La Castañeda, one of the most creative and innovative bands in Spanish rock, or any genre for that matter, are celebrating their 25th anniversary playing in front of their fans and have also just released a new album of acoustic version of some of their greatest hits.
As part of a short tour of the U.S., La Castaneda, along with El Gran Silencio and local talents Raskahuele, Vim Furor and veterans Maria Fatal played the Belesco Theater last Thursday, May 22, 2014.
One day prior to their show at the Belasco, we met up with the band at a downtown L.A. hotel to talk about their 25 years in music, the new album and their show and here is an excerpt of our conversation.
Al Borde: Tell us about this 25 year anniversary.
La Castañeda: We began in 1989 and this year we celebrate 25 years together, but really, the whole year is a year of celebration which we started at Vive Latino and will continue through the rest of year with some very special concerts.
Do you ever stop think of what has happened through all these 25 years?
Time has gone by very quickly, but sometimes we do think about what a rollercoaster this has been. The music has taken us many places and now we feel like we have to honor the name of the band and what is has stood for all these time.
Do you enjoy the present more than the past?
It is still enjoyable, we were always a band that lived in the now, so whether we are in a huge festival or a small concert, a big stage, or just a small interview, every moment has something special. We still have a lot of chemistry within the band and we still have that hunger when we jump on stage, the moment we lose that feeling, then we can pack it up, but for now we are very happy especially when we see a whole new generation of fans showing up to the gigs.
Tell us about this new album, Interno Acustico.
This was not really planned; we began this project because we were invited to play an acoustic show at “Teatro de La Ciudad” in Mexico City and as were putting the show together, we decided that we were not just going to play the same old song with acoustic guitars, we wanted to change them up so we started recording what we were doing and this past February, the album was released and this is also our first album with Diva Music and we are very happy with the results.
The next day, at the Belasco, La Castaneda took the stage and impregnated fans with intense energy and a unique performance. The Mexican band emerged onto the stage wearing fierce, white semi-trench coats and instantly hypnotized the audience. Displaying a powerful stage presence and captivating the crowd with their hits like “Cautivo de la Calle”, “La fiebre de Norma”, and the very sensual “Noches de tu Piel”, La Castañeda reassured its fans that the band is not slowing down and it will keep mesmerizing them for many more years to come.
La Castaneda will be back to the south land this coming July 17th, at The Observatory in Santa Ana where they will be doing a special acoustic performance in support of their new acoustic album.
