Miami is a melting pot of cultures, and there's no band that represents the various background of the 305 better than Suenalo.
After four years without releasing an album, Suenalo dropped Keep It Groovin', their fourth, in February of this year. Now, the band is busy promoting it with a music video and South Florida gigs.
"We've got a show coming up at the Fillmore backstage room with the kids we mentor," says Chad Bernstein who plays trombone and conch in the band. They'll be performing at the Stage on August 15 too. But when has Suenalo ever been short on shows? Not ever in Miami.
Recently, we included Suenalo in our list of Miami's best Latin rock bands of all time. While the band thanked us for their inclusion, they also explained why the label of Latin rock is a complicated one.
"Latin rock is a very specific thing to call what we do," says Bernstein, "There's a lot of things going on in Miami. It's kind of on the forefront of new music. And with all the different people who take part in it, the sounds are always evolving. It's very exciting to be a part of it. You don't have to define it, you just be a part of the experiment."
"It's really all about what the people who came to Miami are listening to," adds Juan Turros, Suenalo's saxophonist and flutist. "It's bi-cultural or tri-cultural even."
Although the band just recently released new material, a new single is already in the works.
"We're getting back in the studio this weekend to start laying (it) down," Bernstein reveals. "We've already started pre-production. We'll have a couple of studio sessions and hopefully we can get it out in the next couple of months."
Currently, the band is still pushing "305," the lead single off Keep It Groovin', a funky dance oriented Miami anthem. Though Suenalo may not be into you assessing its sound, the band certainly knows its tools and is skilled at using them. When it comes to the process of creation, Suenalo is always growing.
"Right now in the music industry, there is more room for experimentation, and more room to think outside the box," Bernstein muses, "There's a lot of power in the hands of the creators the past five, 10 years. Music is in the hands of the musicians."
Turros adds, "In the past, record labels were reactionary. Now there's an unfiltered form of music out there. In a lot of ways, it's a purer way of getting music out."
Suenalo and Lee Boys. 10 p.m., Friday, August 15, at The Stage, 170 Northeast 38 St., Miami. Entrance is $10. Call 305-576-9577, or visit thestagemiami.com.
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