Who are Los de la Cueva? I asked myself that question recently when I saw their ad appear on my Facebook page. Los de la Cueva are a band made up of Colegiales that encourage audience participation. When I saw the playlist they had planned, they immediately had me intrigued. How could a band sing so many songs from different genres? I decided to go and listen for myself to their debut show in our university’s café, Café Colegial.
As I was listening to their covers, I understood why there were so many different songs in their playlist. The band changed vocalists frequently and interacted with their audience. It seemed everyone in attendance knew them personally; they were all joking around and speaking with them for a few minutes after the end of each song.
With the wide variety of songs, everyone sang along to their favorite jams. To make the night fun and interesting, the band asked for people in the audience to sing with them on stage. Two girls volunteered to sing “Inmortal” by Oreja de Van Gogh and the whole café cheered them on. The vibrant atmosphere was filled with positive vibes that led to a great time.
The band would change vocalists after each song which raised the question, who were their permanent band members? The band consists of the bass player, Matthew Quiles, guitarists, Ricardo Sanchez and Eric Domenech, drummer, Ovidio Pool, pianist, Nyra Nichols, and lead vocals, Joseph Perez and Jose Velez.
I spoke to Joseph, one of the vocalists, after the show to get an in depth look at their unique and dynamic band. Joseph explained,“we started this band at the beginning of March to have fun, let loose for a while and audition for the Colegiales Got Talent competition. Our mission as a band is to let anyone who has never had a chance to be in a band for any reason, but wants to have the opportunity, have the opportunity to sing or play with us for a while, which is why we change from vocalists or musicians often during our sets. My advice to anyone who wants to be part of a band is to dedicate yourself to it and never give up on your passion, no matter the conflicts you may face.”
If you want know when and where they will be performing next, whether to play with them or have fun in the audience, contact Joseph at (787) 243-6556 or Matthew at (787) 904-9891.