No Border, No Cry -- the revolutionary vision of Stoic Frame
By Bill Nevins
ALBUQUERQUE -- The US-Mexico border region is a hot, turbulent zone
of cactus, songs, snakes, spicy food, guns and brave gente (people)
doing what they must to survive. Some folks work long, long hours for low
pay in the NAFTA-sanctioned sweatshops along the border, others make a
precarious living moving people and goods back and forth across that arbitrary
line.
Various military groupings -- Mexican cops and soldiers, United States
special troops and “advisors”, the FBI, La Migra (Immigration and
Naturalization Service) and heavily armed narcotrafficantes (drug
lords) and assorted militias (Mexicano and gringo) prowl the long stretch
of land from California to Texas.
This area used to be Mexican, and on some days or nights, it still is
-- as when Pancho Villa led his roistering guerillas north of the line
to briefly seize back a chunk of New Mexico, or today, when ambitious immigrants
from the south covertly cross la frontera in quest of jobs.
Despite the evident tensions caused by this fluid mix of desperate poor
people, greedy capitalists, criminals, the border is a joyous place in
many ways, not least of which is the musical feast always in full swing
here. Rancheras, norteno, ballads, polkas, jigs and waltzes.
Not to mention plenty of hip hop, reggae, rock, blues and new trends in
the sounds of these very noisy border towns.
Albuquerque is no exception. The “Duke City” is home to Stoic Frame,
the border's most politically assertive, most danceable bunch of electrified
desperadoes. Made up of veterans of the long, bloody struggles in El Salvador,
Chile and in the gritty barrios and wide desert plains of Nuevo Mexico,
these hermanos [brothers] kick it hard and fast.
Wearing an EZLN (Zapatista) T-shirt, a goatee and a porkpie hat, lead
singer-guitarist Keith Sanchez gives cool a new definition as he leads
a roiling audience of tattooed vatos (homeboys and homegirls) through
a laughing, moshing, clenched fist, hip-shaking fast-dance to Stoic's hit
single, “A Call to Rise”, off their first CD.
This show is taking place (typically) at the Launchpad, the El Rey or
one of the other tequila, beer and soul-soaked working-class hangouts along
Alburquerque's Central Avenue.
When the shoving gets a bit too rough for the dancers up front, Sanchez
stops the band on a dime with a raised fist, calmly advises the homies
to ease up on the rough stuff “and save that good energy for the cops!”.
Then Stoic Frame's Matias Pizarro crashes his cymbals, Todd Sanchez lays
down a wicked bass line and Glen “Buddha” Benavidez slams his congas and
tosses his dreadlocks while the crowd riots, full-force.
Stoic Frame doesn't fuck around with silly love songs, though it's a
sexy, sweaty, very live show they put on, each and every time. As
you can gather from a listen to either of their two well-produced independent
CDS (recorded in English, Spanish and street-Spanglish), Stoic Frame's
are wild, rolling songs of battle, hope and revolution. Punk rock grit
merged with Chicano/a pride and a fine knack for catchy hooks and memorable
melodic lines.
Inspired by their mentor, Salvadoran revolutionary writer Fernando Llort,
and by the joyous example set for them by what Keith Sanchez calls “the
millions of poets struggling everywhere” south of la frontera, Stoic Frame
mix fiery poetic visions with hard-nosed anger at the continuing injustice
and martyrdom suffered daily by too many of those warrior-poets caught
in the dying clutches of neo-liberal imperialism.
Invited to perform for overflow crowds for the past two years at the
prestigious South By Southwest Festival in Texas, and touring the West
and beyond, Stoic Frame are poised to break out onto the world stage.
“Our next CD will be called A Call to Rise to the World”, quips
Sanchez, who strongly admires the attitude, success and integrity of Los
Angeles rebel rockers Rage Against the Machine. “Like Rage, we mean what
we say, man”, adds Pizarro. “We're having a great time at this, but we
ain't kiddin'. We love our fans, and we will always serve them first. No
sell out, man. Never.”
This is music to make you get up off your arse. To dance. To fight.
To join in the love of your hermanos y hermanas, amigos y amigas.
To hear through battle-smoke. Through which to watch sunrises and rainbows.
By which to hold your comrades close and embrace their struggle to the
end. Victory, peace and love. Or death. And to hell with all borders.
Information on Stoic Frame, including how to order their CDs, can be
found at their web site, <http://www.stoicframe.com>. The band may be
contacted for gigs or to talk about music and the way the world works at
<stoicframe@stoicframe.com>.
[Bill Nevins writes for Thirsty Ear, RootsWorld, Dirty Linen and Z.
He plays border radio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.]
