S.I.R.
Take Strategic Investments Records (S.I.R.), for example. This El Paso-based hip-hop label has blossomed in a place where no one would expect the genre to have an audience, much less its own formidable alliance of performers and fans. In addition to its do-it-yourself ethic—which has resulted in five entirely self-produced and distributed full-length albums in less than five years—S.I.R. dedicates itself to a mission of promoting positive, peaceful music and listening experiences.

On Feb. 10, S.I.R. releases Strategic Illusion, a full-length album masterminded by label co-founder DonNell Moore, who hesitates to refer to it as a solo record. “I got so much help from so many other individuals that it’s a beautiful collaborative work,” he explains. The record features talents of producers Dutch, J.C. ya Savior, LoneStar and Eric Valerio, who made most of the music on the album, while the vocal talents of Gettoness, J.C. and Mudd are paired alongside Moore.

And although it is rooted in the familiar beats and style of hip-hop, Moore believes the album’s qualities transcend any genre restrictions. “It should take you through every emotion in the book,” he says. “It also shows our maturity and where we come from as well as what we plan on doing. I’m very proud of it; everybody knew the goal of the album and expectations for it, and I feel that it attained that.” El Pasoans can get the record at Barnes & Noble East, St. Cuthbert’s and the Headstand. In the spirit of the guys wanting to reach as many people as possible and not make it about money, the album is only $5. Downtown’s Percolator Café (217 N. Stanton) will host a listening party at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10. See www.strategicinvestmentsrecords.com for more info with online ordering to come.

When asked what he wanted to accomplish personally with this record, he answers immediately, “Proof. In El Paso, everybody wants to leave and nobody wants to prove that we can do great things here. As long as we stick to the game plan and get cooperation from those who agreed to cooperate, we should be fine. I just wanted people to see it could be done.” Although the label had previous releases and proved their mettle that way, Donnell really wanted to keep pressing on to prove how the label is getting “better, stronger and wiser. I wanted the youth of El Paso to see, ‘Hey, they did it,’ and give them something to rely on or fall back on. There’s more than one way out…. You make your own way out—know who you are and what you want to do and you can make it out,”—meaning you don’t literally have to leave town to do it.

Currently, the label is talking about how to tour with their work, considering how to get touring equipment so they can be self-sufficient on the road and be smart about it. For now, they’re going to focus on making the right moves, working hard and being responsible businessmen while also creating the best music they can. Most importantly for Moore, they’re going to do all of this in the city they come from. “People ask, ‘Why El Paso?’ And I say, ‘I grew up here and it made me into the man I am today. I’ll do anything to give back.’”

“We’re responsible and we’re trying to be great men, not only great artists or great rappers,” he continues. “In doing so, we’ve all agreed that we’re going to stay away from certain topics…not to say that I don’t like booty-shakin’ music,” he says with a laugh. “But our goal is to bring something to El Paso that is worthwhile, that is trustworthy, that people can rely on. We want to show an image that if you stay away from certain things, good things will happen.”

When asked about the violence that is stereotypical of hip-hop culture, Moore happily admits, “It’s not in our reality. We’re hard-working family men. We don’t live that lifestyle that people want hip-hop to be seen in. For us, it’s about being genuine people and not wasting our voice on nonsense. We still have fun.” If anybody listens to the music, they’re going to realize that it’s fun and can be hard-hitting. “I think that’s what we all like about each other. One time somebody asked, ‘What’s kept you guys together for so long?’ The answer is family—we love each other like family and try to treat each other like family. We stick to our word and try to be great men, not only in art but in everything.” It’s important to realize that this ethic runs from the art to the business, too, for the label couldn’t have stuck around this long if it hadn’t been grounded in such a solid foundation.

“I think because of the stereotype that hip-hop has attained, it’s hard for us and other local hip-hop groups like Visions of the Sun and Metaphysics to be out there and get the attention they deserve,” Moore says. “From time to time, some bad apples will go to a show and ruin it for everybody, but we wanna promote fun, peaceful coming together. We want people to learn how to get along and really understand each other because we’re all basically the same and everywhere that you go, especially within the hip-hop community, you can see where hip-hop has evolved in people. El Pasoans need to say, ‘We do have this group of people here, so let’s nourish and help them so we can keep them out of trouble and promote entrepreneurship and a new way of being heard other than chaos and violence.’”

Nobody’s living off of the music just yet; all the musicians under S.I.R. have day jobs. “But that’s what gotten us to where we are—we believe in ourselves so much, we’re going to keep going to work,” says Moore. “I think even if we saw some success we’d still keep working hard; it’s in our blood. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll be able to make careers out of what we’re doing. I say it’s not a fantasy; it’s not something that’s too far-fetched. We try to keep it realistic and within grasp and every clutch gets us closer.” That said it is important to reiterate that the men of S.I.R. aren’t grasping for instant fame and fortune. “I think being a beacon for the future is what keeps us going, not being around people who are obsessed with money,” says Moore. “It’s being around people who are devoted to expressing themselves; it’s a beautiful thing just to be a part of it.

Strategic Investments Records will continue to stay busy throughout 2009 with upcoming releases from J.C. ya Savior, Slangtongue Hues, LoneStar and Steez. Stay up to date on these projects and more at www.myspace.com/strategicinvestments.

MEXICANS AT NIGHT

On the other side of the sonic spectrum is Mexicans at Night. El Paso’s new favorite power duo make a single guitar and drum set sound as mind-blowing as Pink Floyd, Café Tacuba and Brian Eno going bat crazy in a jam session. They’re selling out shows all over town thanks to their irresistible combination of catchy pop with a genre-defying spiciness that you haven’t quite heard before but would love to dance to for the rest of your life.

Mexicans at Night have a new release out in February, which is actually a double feature: Mexicans at Night and The Steeze. The first is a re-recorded, re-mixed and re-mastered version of their first-ever full-length, Quetzalcoatl in a Space Shuttle. A lo-fi version of the album was put out last spring but the band didn’t feel it had captured their potential; hence, they went back into the studio and tried again, this time working on bringing their raw live power to the forefront. The Steeze is more of an EP, giving a glimpse of their upcoming second all-original album, featuring three songs that will be included in the full-length once it’s ready later this year.

Mexicans at Night will be celebrating this release with a performance and party featuring giveaways on Friday, Feb. 20 at the Percolator Café. They’ll follow it up with a tour throughout the southern U.S. with the aim of getting back home and back into the recording studio as quickly as possible in order to get innumerable song ideas down on tape. “We have this vision of driving down the road and dying in a car accident and thinking, ‘We never got the chance to record those songs!’,” says singer/guitarist Rafael Pistola. “We don’t want to do that, so we try to record everything whenever we can. We’re very type-A like that.”

FUGA

And then there’s Fuga, a native El Paso band that's been living in northern Cali for the past few years. They’ll be coming back for a hometown show on Friday, Feb. 27 at Take II (6315 N. Mesa) in celebration of the release of their second album, Relatos Rebeldes (Rebel Stories). The record—which takes its title from a piece by Mexican Revolution-era writer Ricardo Flores Magon—is officially released on January 30 and can be purchased via the band’s MySpace page, www.myspace.com/fuguista, or on CDBaby.com, in addition to any of their shows.

Fuga is Francisco Rodriguez-Glenn on accordion and vocals, Tania Rodriguez-Glenn on lead vocals and guitar, Leo Martinez on guitars, requintos and vocals, Oscar Gonzales on bass and Rafael Herrera on drums and percussion. For Relatos Rebeldes, the band collectively aimed “to be more of a musical act…to really dive into the musical traditions of Mexico and Latin America while at the same time creating something new,” says Francisco Rodriguez-Glen. “We wanted the discipline of the old school musicians combined with the stories that affect us now. It was extremely challenging sometimes but we didn't want to stay still and do the same thing…the album went in directions we didn't even expect, but we thought that was a cool thing and stuck with it.”

Subsequently, the recording process was demanding not merely on a craft level but also in terms of production and composition. “With our first album Desde la Frontera, it was about capturing what it was like to be playing music in El Paso and Juárez—it was very much of the moment and improvised,” Rodriguez-Glen explains. “Relatos Rebeldes, on the other hand, had us studying the influences we use in our music. We had the great opportunity of spending time with and studying under many maestros who helped clarify musical direction and these experiences helped us better develop our composing skills.”

Working with award-winning producer Greg Landau—who offered up more than 30 years of recording experience with artists like Maldita Vecindad, Patato Valdes, Juan de Marcos Gonzalez of Buena Vista Social Club, Pete Seeger and many others—also helped Fuga a great deal, giving them an understanding of how to get the most out of studio time as well as the editing and mixing processes. The learning curve for Fuga also included several line-up switcheroos, especially considering their relocation to the Bay Area. “What has not changed is the Kiko, Tania, and Leo combination on vocals and instrumentation,” Rodriguez-Glen emphasizes. “Our two new members have only added more dynamics and intensity to the live show while having the same musical spirit as we do.”

While the two records share the same passion for multiculturalism that Fuga has made their mission, the band wanted this new album to reflect life on a global scale rather than the border area that made them. “Living in the Bay area helped us understand that the struggles going on in the El Paso–Juárez region were a reflection of the struggles happening around the world,” says Rodriguez-Glen.

To spread the message of Fuga as widely as possible, the band will be hitting the road in February for a tour including 12 U.S. cities and nine Mexican locations, where the band will join up with renowned Mexican acts Maldita Vecindad and Panteon Rococco. The show in El Paso on Feb. 27—featuring El Paso’s Mexicans at Night and gypsy punk band La Caravana from Juárez—is loaded with meaning for the band for many reasons. “Coming home is always a little nerve racking,” admits Rodriguez-Glen. “The homies are always paying close attention to see what has changed for the better or worse. But that is why El Paso is important; it is a challenge to us and at the same time great to come home to people you love and to the place that continues to inspire the music. Our shows in El Paso and Juárez always rejuvenate us and help us fine tune what we are doing and how we represent El Chuco to the world.”