In the dimly-lit lounge of downtown Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom, three Tucson bands took the stage to share their music with a new crowd.
Big City Sleep, Vientos, and Los Velvets made the trip to Phoenix to be part of the Crescent Ballroom’s new “Greetings From…” series.
The Ballroom plans to use this series to highlight local bands from across Arizona and neighboring areas, making shows free to attend as well.
Big City Sleep – a band with connections to both Tucson and Mexico City – took the stage first.
Composed of Caleb Gutierrez on guitar and vocals, Ryen Eggleston on bass, and Ana Elisa on the drums, the band has been making music together for several years.
Gutierrez explained that he and Eggleston usually play together in Tucson, with a more mellowed-out vibe for the city. Meanwhile, in Mexico City, he and Elisa create a high-energy performance for their fans. The band took this opportunity to merge their styles for the Phoenix performance.
“Big City Sleep exists in two different places with different members, and this show actually is combining the two forces of Mexico City and Tucson – the crossover show,” Guiterrez shared. “We play the same songs, but at different tempos, so tonight is a mixture of both.”
What makes the band get out of bed and make music each day?
“Money,” Elisa joked. But in reality, they all have one thing that truly inspires them the most – making music for their fans.
Guiterrez said, “It’s always a previous show, when someone says they loved our set and can’t wait to see us again. It’s the crowd.”
“I feel like if you make music or art, it’s a compulsion, that’s the main reason for doing it,” Eggleston shared.
The second act of the show was Vientos, a genre-bending band that opened with a spoken word performance by DJQ. The rest of the band is composed of IsaiahAndrea on drums, Paul the Simple on bass, and CAZO on keyboard and vocals.
Each of the band members makes music individually, but when they come together they create a unique energy that is all their own. Their name, Vientos, comes from the Spanish word for wind, like the breath of life that everyone has.
They had all loosely known each other through mutual friends but didn’t come together to make music until the start of the pandemic in 2020.
“We had seen each other at different shows and stuff but it kind of happened during the pandemic. We were just locked in and weren’t trying to go out and do shows as often,” DJQ explained. “So we would link up every evening, sometimes for the whole day, and just make music.”
Since each member has their own artistic style, the music takes on a genre-bending style.
“I think it feels like a disservice to our own creative impulses to conform to one genre.”
In terms of musical aspirations, the band mainly finds themselves wanting to expand their horizons.
“Just being able to play in front of the people in our city, in our circle, but also playing for people who can add to our music family – like we’ve played a show with Los Velvets before – so one of our biggest aspirations is just to broaden our reach and who we can play for.” IsaiahAndrea shared. “Venue-wise, just anywhere comfortable and vibey.”
“Well I’d love to play Sydney Music Hall,” Paul the Simple joked.
The last act of the night was by Los Velvets, a band with a dream pop-esque style.
The band is made up of Alec Ruvalcaba, the lead singer and guitarist for the group; Fabian Rios on bass; Sam Bencomo on guitar; Nicole Paco on synth and vocals; and Jorge Parker on drums.
“Most of us grew up together, and we played together in high school a little bit. About four or five years after high school we decided to start a project since we missed playing live,” Rios stated.
“We basically learned to play our instruments together,” Bencomo shared.
As for the band’s style, it takes on its own independent style.
“I’d describe it as indie alternative dream-pop,” Ruvalcaba explained.
For Los Velvets, they’ve always dreamed of being able to play their music anywhere.
“For us, since we’re a Spanish-singing band, it’d be cool to be able to sing our Spanish song anywhere in the United States, like a normalization of bilingual music. We do sing in English and Spanish and it’s a big representation of where we’re from,” Ruvalcaba expressed.
The next “Greetings from…” concert at the Crescent Ballroom will be Jan. 26 and will feature bands from Flagstaff.
Contact the reporter at llmay@asu.edu
