Divino Magazine  / January 2004

Alternative salsa with a touch of rock

Cristian Farinola - Editor

Soulsa’s trademark is its Salsa-Rock fusion. They have a great sound and their own style. The Washington Heights band has an ever-growing audience, and this month they come back to play at González y González. They also promise to reach every corner of Queens with their rhythm.

Founded in 1999, Soulsa’s music started to get noticed in 2003. They even played at an exclusive gala for designer Oscar de la Renta. Today, the band is leaving its mark in the Big Apple and joining other local bands with a different sound. With their frequent presentations in bars and clubs of the New York City area such as Gonz·lez y Gonz·lez and Nuyorican Poets Café, Soulsa is betting on the salsa & rock fusion.

Members Alberto Díaz (voice and guitar), Luis Batista (bass), Aníbal Collazo (percussion), Juan Gerena (drums) and Tony Rodriguez (percussion), are committed in 2004 to increase their fan base, record new songs and perform until a record company offers them a contract, every band’s goal. Otherwise, they would even consider editing an album on their own. For the time being, what energizes Soulsa is the love of their fans, who follow them from concert to concert. And that is quite a bit.

“2003 was a good year for Soulsa. We grew a lot and had the opportunity to perform live all over the city. I think the public is beginning to recognize our music,” says Alberto Díaz from a table in a Manhattan bar.

“The good thing about our music is that salseros as well as rockeros are accepting it, and that is what we are striving for,” adds Luis Batista who, together with Alberto Díaz founded Soulsa.

In the 80’s you had a rock-only band and sang in English. When did you make the transition to this fusion of salsa and rock?

Alberto: “We are still making it [laughs]. I had to take singing lessons to learn to ‘sonear’ like the salseros from the 50’s. I like the purity of the salsa from that era. But I’m also a fan of the Beatles and guitar players such as Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. The Soulsa sound is the result of that mix.”

Luis: “Musically speaking we complement eachother. Alberto tends to be more of a rocker. And although I like rock, I’m also interested in artists like Rubén Blades, Wille Colón, and El Gran Combo. Our parents are from the Dominican Republic and we were born and raised in New York. Our encounter with Latin music was a renaissance of sorts”

Was it like going back to your roots?

Luis: “You could say that. It was something new. What really matters is that we like it and it makes us feel good. We are very happy with what we are doing.”

Many people say that you sound like Santana.

Luis: “I’ve heard that. I don’t know who said it, but I don’t own even one of Santana’s albums. His music is incredible but we want to do something different. In any case, to be compared to Santana is very flattering.”

Are the songs in your current demo a selection of your favorites or a marketing strategy?

Luis: “We are an independent band. We never take into consideration a marketing strategy. We pick the songs that represent the group’s musical spectrum. All of our music comes from the heart. Our songs have a mix of salsa and rock, but we also include some boleros. They all have the same melodic sense and feeling of the lyrics.”

What is in store for 2004?

Alberto: “We have the same energy and desire to play. We are planning to record new songs and to perform a lot more in the New York area, including Queens. We also have scheduled a trip to Miami to take part in the Latin festivals.
Luis: If the motivation is there, the heart can make it happen. We have to play, play, play. This is the year for Soulsa.”

Copyright Divino Magazine

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