In the 20 years of Kinky’s existence, many things may have changed. However, what united and launched this group from Monterrey to international fame is still intact.
“Kinky has always had that innocent part but at the same time mischievous and fun,” said Ulises Lozano, keyboardist of the combo, who is also known as “El Licenciado”. “[The cover of our new album] represents what we started 20 years ago with Kinky, and today Today he has that same vision of not taking things so seriously.”
Photo: CourtesyThe conversation revolves around the group’s new album, “Fierro” —yes, with a triple r —, which premiered a few months ago and shows a “farting” kid on its cover that inspired a T-shirt that Kinky designed in the beginning but on that occasion had a little pony printed on it, a character similar to that of a popular children’s cartoon.
The “Fierro” kid, however, is a reference to the very famous dish which is prepared in Monterrey, Mexico, a city near the Texas border. For its part, “fierro” is a quite popular expression in the cities of northern Mexico that is used to motivate or encourage someone, or it can also be an equivalent of “give it a shot”, “keep going” or “don’t give up”. ”.
This relaxed and jocular way of looking at life is also reflected in the sound of the band, which shamelessly combines the musical tastes of the five members of the group.
“Our idea [when we got together] was to give the band a very relaxed touch,” said Ulises. “We wanted to express ourselves in a very honest way with what we each heard, and put it in a sound that at that time was difficult to categorize […] They told us that we were a mixture of the Chemical Brothers and Los Tigres del Norte […] And now, after 20 years we are glad that we continue with that same vision”.
Now fusions are our daily bread, and it is no longer rare for a regional Mexican music singer, like Christian Nodal, for example, to sing one of his pieces together with a rap singer; or listen to Los Ángeles Azules perform one of their hits with an urban music artist like Nicki Nicole, said Ulises.
“Before it was rare, now it’s very common,” he said. “As a band, that marked the idea that we were on the right path with mergers and experiments.”
The band is in the middle of a tour that covers several cities in the United States —between they Los Angeles—and Mexico. Today they will offer a concert at The Paramount, in Boyle Heights, and on Saturday they will be part of the Bésame mucho festival, which will take place at Dodger Stadium.
At the end of this tour, the band will return to the recording studios to start planning what will be their next ones 80 years, hoping to keep his innocence and mischief intact.
In detail
What: Kinky
When: today Thursday 8 pm, at The Paramount, 2708 E. Cesar E Chavez Ave., Los Angeles, and Saturday at Dodger Stadium, 2022 Vin Scully Ave., Los Angeles
How: tickets for today Thursday $28; festival tickets are sold out; reports paramountla.com
2022