Tropa Magica brings psychedelic cumbia punk to Carson City on Saturday. The band, created by brothers David and Rene Pacheco in Los Angeles, evolved from a previous band, Thee Commons, who came to the Levitt AMP series in 2017. Pacheco said the last time they played in Carson City, it rained, and the band played inside the old church. Pacheco said he was nervous not knowing how it’d be, but it turned out to be successful. “It was really good, and everybody was dancing and having a good time,” he said. “It was exciting to share our energy.” THE MUSIC Tropa Magica describes themselves as psychedelic cumbia punk — a blend of American and Latino American cultures. “We’re like a guitar-oriented, psychedelic garage band with some Latin American rhythms,” Pacheco said. He said their parents are from southern Mexico in a city called Puebla and a lot of the music they grew up on influenced what they create. “When we got into music, it was Peruvian psychedelic chicha, and that was kind of our gateway to going toward our roots and finding that style of music,” Pacheco said. David and Rene grew up in America and were influenced by grunge music. So, they mix the styles for their sound. They even have an EP from 2019 titled “Smells Like Cumbia” where they cover a few Nirvana songs. Pacheco said the cumbia style has gotten more popular and more musicians are using the guitar rhythms, such as bands like Chicano Batman and past Levitt AMP band La Chamba. THE BAND The band re-branded to Tropa Magica from Thee Commons to reassociate with Latinos, Pacheco said. Since then, they’ve released three albums. He said it gives the band balance and plenty of material while playing live. The most recent album “III” was released a few months ago. They’re currently in a nationwide tour in support of the album. David does vocals and plays guitar. His brother Rene plays drums. The band’s core is guitar, drums and bass. Pacheco said he enjoys working with his brother in the band. He said after many years of playing together, they are locked in rhythm, and they almost finish each other’s sentences. Musically, they both know which way they are heading. He also said there is something special about family members harmonizing together. “Also, when we sing together, there’s something about siblings the way they harmonize,” he said. “It’s more natural; it has more feeling to it.” BEYOND TOURING Like many musicians, the pandemic put a detour into plans, but Tropa Magica stayed busy with different ventures. They wrote a song for their friend, comedian Felipe Esparza’s Netflix special. “We got to do a little cameo for it, and that was pretty cool,” Pacheco said. They also had music on the show Gentefied. The band released a free mobile video game showcasing songs from their sophomore album. The band signed a deal as 805 Beers “Authenticos.” 805 Beers put the band on the back of their beer cans and had billboards of them. Check out an interview with David and Rene on YouTube here: bit.ly/3yJKkr5 Now that live shows have been back, Pacheco said he’ll be focused on the music. “Doing shows and creating music,” he said. “That’s how we manage to stay in our craft.” Among their many accomplishments, Pacheco said one of their favorites was playing a big Mexican festival with many popular artists. He said the best part was taking their father to meet many of the musicians they looked up to. “We got backstage, and our dad was there, and we got him to meet his idols and that was really special,” Pacheco said. IF YOU GO WHAT: Tropa Magica at Brewery Art Center’s Levitt AMP Concert Series WHERE: The Change Companies Stage, 449 W. King St. at the Brewery Arts Center WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 23 MORE INFO: tropamagica.com; breweryarts.org
