Los Shadows are the Fucking Vibe, Man

Written By Eduardo Rodarte, @_eddiegreen

Photographed by Rick Perez, @goodtimerickstudios

"Damn LA is a fuckin’ mission to get into,” I thought as I tracked my way through the busy streets of Downtown Los Angeles. I was meeting with the boys of Los Shadows to pregame before their show at The Smell. The pregame destination was their AirBnb, which I found out was in the middle of Skid Row. Parking amongst the crackheads and prostitutes, my girlfriend Royanna and I walked toward the building. We entered through a giant gate, a side door, an elevator to the third a floor, and then BOOM! I don’t know what happened, but stepping from the elevator I swear I was transported into a loft in New York City.

I first saw Andy, the lead singer of Los Shadows, playing some oldies. Random décor and artwork filled the walls. The bright room was splashed with a little color here, a little color there, a crazy painted fridge, and so many other details. What a fuckin’ vibe, man.

Although what really caught my eye was the rainbow stair case leading to the rooftop. You walk up and it all hits you; it felt like those days when it’s hotter than Satan’s ass and you take that trip to the grocery store with mom because you know damn well they got mad A/C up in that place. Yeah, that same chill you get going in is what I felt walking out onto that rooftop. It was a view full of other taller buildings, vintage neon signs, beautiful rays of sun lighting up distant murals, and graffiti another 6 or 7 floors higher in the most ridiculous spots. “Did I just walk into a movie?” I thought. “Damn.”

While soaking in the views, a few of the members of Los Shadows and I pulled around some benches to talk while Mr. Reckless Mag himself, Rick Perez, photographed. In Los Shadows, we got Pepe running the keys and guitar, Andy with guitar and vocals, Xavier on bass, and the heart beat bringing life to the band, Mark on the drums. This 4 piece band from San Diego has been going strong for about 3 years and have a great unique sound. Aside from the usual groovy fast tempo, their music is a little surf, a hint of indie/alternative, a dash of funk, and some Latin flavors. With an array of genres, I needed to know what they listen to in their own time.

“ I like a lot of rap and Spanish music”, said Andy. “I also listen to a lot of old school shit, some Prince and MJ stuff. “

“I like a lot of Spanish too", Pepe chimed in. “Some Cumbias, some of that sad Mexican love music, and of course all the staple stuff in rock”

How did all these influences come together and create Los Shadows? What is their group dynamic like? A few of them have been homies since middle school and started to jam together. As the band formed, they began writing and producing music as a group. They are honest in letting each other know what’s good versus what could use some work. Along with being straight forward , it’s also just timing, where practice is being held, and how it feels in that moment.

As the conversation progressed, Mark touches on the DIY music scene in San Diego. He was telling me how a lot venues are disappearing because they don’t permits. “I think what San Diego needs the most,” he continues, “is more all ages events and venues.”

Through a production company called Millhaus, Los Shadows was able to play tons of gigs and venues over the past three years. Out of all those venues, I inquired about which one was their favorite.

“To be honest one of my favorite places has to be Soda Bar,” Andy said, “They always give us 2 drink tickets and compared to other places they really know how to take care of their artists. It’s waayyy better than being in a situation like ‘Here’s Jeremy the sound guy, doesn’t talk much but, hey, make it work.”

“So we’ve thrown a lot of shows out there but I think the best location was Helmuth” Pepe adds. “Basically we had a homie with an art space and we just had to ask really about setting up a show and he was like ‘yeah sure.’ And there was no rules no nothing, it was raw and just crazy, wild.”

When I asked them where they’d like play, they didn’t respond with specifics. They just want to do it all, as far as they can go and wherever they can go. During our interview, I came to learn that even with how stressful things can get being in a band, they really appreciate the attention on stage and people just vibing out with them. From opening for a band favorite Ariel Pink, to fans falling flat face first mid-set, meeting a member of “The Germs”, random Vegas natives jumping off roofs into crowd surfing...there’s been tons of crazy and funny experiences they’ve had through music. It all adds to the adventure of being a musician.

As the sun started to roll out and the buzz of the night life started to wake up, we filled our cups with a legendary Los Shadows mixed drink, made by Pepe.

“Look, this pregame is going to be Perrier grapefruit.” Pepe tells me, acting the role of bartender. “It’s subtle and healthy. Only like 0 calories. Then you get whiskey: Jim Beam and nothing else! It’s affordable and only like 40-60 calories at most, it’s delicious.”

I’ll never forget this line he said, “You can’t have everything in life, so you might have to sacrifice some taste…but sometimes you got to sacrifice taste, for your waste.”

After cracking open some beers and packing a bowl or 2 , we proceeded downstairs. A few more beers, some funky old school jams, and a couple outfit changes later, it’s on baby! Showtime! They were having so much fucking fun.

We finally left for The Smell, the venue Los Shadows was playing at. I hear heard all kinds of stories about this place but being there I figured out why they called it The Smell: the entrance is tucked in an alley that smells like piss and vomit. The venue is a small ,all ages volunteer run music and art space that gets pretty packed. Even with it being 90 degrees inside and 40 plus creatures of the night running around the pit, the music holds you in the moment.

Los Shadows are impressive on their record but seeing and hearing the people behind these songs in person is a whole other experience. The energy as a band is amazing, individually they’re so talented and when they all come together it’s mesmerizing to watch. If you haven’t already seen these guys or have looked into their music, just do it. When you go to their show, make sure to say hi to them after their set. They are humble guys who appreciate people vibing with them. Who knows, maybe they’ll invite you for drinks on a rooftop in Skid Row.