Cálmala emerged earlier this year, and their brand of groovy psychedelic cumbia mixed with darker, mystical elements quickly got the Coachella Valley dancing. Drummer/percussionist Rafael “Rafa” Rodriguez is integral to the band’s sound, using his cumbia and rock sensibilities to create the perfect backtrack for Cálmala’s shifting sound. You may also know him from soul grooves with Café Canela, and his embrace of a more traditional form of improvisation with Black Market Jazz. Rodriguez is the latest to take The Lucky 13; here are his answers.
What was the first concert you attended?
Coachella fest 2007. So many great bands like Rage Against the Machine, Manu Chao, Willie Nelson and Interpol.
What was the first album you owned?
The Adolescents, Adolescents.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Gregory Isaacs, Chico Che, Bad Brains, Café Canela, Waylon Jennings.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I guess I would say the musical trend of glorifying the selling of drugs or trafficking drugs. I just can’t vibe with that. Music is hypnotic, and it could easily sway you into whatever direction the composer sets for you.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Bob Marley and the Wailers circa 1979.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Lil Yachty, “drive ME crazy!” I have no idea how it came to my attention, but I hope he explores this style a bit more!
What’s your favorite music venue?
That I have been to: The Mayan Theater has a pretty cool layout. That I have played at: Coachella 2019, with Ocho Ojos.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Did you know that true love asks for nothing,” Stevie Wonder in “As”. He sings it so confidently and strongly, exclaiming it as fact.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Oh man! The Beatles. I know that might sound cliché, but I only really started to listen to them within the past five years.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
“How intense where rehearsals with so many badass individuals?” to Duke Ellington.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Tudo se Transformou,” Paulinho Da Viola.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street. So much musical knowledge packed in one album.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
Ebo Taylor and Uhuru Yenzu, “You Need Love.”
