Four Latinos Succeeding In Rock Music
The Guardian profiles a band that was new to me: ‘The first time people come out to see us, they just stare the whole time,†says Chicano Batman’s bass player, Eduardo Arenas, as he sits in the band’s practice space on the outskirts of Los Angeles. “The same people come back a second time to try to understand what they just saw. Some places we go people have never seen this shit before.†You may be forgiven for cutting confused Chicano Batman first-timers a bit of slack. Chicano Batman aren’t your typical rock band. Four Latinos from the LA area and beyond, they’ve developed a cult following in the city with their “LA Tropicalia†blend of soulful music lifted from all over Central and South America. It’s a tradition that beyond a few choice compilations is far less explored than its North American equivalent.’
