Bay Area-based musician Gilberto Rodriguez has spent time living in many different parts of California. His family moved several times while growing up, a process most people probably wouldn’t enjoy. However, Rodriguez saw opportunity in the different communities he was exposed to.
From an early age, Rodriguez was exposed and made aware of the different issues that Latino communities faced throughout California. While living in the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights, where he was born, Rodriguez’ parents were very involved in the community. He was exposed to various events for different issues that the Latino community faced. His family would eventually move south to Jamul, a small community outside of San Diego. Rodriguez took note of the disparity in wealth between the town’s rich residents and working class farm workers.
“From a very young age, [my parents] were always doing things that were opening our eyes to that kind of a thing,” Rodriguez said.
As he grew up and grew older, he continued to travel and eventually decided on settling in the Bay Area. On top of seeing the different struggles that communities faced, Rodriguez was also able to experience the different kinds of music that these communities enjoyed. Whether it was the energetic cumbia he found in Southern California or the attention-grabbing Chicano rock he encountered in the Bay Area, Rodriguez eagerly took it all in.
Rodriguez’ band, Gilberto Rodriguez y Los Intocables, released their latest album, “Sabor Maracuyá Desnuda,” in August. The album marked a significant milestone for Rodriguez as he felt it was one of the first where he felt he was able to truly carry out his vision. He credits this to the talented musicians he was able to surround himself with.
The ensemble includes Rodriguez on guitars and vocals, his brothers, Carlos and Jorge on trumpets, Ahkeel Mestayer playing percussion, and Ruben Sandoval on keys. Rodriguez was connected with Mestayer and Sandoval through award-winning producer Greg Landau. Landau felt they would work well together and it was a success. Rodriguez said the experience his bandmates have in Latin music helped with forming the identity of the album.
The group paired the passion of Rodriguez’ lyrics with the smooth Latin rhythms of his bandmates to produce an album that sounds distinct and colorful. “How we arranged it and how we put it together speaks to [the group’s] upbringing, musically,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez wanted to capture the lively and bright atmosphere of Mission District. He wanted the various experiences of his bandmates to highlight the mixing pot of cultures seen in the neighborhood.
“You go down here to any of the markets, and you see all of the different cultures coming in. We wanted to show that on the album.”
Though the band is relatively new, they quickly built a strong chemistry because of their shared focuses, including paying respects to their cultures and the musicians they drew inspirations from. “What came together [on the album] is almost like a rebirth, like stepping on their [musical influences] shoulders. We’re just like ‘Todos Respetos. We learned from you guys.’”
The band’s percussionist, Ahkeel Mestayer, believes in honoring those that came before him, as well as standing for his people today, which he hopes to do with the music he plays.
“We’re bringing music and we’re doing it with a reason because this is a positive thing,” Mestayer explained. “Not only that but we’re going to take an active stance and go to a rally or protest. We’re going to go to city hall and let our presence be known.”
Mestayer has shown in the past that he is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in. In 2016, he took part in a hunger strike at SF State to protest budget cuts to the school’s College of Ethnic Studies.
In today’s political climate artists are now, possibly more than ever, being forced to take political stances in their art. As a Spanish-speaking person of color, Rodriguez admits his music may be inherently political because of who he is. However, he says he doesn’t intentionally try to inject politics into his work.
“Just being a Spanish-speaking person, or a Brown person, anything you say is going to be political,” Rodriguez said, ”I also feel like a lot of the stuff that’s written, you don’t even have a choice. Sometimes you make things and it’s like a spirit took over you. Sometimes it’s a little intentional, but for the most part what comes out, comes out and how its manifested is going to be a reflection of what was going on in your life.”
Now that the band’s latest album has been released, Rodriguez hopes to take the band’s latest album on tour and share his music with new people and communities.
Gilberto Rodriguez y Los Intocables new album “Sabor Maracuyá Desnuda” is out now on Empty Cellar Records. You can catch Gilberto with his other band Almas Fronterizas at the 37th Encuentro del Canto Popular at Brava Theater on Dec. 1.