Define your genre in five words or less:
Latin Roots Music and Reggae
What do you love about making music?
We love writing songs: seeing the transformation from a sound in our heads, to a full-blown song in the rehearsal room, to the reaction of people at our gigs. It’s an extraordinary feeling.
And what makes you unhappiest about what you’re doing?
Having to carry heavy gear through crowds of people at the end of the night instead of relaxing with a drink and enjoying the high of playing live. This is the closest thing we can think of, and doesn’t really makes us unhappy, it’s more of an annoying aspect, because there’s nothing that we really hate of music.
Tell us about the last song you wrote.
It’s called Saul, el man Caiman. It’s about Saul, a Colombian mythological character, who transforms from man into a caiman (a type of alligator) and has some interesting and weird experiences, as you would expect from someone who goes from man to caiman.
Which band would you most like to have a battle/showdown with?
Probably Manu Chao. Just to learn from him and his band. He is a massive influence and what better way to improve as a band than to have a showdown with him.
What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed?
Not sure yet, we’ll let you know later when Madre Monte is famous.
Do you have any record releases to date? What are they? Where can I get them?
We have two releases so far, our debut Reaction and the brand new one Raza:Madre, and you can get them from gigs, iTunes, and independent record stores around Melbourne.
When’s the gig and with who?
We are playing every Wednesday in January at the Workers Club in Fitzroy, with different guests on every night. Some of our favorites bands from Melbourne: Arakataka, Lamine Sonko & The African Intelligence, Ras Jahknow, Cambur Pinton (traditional Afro-Venezuelan cultural group) and Judge Pino & the Ruling Motions. It’s $8 entry or $8,000 Colombian pesos if you have them. Doors from 8pm.
