If you hit up Mucho SD's party at Tower Bar on Friday and saw Deck B perform, you're probably thinking, “Who is this band with no lead singer?” Yes, it's true: Instrumental bands still exist, and Deck B is one of the them. The cool part is, they're from Tijuana.
Founded by Fernando Castillo and Jose Astorga, Deck B has become one of those bands that clearly love remaining anonymous behind their instruments while creating organic musical soundscapes befitting film score standards. The band also includes Victor Villarespe (guitar), Anibal Flores (bass), Alejandro Covarrubias (drums) and a rotating lineup of collaborators drawn primarily from Tijuana and Monterrey's independent music scene.
One of the group's latest projects is the music video for the song "Pasadena" which features the subject matter of date rape and attempts to tackle the sensitive issue without too much perverseness, opting for a reflective and hopeful resolution -- or at least that's how it seems.
Dita Quinones: Why was the issue of rape important to showcase?
Fernando Castillo: In general, the video talks about a day in the life of a regular girl. I don’t think that the rape scenario is the most important part of the video, but it's a topic that needs to be addressed. We like our music to carry a message -- a positive one. In this case, it's about how a strong, intelligent and beautiful woman can manage to stay out of trouble.
DQ: Why is the song called "Pasadena"?
FC: I used to live in Pasadena back in 2006 when I was attending the Los Angeles Recording School. It was originally meant to musicalize the one-way trip on the Metro's gold line from Pasadena to Hollywood.
DQ: What can people expect from a Deck B show?
FC: A theatrical experience -- that is, an opportunity to leave this physical place and join us in these non-material places that we created and use every day to escape reality in a healthy way.
DQ: With EDM so prevalent in Tijuana, what kept you forging forward to play rock?
FC: We all have different influences. I grew up playing heavy metal -- as well as my bandmates, and some still do. Years later, we made the transition to play some sort of post-rock blended with elements from different genres like IDM, ambient and electronica.
DQ: How would you describe your sound?
FC: The musical style of Deck B owes something to the post-rock, a subgenre of rock music. Our songs blend a wide range of genres while retaining a characteristic sound using rock instrumentation and electronic elements.
Deck B will be at La Terraza Bar in Tijuana on Oct,. 25. Watch Deck B's "Pasadena."
Dita Quiñones is a multimedia journalist born in Tijuana with a passion for Latin alternative and hip-hop music news. Her main goal is to uplift and inform so that the Latino and Hip-Hop community get knitted into the fabric of American history. In addition to SoundDiego, she contributes to Latina, FOX News Latino, Poder, VidaVibrante, and HipHopDx. She is also the founder of the infamous music and politrix blog GN$F! Follow Dita on Twitter.
