Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

San Pedro psicodélico

Border band talks about the difficulty of breaking out of TJ

The proto-punk psicodélico San Pedro El Cortez says, “We definitely moved on from straight-up garage rock.”
The proto-punk psicodélico San Pedro El Cortez says, “We definitely moved on from straight-up garage rock.”

“I played All My Friends three times,” says guitarist Aris Chagoya of Tijuana-based San Pedro El Cortez about the annual music fest, which was held in June near Rosarito. “Usually, it was half electronic and half rock. This year it was mostly electronic.”

That is only part of the struggle the four men in San Pedro face as they as they try to carve a niche for their rich “proto-punk psicodélico” sound that was initially inspired by a Black Lips show in Tijuana and later tempered by Kraut-rock bands such as Can and Neu. “We definitely moved on from straight-up garage rock.” Their sonic splendor in the studio and their personal story of struggle as they tried to get their music out inspired a filmmaker to produce Basura, a 2013 documentary that chronicled their story.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

"Por El Destino"

Official music video for San Pedro El Cortez, a psychedelic garage rock band from Tijuana, México.

Official music video for San Pedro El Cortez, a psychedelic garage rock band from Tijuana, México.

The problem, says Chagoya, is that the producer withheld the 70-minute video from internet distribution because that would hurt its appreciation at various film festivals. “[The producer] gave us one copy. He hasn’t produced any more. We asked why he didn’t produce copies and he never gave us an answer.”

Chagoya says the struggle to get their music heard is harder because they are from Tijuana.

“It’s a country where the wages are really low. You have to work long hours, six days a week, only make enough for rent, and even then you may have to live with your parents.”

When San Pedro tours they have to rely on other bands for transport.

“When we tour in Mexico we take a bus. We don’t take our amps. Just our guitars.”

And then there’s the fact that indie labels in Mexico are few and don’t have much juice.

“We were signed to Vale Vergas, which [literally] means ‘worth dicks’ but kind of translates to ‘don’t care.’ They are based in Mexico City.

“We said we were signed to them but they never released anything. We have a new record already recorded, but we don’t have a label to release it.”

Chagoya tells the Reader the good news is that the Tijuana scene is thriving, thanks to the Mod Bar, the Moustache Bar, and a new all-ages club on Sixth Avenue called Doce Cincuenta (12–50).

“But it seems like we get more bands coming to play here from L.A. than San Diego,” says Chagoya, “because the media told San Diego that Tijuana is not safe.”

San Pedro El Cortez, which has played at Til-Two and Tower Bar, appear Saturday at Lavender House in Vista with Johny Davila and Piff (Puerto Rico/Long Beach), Nervous Defects (El Centro), and No Martyr (San Diego).

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Next Article

The danger of San Diego's hoarders

The $1 million Flash Comics #1
The proto-punk psicodélico San Pedro El Cortez says, “We definitely moved on from straight-up garage rock.”
The proto-punk psicodélico San Pedro El Cortez says, “We definitely moved on from straight-up garage rock.”

“I played All My Friends three times,” says guitarist Aris Chagoya of Tijuana-based San Pedro El Cortez about the annual music fest, which was held in June near Rosarito. “Usually, it was half electronic and half rock. This year it was mostly electronic.”

That is only part of the struggle the four men in San Pedro face as they as they try to carve a niche for their rich “proto-punk psicodélico” sound that was initially inspired by a Black Lips show in Tijuana and later tempered by Kraut-rock bands such as Can and Neu. “We definitely moved on from straight-up garage rock.” Their sonic splendor in the studio and their personal story of struggle as they tried to get their music out inspired a filmmaker to produce Basura, a 2013 documentary that chronicled their story.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

"Por El Destino"

Official music video for San Pedro El Cortez, a psychedelic garage rock band from Tijuana, México.

Official music video for San Pedro El Cortez, a psychedelic garage rock band from Tijuana, México.

The problem, says Chagoya, is that the producer withheld the 70-minute video from internet distribution because that would hurt its appreciation at various film festivals. “[The producer] gave us one copy. He hasn’t produced any more. We asked why he didn’t produce copies and he never gave us an answer.”

Chagoya says the struggle to get their music heard is harder because they are from Tijuana.

“It’s a country where the wages are really low. You have to work long hours, six days a week, only make enough for rent, and even then you may have to live with your parents.”

When San Pedro tours they have to rely on other bands for transport.

“When we tour in Mexico we take a bus. We don’t take our amps. Just our guitars.”

And then there’s the fact that indie labels in Mexico are few and don’t have much juice.

“We were signed to Vale Vergas, which [literally] means ‘worth dicks’ but kind of translates to ‘don’t care.’ They are based in Mexico City.

“We said we were signed to them but they never released anything. We have a new record already recorded, but we don’t have a label to release it.”

Chagoya tells the Reader the good news is that the Tijuana scene is thriving, thanks to the Mod Bar, the Moustache Bar, and a new all-ages club on Sixth Avenue called Doce Cincuenta (12–50).

“But it seems like we get more bands coming to play here from L.A. than San Diego,” says Chagoya, “because the media told San Diego that Tijuana is not safe.”

San Pedro El Cortez, which has played at Til-Two and Tower Bar, appear Saturday at Lavender House in Vista with Johny Davila and Piff (Puerto Rico/Long Beach), Nervous Defects (El Centro), and No Martyr (San Diego).

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Wild Wild Wets, Todo Mundo, Creepy Creeps, Laura Cantrell, Graham Nancarrow

Rock, Latin reggae, and country music in Little Italy, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Harbor Island
Next Article

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader