Today we’d like to introduce you to Onda Stereo. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The band came together at the beginning of 2020; however, the journey began earlier when Raúl (drummer from Chile) and Jorge (bassist from Chile) were still members of a tribute to the Chilean rock band Los Prisioneros. When this project came to an end, they started thinking about forming another tribute band, this time to the most influential and popular rock band of Latin America: Soda Stereo, from Argentina. It was then when Raúl contacted Fernando (guitarist from Argentina), at the time versioning rock songs from Argentina in an acoustic duo, tempting him with the idea of forming a Soda Stereo tribute band. Still, the new band needed to find a singer (ideally playing rhythm guitar) and a keyboard player. Knowing a few Hispanic musicians from Austin, Fernando first asked Andrés (singer and guitarist from Colombia) if he knew a singer that could be interested in an audition. Andrés didn’t think twice and asked to be the first to try out because he wanted to be that singer. He passed the audition with flying colors and then the only missing piece was the keyboards. This time, it was Raúl that knew Tico, a keyboard player from Guatemala, and asked him to come to the rehearsals and think about joining the band. This way, the band was finally completed, and, needless to say, as big fans of the music of Soda Stereo, we were very excited to start rehearsing. We decided to call us ondaStereo and we opened the band’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, hoping to reach Soda Stereo fans in Austin and Central Texas. We then realized that we are one of the very few Soda Stereo tribute bands in the US.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The beginning was not easy because we started to practice and perfect the long repertoire of greatest hits from Soda Stereo in February of 2020, just when the COVID-19 pandemic started to appear in the news (the first cases were reported in the United States in January 2020). Very bad timing indeed! Regardless, our spirit and enthusiasm were very high, and we kept working the songs in our homes during the lockdown. Once we could at least get together with masks, distance, and windows opened, we started practicing together at Raúl’s house and also investing in new and better instruments and a PA system. We then moved to practice in a well-known recording studio in Austin (WEPA Studios) where we registered our first recordings and live videos to post on social media. It is interesting to note that the lack of opportunities to play live in the first semester of 2020 made us practice more and sound very tight and to be eager to go out and show our potential. After five announced shows were canceled, we could finally make our debut with great success on September 19, 2020, in Luisa’s Patio in North Austin (outdoors and with free entrance). Since then, we have played more than 17 live shows in the Austin area and San Antonio, typically playing more than two hours in front of enthusiastic audiences from all over Latin America that sing and dance along with the songs. The feedback from the audience and followers greatly exceeded our expectations. We are very grateful to our followers, friends and family.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
As a typical tribute band, our repertoire is based on the most popular songs from the famous Argentine rock band Soda Stereo, whose original studio recordings spanned from 1984 to 1995. We have also included in our setlists songs from their celebrated MTV Unplugged from 1996. Our shows typically include up to 28 of their most celebrated hits, spanning all the periods and different styles of their always evolving creativity. Soda Stereo was formed in Buenos Aires in 1982 by Gustavo Cerati (lead vocals, guitar), “Zeta” Bosio (bass) and Charly Alberti (drums) and has sold more than 25 million copies of their albums worldwide. The fame of Soda Stereo as a rock band singing in Spanish has no equal in Latin America.
Considering that we all have families and other jobs (and limited free time), we are very proud of our accomplishment with the band in these almost two years together. Yet, above all, we are grateful to get along incredibly well, having a blast on stage, having dinner together after practice (Raúl is also a great cook), and chatting incessantly in our WhatsApp group (pics, videos, jokes and memes included).
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
We very much appreciate Raúl (and his neighbors) for allowing us to practice in his house, considering that we play very loud. We also appreciate all the help from Tico with the pictures and designs for the band (we were really lucky to find a keyboard player that was also a professional photographer). We want to recognize Kiko Villamizar from WEPA studio for letting us rehearse in his studio for several months during the pandemic. We will always be thankful to Luisa from Luisa’s Patio in North Austin for opening the doors of her restaurant (nice outdoor stage) at a time when very few places were allowing live music.
ondaStereo members are:
Andrés Junca: vocals and guitar
Fernando Benavides: lead guitar
Jorge Rohdis: bass
Raúl Escobar: drums
Tico Mendoza: keyboards
Contact Info:
- Email: ondastereoatx@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onda.stereo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ondaStereoatx
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45r7jrIFaKEVfYUTOpo_Xw
Image Credits
All Photography by Tico Mendoza
