The Fountains at Farah shopping mall venue is showcasing a series of events for “Music on the Lawn.” The series will feature local bands playing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Saturday until Aug. 27.
Kilo and the Dew kicked off this summer event on June 4 at sunset alongside featured bands FrenZi and Chuco Soul Project.
Lowbrow Palace hosted the event as families and friends gathered on lawn chairs and blankets to experience El Pasoan culture through different styles of music. The event can be found on the festival lawn area of the mall, in the vicinity of Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt and across from Kona Grill.
Kilo and the Dew was the first band up and featured many of their local indie and pop songs including their new EP ‘Road to Victory.’ As the course of their stage time was filled with body swaying reactions of guitar riffs and rounds of applause, the band ended their time by introducing the deep sounds of the band FrenZi.
“We like to experiment with new music, create new music, or innovate new styles,” said Chantel Barrera, the bassist and lead vocalist of the indie progressive rock band.
FrenZi consists of three members, Audrey Villalobos, Chantal Barrera, and Dario Barrera, whose ages range from thirteen to sixteen years of age. The band has been together for approximately a year-and-a-half, but have been connected to music since childhood.
“As a family, we’ve created more music when we were younger, for about five years,” said Barrera. “To me, I explain my feelings more easily through music. I create my music through our emotions.”
During their gig, FrenZi included a jaw-dropping guitar and bass solo in their songs ‘Sickness’ and ‘Arcane’ as well as other heavy rock pieces.
As their performance ended, FrenZi gave way to the free spirited style of Chuco Soul Project. The band features jazz, reggae, and funk fusion and they collaborate with various instruments that gives a rhythm unlike any other.
“We have guitar, bass, drums, we have an electric violinist, who also doubles up and plays melodica, and then we have a flute player,” Selina Nevarez, lead vocalist of the group, said. Everyone also picks up shakers or tambourines – we like to give everyone a chance to showcase their ability.”
Chuco Soul Project gave the audience a new style of local music as they diversified their sound by switching instruments mid-performance to slowly transition to another beat. Nevarez said their diverse sound correlates to El Paso as a whole.
“We didn’t mean to call it Chuco Soul Project. It was my solo project, and then Selina and the Soul Project turned into Chuco Soul Project once the bass and guitar player came,” said Nevarez. “We’re all Chuco-centric, El Paso proud, we love this town. It really does have that chuco soul, you feel that spirit of El Paso, the blending of cultures, the different representations of different styles.”
Altering from “Take Away”— a slow-paced catchy song with a bass and violin tune—the band ended their performance with the song “Hand in Hand”—an ultra-funk vibe— and closed the event, inviting the audience to join them after for merchandise.
Music on the Lawn continues on June 11 with special guests Avindale and Dirty Souls, and will continue throughout the summer.
For more information about Music on the Lawn, visit the Fountains at Farah events calendar at fountainsatfarah.com.
Allison Livermore may be reached at [email protected].
