San Diego Reader

Chris Flores: Drums | J. Larry: Bass guitar | Tony Goncalves: Vocals | Dr. Mel: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Vocals

Genre: Reggae & Ska, Rock

Sound description: Varied styles of rock and reggae, with old school punk and Latin overtones.

RIYL: Greyboy Allstars, Ozomatli, String Cheese Incident

Upcoming Local Shows

No shows scheduled | Post a show | View show history

Song Downloads

• Blown Out Day
• Huevos con Queso
• Powdered
• Viva Salsipuedes

Related Links

• Agave website

• October's Most Downloaded · Nov. 12, 2008

• Hometown CD Review · Jan. 2, 2008

• Blurt: "Chowderheads!" · Oct. 25, 2007
• As I Hear It · Oct. 25, 2007

• MySpace page

Synoposis

Inception: San Diego, 2001

Influences: 311, B-Side Players, Bob Marley, Bedouin Soundclash, Ben Folds, Cabaret Diosa, Cornershop, Fish and the Seaweeds, the Flaming Lips, G Love & Special Sauce, Greyboy Allstars, Groove Collective, Jack Johnson, Jane's Addiction, Kool Keith, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Manu Chao, the Mars Volta, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Led Zeppelin, moe., N.E.R.D., Ozomatli, Pink Floyd, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, Santana, Steely Dan, the String Cheese Incident, Superunloader, Tool, Umphrey's McGee, Wilco, Ween, Weezer, Widespread Panic

Background:

Agave formed in 2001, undergoing numerous lineup changes but maintaining a consistent salsa-flavored sound with a jam-band groove.

“We seem to fit in well with beach crowds and fans of the Grateful Dead,” says Agave drummer Chris Flores. The band takes an intellectual approach to both songwriting and performing, coming off as far more progressive and mathematic than the jam bands whose fan base they attract. Current members include Rusty Bishop (guitars), Chris Flores (drums), Dr. Mel (guitars), J. Larry (bass), and Tony Goncalves (vocals).

The band's primary songwriter Rusty Bishop says of Agave's sound, "We take trips to Mexico to surf, camp, fish, play music festivals, and to get away from the normal day-to-day grind. But that’s not to say that we are doing that in order to find a new flavor for our music. The influence is already there without needing to go to Mexico. In addition, our drummer is from Mexico City, and he naturally brings a Mexican flavor to anything we do."

In October 2008, the band released its debut full-length album Radiates Your Head. Their single "Huevos con Queso" was SanDiegoReader.com's most downloaded MP3 in the month of October.

Discography