- hace 9 horas
Nicolás y los Fumadores, una de las bandas más reconocidas de la música alternativa en Colombia, habló con El Espectador sobre su primera década de existencia y sus próximas presentaciones en Estados Unidos. Además, reafirmaron su vocación popular y analizaron los desafíos que hoy enfrenta el sector cultural en el país.
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00:00Greetings to all the viewers of El Espectador and Bea magazine, and to everyone tuning in to this
00:04interview.
00:04Today we are with Santiago García, Juan Carlos Sánchez and Nicolás Correa.
00:09Nicolás y los fumanos, a Bogota band, very Bogota, very rola, very gomelísima, of alternative and independent rock.
00:33How are you guys?
00:35Very good, very good. Thank you very much.
00:37Everything is in order.
00:38Well, we quoted them, they are celebrating 10 years of working on this project as such.
00:44They had other projects before that perished along the way, but since Nicholas and the smokers have just turned 10,
00:53They celebrated it at the Jorge Eliezer Gaitán Theater in the Center.
00:57How do you feel now that you've been around for a decade?
01:02I think a decade is like finally being born, like you finally start to exist.
01:08the radar of, well, as a bit more of the music industry,
01:13It's like from 0 to 10 years old you basically don't exist.
01:18So right now we're saying hello world, we're 10 years old.
01:23Yes, I was in, well, with the teacher we studied at a Catholic school and I remember that the priests
01:28they told us
01:29that one acquired the use of reason between the ages of 7 and 8, that before that one was like a thing
01:34And no, not yet.
01:36And I think it's something like that; we've been able to understand things for about two years now.
01:41as a group.
01:42So it's a story that's only just beginning.
01:50Well, you guys started rehearsing in a family home and it was a very friendly project.
01:59What was your perspective at that time, going back to 2016, on what this project would be?
02:06I think that when Los Pantalones Elegantes started, well, when that first group we had was consolidated,
02:16I did feel like something was happening, like those couple of jazz festivals we were at and all that.
02:26I was a little excited at that moment.
02:28Then that ended, and when Los Fumadores started, I was recording myself at university and I was already like
02:35much more grounded,
02:38much more pessimistic.
02:41And at that point I was already thinking, well, I have to work on more boring things, and so
02:47It's cool to play with the bands from time to time.
02:49But at that time I no longer had any prospect of being a famous musician or anything like that.
02:56At that point I had already given up, for real.
03:00He gave up before he even started, practically.
03:02He's been in bands for almost 7 or 8 years now, really going at it.
03:08Yes, in fact one of the first songs, or rather a song from the band's first album, which
03:14He calls Corinthians,
03:15It was a song about throwing in the towel, about saying, like, well, that's it, no more.
03:19It's kind of weird because now I'm trying to rewind the movie and I think I really never
03:27I saw it as very viable as a successful musical project.
03:34I mean, we'd been playing together for years and for me that possibility didn't really exist.
03:42It was simply a matter of seeing how long we would have the energy and the will to keep doing it.
03:49So I think at that moment there were no expectations of anything.
03:54And as such we composed, played, and worked.
03:59And I really think it was quite surprising for everyone when the band started to move more.
04:05I don't think it was something either of them were really counting on at that time.
04:11Yes, yes, I agree. And I feel that in one way or another, that way of perceiving ourselves was
04:19a little bit that worked in our favor.
04:21Because we didn't have very high expectations, we had nothing to be disappointed about.
04:27We just did things because we liked them, that's all.
04:31Oh, and we had little spots where a couple of friends and maybe five unknown cats would hang out.
04:37And then eventually things just kept growing and growing until, well, in Osaquí, having reached the age of reason...
04:44The Spectator.
04:45You guys had projects before, and like so many other bands in the capital that stay in one
04:52local scene.
04:54What do you think was the difference between Nicolás and the smokers that prevented him from having the same fate as his
04:59previous projects?
05:01Okay, go ahead.
05:03I think it was luck, a little bit, mostly.
05:09And maybe, well, maybe if I say this it sounds bad, but I don't mean to say that the other bands don't have
05:15dedication.
05:16But the thing is, we religiously dedicated almost two full days a week to the band.
05:23And so it was precisely about having a good time, having fun, meeting up at my grandmother's house which is right here
05:29a few blocks away.
05:30From studying and spending all of Sunday together from 10 am to 10 pm
05:36practically night.
05:37And we just made music because we liked it, without any expectation of becoming famous or anything like that.
05:48And I feel that's where luck kind of played in our favor.
05:53I believe it was a case of the right time, in the right place.
06:00We rode a wave that was already coming before.
06:05Where bands like The Kitsch or Nanook were, and a few other bands that were like the first ones around.
06:13at Stereo Picnic.
06:14They kind of managed to reach that mainstream level.
06:18And that's where a wave began.
06:20And we rode that wave in 2018.
06:28And not only us, with Quemarlo and with the yumbeñas and with Hazlo Pablito.
06:35So it was luck, and well, I didn't stop.
06:39As for the rest, well, there's no formula for success in that.
06:48You have had several memorable moments in these 10 years.
06:53They have played on several of the biggest stages in the country.
06:56Two total sales at the Julio Mario Santo Domingo Major Theater, Stereo Picnic, Roca al Parque.
07:03For you, what are those peak moments that feel like, this is a reference point for what
07:09Has this been the trajectory?
07:13My first choice would be to go to Roca al Parque.
07:17It's like arriving at the Roca al Parque stage, which is a bit of a dream.
07:21Well, I think that for all the bands that are born in Bogotá, reaching that stage is always very important.
07:29And right now, just to mention it, Roca al Parque is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
07:33So, thinking that I was part of that legendary festival is one of those peak moments for me.
07:42I think that for me, the concert we did in the Plaza Che of the National University
07:48It was a very emotional moment and to this day I still don't quite understand what happened.
07:56But, because it was a more or less impromptu concert, it was initially going to be in another location at the university,
08:02It finally happened in the square.
08:04We weren't paid, it was more like, a little bit out of love too, because of university and playing music.
08:13And for the moment it was a huge concert like that, with the whole square full and everyone really connected,
08:22very committed to listening to and experiencing the band's live show.
08:28And I think we all felt it, it was like a very electric, very strange energy on stage.
08:34To this day, it remains my favorite concert.
08:37I truly believe that mine is also the most emotional one there has ever been.
08:40I think another high point was that string of hits we had from Hermoso Ruido,
08:49opening for Zoe and Stereo Picnic, all in 2019.
08:54That's when I felt like, wow, this is it, I mean, I'm a star.
09:02That moment felt really good, I think it's one of those moments.
09:08And now they are on the verge of having a new moment that marks a before and after.
09:13They have already left the country, they have played in Mexico and other countries,
09:16But now they're going to the United States, they're going to New York.
09:18I don't know what they can tell us about that upcoming concert.
09:23Well, that was thanks to the efforts of our manager, Santiago Velázquez.
09:31Well, we're very excited.
09:33I think it's something you can brag about a lot.
09:40I recently saw my grandparents.
09:42I'm going to, we're going to play in New York.
09:45Did I tell them?
09:46And you can't feel the dick.
09:49I believe, then, that we are reaping the rewards of many years of work.
09:55And, well, I think we're going to have a lot of fun over there.
09:58Yes, I'm also very excited to reconnect with a certain part of our past.
10:05and what the scene was like at one point.
10:08There are many people with whom we have built this path of the band.
10:15and that very close collaborators, sister bands, now live there.
10:23So, I'm also really excited about that reunion,
10:27like seeing each other there and, I don't know, feeling like there's a small, a little patch
10:35that he's there and that he'll surely understand very well what it's about
10:39the fact that we are there and we are playing what we are going to play.
10:43That seems very exciting to me too.
10:47I agree.
10:49He always does the same thing to me, it's unbelievable.
10:54But they feel that something will change in the band after this trip.
10:59She feels it's a before and after.
11:00I have a feeling that this won't be the first time we go to the United States.
11:08For some reason, I feel like this is a bit like opening a door.
11:14to take the next step with the band.
11:18It's as if we've already managed to conquer most of what can be conquered here at a national level.
11:25So yes, this opens the door for us, well, to the next level.
11:30Which makes me think that a little more responsibility is coming, right?
11:33Because then it's time to have more music, it's time, yes, to be ready to take that step.
11:48Let's hope things don't change much when...
11:50Let's hope we don't all come back from that tour angry, to put it more accurately.
11:53It's a very long journey; the band could very well end.
11:56Thus, after three weeks.
11:58But they seem very friendly and have a good vibe.
12:02There is pressure.
12:03We hate each other.
12:03All show.
12:04All show.
12:05Yes, just for the cameras.
12:07Each one arrived separately.
12:08We're not talking anymore.
12:09I see they fired one, not anymore.
12:12Satan didn't bring his ID, that's why he couldn't enter the interview.
12:15Satan is waiting for us out there in the park.
12:18A new debt collector for the Rodriguez family without documents, right?
12:21As you know, without documents you cannot enter El Espectador.
12:39I also wanted to talk a little about the regional perspective, because they have played in other Latin American countries.
12:43They have, as they mention, sister bands from other countries as well.
12:47How do you see the alternative music scene in Latin America and in relation to Colombia?
12:56I feel that Colombia is once again making its way into the Latin American market.
13:04So, historically, it's been a bit of a movement that has always guided it, like Argentine rock and
13:13Mexicans and below.
13:16Obviously Colombia was very present there at the time, although not entirely.
13:20And I feel that once again there's a kind of curiosity, like once again there's a sort of brotherhood awakening.
13:26as in Latin America.
13:27I don't know if it also has to do with the very difficult political circumstances we are currently experiencing,
13:33We need to come together again a bit, but I think it's going well.
13:39Well, so far we've been to Mexico and Ecuador.
13:45The idea is to also go to Peru at the end of the year.
13:49But my expectations are good.
13:50I feel that little by little, people's ears have been opening to the sounds,
13:57not only from Colombia, but in general as a cultural exchange,
14:02as with new bands, scenes, groups.
14:07Correct.
14:09Well, since you mentioned politics, it's not my idea to bring them up.
14:15But you have been very vocal about your convictions and ideals.
14:19And at this moment, culture in Colombia has had certain news stories that have made people talk.
14:27and to state their positions and to say that this decision worries us, this project worries us.
14:34How do you see the cultural sector in Colombia, both in perspective and at this moment?
14:40You, who are one of the leading figures in alternative music, and Juan Carlos, who comes from a purely artistic family.
14:46And in short, they have a long history.
14:49So, how do they see culture today?
14:53I mean, I think what's happening is unprecedented.
14:57Well, I mean, what Minister Paul Guin is doing is something that I think nobody...
15:03Not even in his worst nightmares could he have predicted it.
15:09I mean, I know a lot of people who already have completed projects and they're just not getting paid.
15:17Just because?
15:19Because the president decided that culture cannot be given money.
15:23It's a criminal thing.
15:24I mean, I think it's a tragedy, and I also think it's very serious and very dangerous for a
15:32country.
15:32I mean, it's like one of the first acts of a president is to attack the cultural sector so directly.
15:42It's a terrifying thing.
15:46It greatly undermines the work we do, and indeed the entire cultural sector.
15:52If the president already says that this is the first thing that needs to be cut because who cares,
15:56who benefits from art and culture?
15:58Now, if the president is already legitimizing that discourse, I think that comes in difficult times.
16:07In which it will no longer be about supporting spaces and artists, but rather
16:14He's going to try to defend himself now.
16:16I believe that a few years ago, when there was the social uprising,
16:21It was necessary for the artistic and cultural community in general to come together.
16:25And I think we're headed for that again.
16:27It seems we'll probably have to join forces again, join our forces, sorry.
16:33And how to assert our space, our rights.
16:41And what Santi says is true, just as what we do is also important.
16:47And it's the livelihood of many people because it's not just the artists, but everything that revolves around them.
16:53culture and as such.
16:55The technical teams, the production companies that handle the logistics, the events.
17:01In short, it's like it's damage that isn't just to us, it's to a whole patch that
17:07It's around.
17:09Well, you have been present at various moments of the social situation in Colombia in recent years.
17:17And I would like to know what your vocation is or what you would like to represent.
17:21What would Nicolás and the smokers want to be for Colombia?
17:24as well as other artists who have represented much more than music in other countries.
17:31So, I think that, let's say, beyond the political minutiae or not,
17:44Trend or not, art is at the end of the day like the exercise of freedom.
17:54It's doing something that doesn't necessarily fit into the transactional logic of life,
18:01but rather it establishes an alternative space.
18:07And in that sense it is part of the spiritual dimension that one has as a society.
18:13And in that sense I think that an artist, whether or not they are, let's say, very vocal about the current situation
18:20policy,
18:23Well, yes, he is somewhat of a, let's say, person who exercises freedom professionally.
18:29In other words, if the material conditions to be able to do that are denied, then it's very complicated.
18:37I believe that beyond whether or not we represent something to society,
18:43It is about defending the possibility of continuing to express ourselves
18:48and to defend the possibility that anyone can express themselves in the way they deem appropriate.
18:52and that there are resources, willingness, and spaces for that to happen,
18:59so that this happens more, not only in Bogotá, but throughout the entire country,
19:03so that it happens at every level.
19:06I think it's nothing more than that.
19:10They subscribe.
19:13OK.
19:14Well, finally, I'm taking advantage of the fact that they're going to the United States and that they're now half-Americans.
19:21It had a dynamic that was, between the four of you, including the omnipresent Luis Felipe Torres,
19:29to build the Mount Rushmore of Colombian rock.
19:31What are those four figures that absolutely must be included when discussing history?
19:36in the genre?
19:37Well, Satan said that Andrea Echeverry, well, she's probably the one further ahead there.
19:51I'm going to say Elkin.
19:55Incredible singer.
19:57Edson Agustín Belandia.
20:00I'm going to add Dilson from The Pestilence to that list.
20:05Nilson?
20:07Dilson, Dilson, yes.
20:09The one from La Porta del Pueblo.
20:11Exactly.
20:12Well, and lastly, if you'd like to extend an invitation to those who don't know you yet,
20:17to demystify the name a little, because it is a name, as you say, that is difficult to sell
20:21And listen to his music, this is the moment.
20:29Hello, how are you?
20:31I am Nicolás and we are the smokers and I invite you not to be afraid
20:35With that name, we're a cool band, we're on all digital platforms like
20:41The smoking guys are on the floor, we're on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, everyone who wants it, so give us a chance.
20:54please.
20:54If you're in Miami or New York, come and see us and you'll find more Colombians and the
21:04They have a good time.
21:06That's right, October 9th in New York and October 14th in Miami.
21:14Well, thank you very much to the smokers and thank you very much to everyone who watched this interview.
21:19Remember to follow us at @elespectador and check out the content at elespectador.com