naive (to think music can change things),” Paez said.
“I feel it’s the weapon of the future as far as educating people. If it wasn’t for music, I wouldn’t be involved with the things I’m involved with … And people come up to me all the time and thank the band for doing what we’re doing.”
Paez, who has become the primary songwriter for the band, attributes his approach to musicianship to various influences in his youth. Having grown up in Tijuana as the son of a professional trombone player, Paez was ingrained with both an affinity for music and strong ties to his heritage.
Living on the border between Mexico and California reinforced Paez’ astute view of the hardships many have to face in their lives, an experience he eventually translated into music.
“I was coming back and forth a lot in my youth, crossing the border of a third-world country and the U.S. and seeing difference between how people live down there and up here,” Paez said. “I started getting into reggae music when I was young and started to understand reggae music and that the lyrics were all about struggle and about uplifting people. … That was my inspiration.”
The band also promotes its strong Latino connections through its music, MySpace blogs, and now at UCLA’s Festival Latino. The day-long festival, hosted by the Latin American Student Association, features an assortment of music, food, crafts and other cultural keystones.
The B-Side Players’ performance on Saturday will consist largely of tracks from “Fire in the Youth,” the band’s upcoming album, due for release this July.
“This record is dedicated to the youth,” Paez said. “The last three years in the protests we’ve been involved with, we’ve noticed that the youth were the ones at the front line of the marches, like with the immigration stuff going on … in San Diego … and with the anti-Bush protests … the record is pretty much about inspiring the youth.”
Though band members have been involved in side projects and solo work, “Fire in the Youth” is the B-Side Players’ first release in six years. Having had the same group of musicians together for the past four years has helped the band become more cohesive than ever.
“All this love and attention lately ““ it’s been due for a long time,” Paez said.
“We’re definitely going to keep it going. The band is strong and everyone’s healthy and we’ve got a lot of energy. So we feel like we’re still climbing the mountain but now there’s a lot more help.”
