Expect to find the unexpected in Mexico City (DF) with Marcela Viejo, keyboardist/vocalist of Mexico’s praised electropop ensemble, Quiero Club. Mexico’s capital is a lively, rich, and diverse place where one is bound to find oddities, novelties, and underground movements of sorts. In this weekly column, Marcela takes you along on her musical quest to find these rare gems and obscure scenes via reviews, interviews, and profiles. The idea is to search.
In the northeastern part of Estado de México, about 65 kilometers from Toluca, will you find El Oro, a cold mining village with an extensive history. In the past, El Oro’s mines were considered the second most prosperous mines of the world which were only surpassed by mines in Africa. In this town, there lived several wealthy Spanish families that mined gold and other precious metals, and they also designed the buildings with their Spanish and Baroque architecture. Its pine and stone-paved streets make El Oro one of the most beautiful and worthy towns in el Estado de México.
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to visit the town after being invited to perform by the town hall with my band, Quiero Club, at the Juárez Theatre. Although the theatre is small, it was magical and managed by an excellent staff. We accepted the invitation to play at the theatre because it has always been a collective dream of ours to play at one, and it was also a new venue that we’ve never performed at.
So last weekend, our dream became a reality at the Juárez Theatre where we were received by very nice people who eagerly awaited for our arrival with pizza, jocoque, hummus, fruit, pistachios, coffee, beer, and whiskey. We soundchecked while drinking our beer feeling very welcomed and surprised by how beautiful the theater and the magical atmosphere was.
Afterwards, right around 8pm the show started and “Música” was the first song we played. It was just the boost we needed to get the crowd’s energy to the next level. This song is the most nostalgic religious and theatrical ballad of ours because it’s based or inspired by a play by a Mexican writer named José Agustín called “Abolition of Property.” The script is very much surrealist and metaphorical and gave life to the song. The song actually was also featured in the credits of the movie also entitled Abolition of Property directed by Jesus Magaña and produced by Jorge Aragón.
Some of the topics we touched on during our performances were as follows: “Días Perfectos,” “Que Hacer En Caso De Oír Voces, go!, no coke, “Frogger,” “Backstage Drama,” “Minutos de Aire,” “Showtime,” “Breathing,” “Let Da Music,” “Da Flow” and “Propiedades del Cobre,” which we performed for quite a variety of people which included seniors, kids, teenagers, young adults, and older adults. Despite the crowd being so diverse, we seemed to have a good mix of spectators.
At first, the whole crowd seemed to keep their composure. The night began with a beautiful applause as far back as the seated area. By the end of the performance, the crowd had no choice but to circle around the venue’s seats in a really long single file line (the surprising part was that the seniors had more energy than Priscila and I combined) lead by Tito Spice (PriscilaGzz). This resulted in the band breaking the ice in this elegant theatre with an ambiance that looked more like a palenque [similar to a rodeo] without alcohol. Instead with euphoric fans who enjoyed themselves soley by having the chance to run around the rows of this old theatre in unison with our band and chanting the chorus to “Minutos de Aire” at full blast which sounded like this, “OH OH UO UO OH!” This night stands as one of the best moments for Quiero Club, a special thanks to the townhall for inviting us and thanks to El Oro.
To read more articles and reviews by Marcela Viejo in D.Fining, click HERE.