Carne Cruda: Press

WHEREVER THEIR music takes them, the members of Carne Cruda express their East Bay pride loudly with a sharp horn section and a hard-hitting funky groove.
Back from an extensive European tour, Oakland's eclectic surf-Latin-funk band is hard at work finishing a new album and contributing to the soundtrack for a Mexican Wrestling documentary.
Drawing from influences as varied as Oakland funk legends Tower of Power, surf rock and traditional Latin, Cuban and salsa music, Carne Cruda is blending a wide range of styles to create its most polished and refined work to date.
"We are trying to look at the elements we use and focus those into a more defined sound," says vocalist-guitarist Camilo Landau, 25, on the tres, a six-string Cuban guitar.
Landau, who has studied music in Cuba and Nicaragua, says the album will be a huge progression from the band's self-released 2005 album "Spicy Sea Adventures." The band plans on releasing its next full-length album, "Oakland's Hella Tight," at the end of the year.
The album's featured track, an upbeat funk jam called "Oakland's Tight," has already become a staple of Carne Cruda's live set. The song praises all that Oakland has to offer, from Jack London Square and Chinatown to Lake Merritt and the Conservatory.
Landau grew up in San Francisco but feels that the city has become too classy and upscale. He now lives in a warehouse in East Oakland with Carne Cruda saxophonist Charlie Gurke, 26, and works as a
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full-time musician in numerous bands.
"What I like about Oakland is the feeling of real people doing their thing," says Landau. "I feel more at home here."
Oakland's Hella Tight" is being produced by Camilo's uncle Greg Landau, a Grammy-nominated producer who has worked with many acclaimed Latin, fusion and rock artists, including Buena Vista Social Club's Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, Dr. Loco, Quetzal and Los Mocosos.
Carne Cruda plans on releasing the album themselves, without any label distribution. Landau feels that digital music is changing the music industry, empowering artists to work independently.
"The problem with a label is that it doesn't make sense anymore," says Landau. "We don't see why we need to share profits of our artistic creation with a corporation."
Carne Cruda's music is available on iTunes, CD Baby and the bilingual Latin music site MisRolas.com.
On their third European tour last month, Carne Cruda performed in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Switzerland as well as in Poland, Croatia and Slovenia.
Performing at an annual anti-fascist rally in Eastern Germany was one of the most memorable days of the trip, says Landau.
German police in full riot gear separated hundreds of fascists from a much larger crowd of anti-fascist demonstrators and "socially conscious punk rockers," Landau says.
Despite the tension in the air, Carne Cruda played a solid set with as much groove and conviction as ever.
"Being on the side of good, you don't ever feel out of place," says Landau. "It feels good to stand up for what you believe and prove that your music is actually about fighting for justice.
"I've got to tell you — it feels good to rock against fascism."
Other high points of the tour were music festivals along the Adriatic Sea in Italy, in Lotz, Poland, and in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
In addition to touring Europe again next year, the band is interested in touring the United States, Canada and Latin America. Until then, they will be laying down the funk in their hometown of Oakland.
For more about Carne, visit http://carnecruda.com/ or http://myspace.com/carnecruda.

Carne Cruda means raw meat, but the only thing raw will be your feet from dancing to these infectious rhythms.

Cruda's Crüe

At the risk of sounding like UPTON SINCLAIR, the meatpacking industry is still a mess. Controlled by mobsters or international business cartels, the industry is still a scar on the face of American business. After reading a book like FAST FOOD NATION, most people either go veggie or start requesting everything cooked until it resembles an inanimate carbon rod.

Oakland's CARNE CRUDA is the exception to this rule. Everything about the band's philosophy is raw. DYLAN, the carnivorous raw food enthusiast who gave the group its name, has left the band, but his spirit of intestinally powerful percussion lives on in this insanely talented salsa band.

Joined onstage by TIMB HARRIS from ESTRADASPHERE, California Shamisen master KEVIN KMETZ and DAVID 'PACHA' ALVAREZ, Cruda was more or less a big band experience this time around. The band crowded the stage at Moe's from one side to the other with only minimal room for formation dancing.

At center stage, CHARLIE GURKE called most of the musical shots, giving hand signals in the tradition of an old-time band leader. When not playing some of the meanest licks this side of GERRY MULLIGAN on the baritone sax, he also played melodica and the occasional piano bit.

CAMILO LANDAU was impressive as always, deftly leading the band through segues on the guitar and the tres. His soloing style has matured and developed through the hundreds of gigs he has played with QUETZAL, but his "go for the jugular" approach is still intact.

New bassist AYLA DAVILA is a welcome addition to the group. Standing behind Camilo, she was never on the wrong side of clave and her grumbling tone was the perfect complement to the horn madness and frantically thrown out montunos.

It's so rare to see such a talented group of people play with such obvious joy. Putting the fun back into a show has always been Cruda's specialty and it was in full effect for this offering at Moe's. The empty dance floor was quickly populated about four seconds after the first cry of BAILA CRUDA rang out. They know how to build a setlist, but don't follow their cooking advice at a barbecue. It could make your morning much more vivid than you planned for.

Carne Cruda – 16.12.2005, Klub Muzyczny „Łykend”, Wrocław - jareg
Jak to mówią, reklama dźwignią handlu. O Carne Cruda wcześniej nie wiedziałem nic. Zainteresowało mnie hasło reklamowe zespołu, które brzmi: „Carne Cruda is a Latin and Caribbean dance band from the San Francisco Bay Area” i określenie muzyki przez nich granej jako latin funk surf-cumbia reggae calypso-son. Potem wizyta na stronie kapeli, odsłuchanie udostępnionych utworów i natychmiastowa decyzja. Jedziemy! Wybór okazał się trafny.

Zespół jest, jak wyżej można przeczytać, z USA, ale przynajmniej niektórzy jego członkowie wywodzą się z Kuby. Stąd takie a nie inne zainteresowania muzyczne. Do Wrocławia przyjechali w pięcioosobowym składzie: śpiewający gitarzysta, puzonista, saksofonista barytonowy, pogrywający w wolnych chwilach na klawiszach, basistka i perkusista. Jak na rodzaj granej muzyki może się to wydawać trochę mało, ale uwierzcie mi, wystarczyło.

Trochę zaniepokoiła nas sytuacja po wejściu do klubu. Oprócz obsługi i pojedynczych gości byliśmy jedynymi klientami. Do tego porozstawiane stoliki i palące się na nich świeczki. Ale wystarczył łyk piwa i już było dobrze. Z czasem publika zaczęła się schodzić, nauczona pewnie doświadczeniem, że godzinna obsuwa być musi. Gdy więc dobrze po 21 na scenie pojawił się zespół, sala nie świeciła już tak strasznie pustkami. Teraz przyszła pora, by trochę zaniepokoiła się kapela. Zaczęli grać, a tu wszyscy grzecznie siedzą przy stolikach i przepisowo oklaskują grane kawałki. Nie pomagały zapewnienia wokalisty, że latino można tańczyć :-). Nastąpiła przerwa na uzupełnienie płynów i dopiero po niej ludzie nieśmiało zaczęli pojawiać się na parkiecie. Zresztą częste przerwy były charakterystyczną cechą tego koncertu. Średnio co trzy kawałki muzycy odkładali instrumenty i udawali się do baru na zimne z pianką. A gdy wracali, coraz więcej ludzi tańczyło pod sceną. Publiczność z każdą minutą się rozkręcała. Rozkręcał się też zespół. Grali rewelacyjnie. Z ikrą i jak najbardziej do tańca. Dużym urozmaiceniem były mocno jazzujące solówki na dęciakach i gitarze. Ale jak się tak dobrze obsługuje instrumenty, można sobie na wiele pozwolić. W pewnym momencie padło ze sceny: „Lubicie ska?”. Też pytanie, oczywiście, że lubimy. No i zabawa zaczęła się już na całego. Kapela chyba również lubi, bo jeszcze kilka razy zabrzmiały te skoczne rytmy. Koncert trwał zdecydowanie ponad trzy godziny, więc częste przerwy na odpoczynek to była bardzo słuszna koncepcja. Tylko w głowach coraz mocniej szumiało po kolejnych wizytach przy barze.

Podsumowując, występ zaczął się dość niemrawo, a zakończył szaleństwami na parkiecie i chóralnymi śpiewami razem z zespołem, zwłaszcza przy „Banana Song”, którą to piosenkę musieli kilka razy powtarzać. Dzięki Carne Cruda w zimowym Wrocławiu choć na kilka godzin zapanowało karaibskie lato. Koncert zaliczam do bardzo udanych. Kapeli chyba też się podobało, bo swoją wizytę w Polsce podsumowali słowami: „Well Poland was quite a blast. We love the polish. Awesome”.

Carne Cruda's thirty-nine minute album titled "Spicy Sea Adventures", enlightens you in regards to politics, social change, and the beautiful sea. As I sit and listen to this CD the songs and lyrics linger in my mind similar to the aftertaste of spicy Caribbean food. The solid mix of reggae, surf, funk, and Latin lyrics make this a tantalizing CD to play over and over again. Latin Jazz and Caribbean music never sounded so good.

Spicy Sea Adventures is playing as I write these words, compelling me to tell you what is running through my my mind, but words cannot describe how I feel when I hear each song, and what I think. I can tell you that my imagination is sucking me in, taking me far from this coffee shop and flying me out to a breathtaking island as the eclectic mix of the baritone saxophone, congas, and maracas stream right into my ears.

As the CD moves onto more songs dedicated to squids and cephalopods, it places a scathing perspective about our president. I now recognize that this not just a regular CD with ordinary songs, lyrics, and performers. This is a group whose band members are a
talented flock of musicians. Based in Oakland, Carne Cruda just returned from a tour in Europe after releasing this CD in November 2005. The female bassist, Ayla Davila is one talented woman with skills to make you move towards the dance floor, while Camilo Landau (whose mother is faculty here at CSUMB!) sings inspiring music to get you thinking. The beats provided by the saxophonist Charlie Gurke will make you smile and the remarkable noise of the trombone supplied by Luke Kirley enforces the fact that this music is irresistible. This CD is littered with amazing songs, my personal favorite - Augamala is more than seven minutes of guitar riffs, congas, Latin lyrics, and the defiant sound of the saxophone and trombone. After listening to this disc, I can relate to Europe's love for Carne Cruda, it consumes your mind, body, and soul. This is not just a group to watch out for in the future, but to watch right now and probably the rest of your life.

You can check out their Myspace at www.myspace.com/carnecruda to listen to some of these songs, or go to their homepage to buy this disc at www.carnecruda.com

This CD is one to buy, not one to download.

It's snowing here, but your concert was hot like on the Copacabana beach.

Carne Cruda Sizzles in the Depot
Central American Influenced Band plays SF State after a European Tour

by Jodit Ghougassian staff writer
March 31, 2006 03:54 AM

San Francisco based band Carne Cruda performed at SF State’s Depot March 30 bringing forth an energy that pulled students off their seats and on to the dance floor.

A two- hour performance from 5p.m. to 7 p.m. began with the sound of lively instruments as the band entertained a group of approximately 40 students. The band recently finished a three-day European tour in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and Poland. The performance was organized by BECA graduate student Alison Victor, 26, who is the manager of the Depot.

Victor, who ran into the band at IKEA after hearing their demo from an SF State student and a friend of the band, found their combination of Latin, Surf and Reggae music very unusual.

"I saw how all these random different people who go to Ikea loved the band and right there and then I knew I had to have them," said Victor.

The five member band, which was formed in 2001, combines a mixture of different instruments with various influences from Central America. The combination of Caribbean, Salsa, Surf, Latin, Kumbia all rolled into one make up a band whose influences come from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Mexico. The intention behind the band is to play a style of music different from any other.

"The vocals are the message of challenging what we are told to do in life, (which is) to create our own destiny and not give into the consumer capitalistic approach," said Javier Navarrette, 33, who plays the conga and the timbales, also known as a Cuban-style drum.

A few of the 11 instruments used by the band members include a trombone, saxophone, bass, percussion, keyboard, guitars, conga, all of which puts the band in a position to switch back and forth between instruments. The band sings a mixture of Spanish and English lyrics and at times no lyrics.

All five band members make a living solely from playing music in various other bands in the Bay Area.

“The challenge is that there are very few bands (whose members) can make a living playing in just one band,” said singer Camilo Landau, who also plays the guitar and tres, known as an acoustic Cuban style guitar. Landau also manages the band.

With the social, political and nautical commentary behind their self-written lyrics, the intentions behind their newly released album “Spicy Sea Adventures” is to entertain and to urge people to dance. The album involves several metaphors about sea creatures including one involving a friendship between an octopus and a squid. Through the metaphors with sea life, the band tries to tie in a connection to human nature.

The album was released in October of 2005 independently by the band, with a message that said, "Don’t let the man get you down." Carne Cruda, the Spanish translation for raw meat, was a name created by one of the original drummers when the band first formed. Band member Charlie Gurke, 26, who plays the baritone, saxophone, and keyboards said the name is an alliterative as well as a unique name for the band.

BECA grad student Mandy Brown, 26, and long time friend of the band said they have a great message and bring together a lot of different sounds that draw attention.

"They have definitely developed more of a style and given themselves a new label and not something that already exists," said Mali McGee, who is the half sister of Landau.

Currently, the band is planning on playing as many shows as possible, with a recent show at the Elbow Room in San Francisco on April 7 with the band Bayonics. Carne Cruda will begin recording their second album as well as doing another European tour in September 2006.

Band members also include Ayla Davila, 26, who plays bass and David Flores, 33, who plays drums and cowbells. For more information about the band, log on to their Web site at www.carnecruda.com

Spicy Sea Adventures with Carne Cruda

Oakland-based Carne Cruda rocks the house with an eclectic fusion of musical influences they call "Surf Cumbia Latin All-Style." Surf-rock reverb meets salsa groove and jazz improvisation to create their “hard-hitting, booty-shaking sound.”

In their five-year lifespan, Carne Cruda has performed with bands of a diverse range of styles, from Cuban and Brazilian funk to ska and punk. Regardless of what kind of show it is “we try to keep the energy really high,” said saxophonist and keyboardist Charlie Gurke, 26.

Carne Cruda recently played the 25th anniversary Encuentro del Canto Popular festival, as well as the Hecho in Califas festival at La Pena in Berkeley. They frequent San Francisco clubs like the Elbo Room and the Boom Boom Room.

At the end of January, Carne Cruda is going on a month-long European tour. They will be playing shows in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Denmark, Italy, and Belgium, retracing a lot of ground they covered during a similar tour last year.

Last tour, Carne Cruda played a grueling 21 shows in 23 days. They performed with ska bands in Switzerland and punk bands at a squat in Vienna. Gurke was impressed with the acceptance and hospitality of the people they met last tour, and can’t wait to get back on the road.

Although touring is their favorite way to travel, it is “not a vacation,” explained Gurke.

“It’s really hard work,” said vocalist Camilo Landau, 25, who plays guitar and tres in Carne Cruda. “I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who hasn’t dedicated their life to music; but there is nothing I would rather be doing.”

Gurke and Landau, both full-time musicians, live, practice, and record in a warehouse in East Oakland. They admit that it is difficult getting by as a professional musician, but in the end it is worth the challenge.

The thought of hours spent at a day job instead of jamming is “soul-crushing,” said Gurke. “It’s harder for me to face a day job,” agreed Landau.

It is important to be as versatile as possible as a professional musician, they explained.

They are well-rooted in many traditional Latin music styles, especially Cuban and salsa. Landau studied guitar and tres technique in Cuba and Nicaragua.

Members of Carne Cruda have many side projects, such as Space Invaders Saxaphone Quartet, Pleasure Club, and Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapeno Band. They also take on a variety of live and studio gigs.

Gurke and Luke Kirley, who plays trombone, tuba, and guiro in Carne Cruda, can be heard in the horn section of Estradasphere’s new album “Palace of Mirrors,” which features Romanian gypsy melodies done in an epic Norweigan black-metal style.

Carne Cruda doesn’t push any particular ideology in their lyrics, but they openly challenge the materialism and excess of consumer culture. “We don’t have any love songs. We have anti-Capitalist songs,” said Landau.

In the song “Overthrow the Dominant Paradigm” off Spicy Sea Adventures (2005), Landau sings “You work all day, sweating, breaking your back / Then you spend all your money on some shiny noisy crap.”

In an era of digital music, it is no longer necessary to be on a major label to have your music available internationally, said Landau. Carne Cruda is an independent band, but their music can be found on various websites based all over the world, such as the bilingual Latin music site MisRolas.com.

Carne Cruda will be returning to the studio at the beginning of summer to record a new full-length album. ♦



More information on Carne Cruda’s music and upcoming shows on www.CarneCruda.com. Music from the 2005 full-length “Spicy Sea Adventures” (and their new song “Oakland’s Tight”) is also available on their website.

Carne Cruda - Spicy Sea Adventures - Mietek

Ileż to muzycznych niespodzianek można spotkać zupełnym zbiegiem okoliczności. Carne Cruda było dla mnie wielką zagadką do momentu, gdy Jareg nie opisał ich Wrocławskiego koncertu. Oto przede mną karaibski koktajl, w którym wymieszano Sambę, Soca, Calypso, Reggae - wszystko nasączone mocnym akcentem jazzowym. Teksty po angielsku, acz tu i ówdzie przekomarza się hiszpański czy esperanto. Klimat, klimat i jeszcze raz klimat. To nie jest płyta sztampowa, ta płyta po prostu z wolna płynie przez odtwarzacz – tworząc gorący karaibski nastrój.

Dawno nie słyszałem takiego zestawu, w którym byłoby tyle muzycznych, gatunkowych odjazdów. Właściwie, co kawałek to odkrywamy nowe oblicze zespołu. Jakkolwiek, pierwszy kontakt z płytą daje dużo do myślenia. Nie ma palemek, piratów, a mamy ciemną, lekko niewyraźną, okładkę z kałamarnicą. Nie wiem czemu, ale kojarzy mi się to z płytami muzyki metalowej czy innych diabelstw. Przed nami 11 utworów (a właściwie 9 bez intro i outro) prezentowanych przez ten kolektyw rodem z Santa Cruz. Zespół raczy nas wstępem i po chwili zabiera nas na morską przygodę w krainę pikantnych dźwięków.

O.D.P. to jeden z moich faworytów. Mocno polityczny tekst nie psuje ogólnego wrażenia, że zapowiada się gorąca uczta muzyczna. Wybitnie taneczny kawałek – choć miałbym problemy z odpowiednim zebraniem swoich ruchów w tańce. Camilo – wokalista – na pierwsze odczucie nie pasuje do samej muzyki – jak dla mnie wydał się hmm ‘za nowoczesny’ (może przez ten angielski?). Niemniej, bez czepiania się, wszystko gra i trąbi.

Zespół dobrze czuje się w mocno urozmaiconych utworach. Pogmatwany El Diablito, wolny, z długimi partiami solo, czy to gitary, czy dęciaków to taki właśnie przykład. Jest tutaj parę takich numerów. Guantanameraton to spokojny utwór – lekko reggaeowy - przeplatany znanym powszechnie motywem, zawartym zresztą już w tytule. The Squid to już mocno jazzujący kawałek, w którym zaczynami od lekkiego jazzu, by w całym tym kolażu muzycznym zahaczyć również o funkujące momenty, a na koniec rozstać się przy niezrozumiałych grymasach dęciaków. El Pulpo to majstersztyk – dobre chórki, dobry wokal, dobry klimat – przyjemnie. Carpool Lane to już instrumentalne ska, które zachwyca przeplatanką saxu i puzonu. Nie ma co, panowie z Carne Cruda potrafią korzystać z instrumentów. Na zakończenie jest Banana – czyli wszyscy lubią banany bo banan nie schodzi z twarzy przy tym kawałku ;) – Elegancko!

Po przesłuchaniu płyty pojawia się wrażenie, że tylko 2/3 kawałki to numery do hulanek. Nie zmienia to faktu, że Carne Cruda to dobra podróż w muzyczny świat, niekoniecznie zdominowany przez ska. Warto poznać ich bliżej, bo nawet, jeśli niektóre kawałki są przesadzone, to jako całość płyta trzyma wysoki poziom.

We were stuck in Los Angeles and were invited onto "Travel Tips for Aztlan" on KPFK Los Angeles, here is the show.