Just before their first show of their current tour, the Grammy Award-winning band sat down with us for a quick chat.  BY AHARONA AMENT

Los Amigos Invisibles is a band that knows no bounds with the music they are, both, attracted to and create. While not the most easily identifiable band in terms of genre, the Venezuelan band has been making music together for two decades—from their Acid Jazz beginnings to winning the 2009 Grammy for “Best Alternative Music Album” to the present day that finds the sextet on a U.S. tour with Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue in support of their upcoming album Not So Commercial. We talked with two members of LAI, Armando Figueredo and José Rafael Torres, just before their recent show at Neumo’s in Seattle about fun being a key element to making great music, their formative influences and why David Byrne has their back.
 

Groovemine: What is the experience of touring in the U.S., again?
 
Armando Figueredo: It just begun today. It’s been a long time since we have done a tour like this with another band in a tour bus. Used to live together, now we are all split up...for the longest time we lived in New York we just go play and come back together.
 
Groovemine: Your music is notoriously rich and has been compared to the sounds of The Beastie Boys and Santana. What was the music that you listened to that helped produce the Los Amigos Invisibles sound?
 
Armando Figueredo: Venezuela is a very eclectic place music wise. My older brother would listen to Yes and Genesis. Then, there is Salsa and Merengue and also Bossa Nova. Then whatever was happening on the scene at the moment. From U2 to any DJ on the scene. It was a very eclectic mix of music, even before iPods came out it [music in Venezuela] was already like that.
 
José Rafael Torres: In the 70s, every artist wanted to go to Venezuela, so that is why we have this blending of artists.
 
Groovemine: Your last release, Commercial, won a Grammy. Your follow-up, coming out this month, is titled Not So Commercial. How do you see your music in terms of commercial appeal?
 
Armando Figueredo: We actually did see Commercial as the most commercial as we could get...we decided to go with a little bit of humor with that name. If we were PR in a record company, we would think that this [Commercial] would really be the hit. Not So Commercial is all the songs that were left out.
 
Groovemine: You won a Grammy in 2009 for “Best Alternative Music Album” but you were also nominated in a category called “Best Urban Latin Alternative Album” in 2008. Personally, I hear a lot of funk and soul, but how would you describe your music?
 
José Rafael Torres: Dance Music!
 
Armando Figueredo: Sense of humor and dance. Party music! It is very hard to define us and it has been an issue for us back when record stores used to exist because they didn’t know where to place us. We always ended up in the “Rock en Espanol”, but we are not really rock.
 
Groovemine: David Byrne is a noted fan and you were once on his label. Is it helpful to have a high profile fan? 
 
Armando Figueredo: He is the reason why we travel so much. Back in 1995 when we had our first album out, we had the opportunity to come to New York. We had a friend play our records in Tower Records and for some very weird cosmic coincidence, David Byrne picked one of those up and he liked it and he called us. We were out of the country and it was funny because back in Venezuela, EMI Venezuela said “Nobody in Venezuela will ever sign you again....and he was right, no one did. David Bryne’s label, Luaka Bop in the US did.

Groovemine: The video for your song “Dulce” (see below) would be considered very risque by American standards. I think it is both very sexy and very funny at the same time. Is this true for Los Amigos Invisibles as well?
 
Armando Figueredo: (Laughs) It is all about sense of humor, that is what we are about as a band. You have to see the video for “Anal Disco”! (“El Disco Anal”)
 
Groovemine: Who are you listening to on this tour? Any new music you are excited about?
 
Armando Figueredo: Well, everyone is listening to something. When we get together and try to compose music we try to find a common ground and each one puts a little spice to the music, but it is a very eclectic mix of different types. Again, sense of humor and having fun is the main backbone.


+ Learn more about the band on their website


Not So Commercial is available now on iTunes, everywhere else on March 15, 2011.



FREE MP3: “Dubi Dubi Dubi” (right-click & save)