There’s a problem with the El Paso music scene: there is hardly any music being released. But that is not totally the fault of the artist. Unfortunately our music scene is a puzzle with certain pieces missing. There is a lot of talent but not enough resources or access to resources, such as record labels or affordable recording studios. Many bands in El Paso unfortunately come and go without ever recording or releasing any music, only to be remembered by those who witnessed them live. The DYI ethic has always been ingrained in the soil in El Chuco and artists have always had little to no help from no one but themselves. This disillusion hasn’t stopped artist from being creative and releasing tangible material.
Local indie-rockers The Bumpstreet Fonanza have been making noise in the El Paso streets since 2011, first starting out as an instrumental outfit with a sound that used to lean more towards their fusion/prog and jam band elements that still seep out of their music today. The band has a new EP titled Fragments that sees them taking their music into different musical territory, with the addition of new vocalist Ivan Mendoza. “Since the addition of Ivan, we have started writing new material with a focus of on balancing the experimental kind of progressive witty style we are known for to accommodate vocal melodies and lyrics,” said drummer Tomas Tinajero.
But where does the name Bumpstreet Fonanza come from? “It is a fictional term made up to describe an extravagant event and all its good and evil. The origin of the name is the result of gibberish and tomfoolery,” said Tinajero.
Bumpstreet Fonanza released their EP Fragments earlier this year, only about eight months after their previous self-titled EP, prove the band are hard at work. The album is an overall mellow slow burner with elements of pop, fusion and electro with spaced out instrumental flourishes lathered in dreamy vocals. The song “Mother Fox” takes you back to the 80’s with its synth-pop bounce and wailing vocals (Duran Duranish? Flock of Seagullish?). “Fragments” is a melancholy song about loss, with its catchy chorus “Explosions in the sky filled with echoes of a love that won’t return,” leaves you wanting more after the song ends. “La Santa Cruda” has vocals beautifully in sung in Spanish to a space-y rock tune that flips into a dance break, something the Bumpstreet have always been good at: switching up tempos and changing the direction of the music seamlessly and with ease. The secret weapon in this track is the busy bass work of Juan Tarin and the effortless smooth drumming of Tinajero, keeping that traditional Bumpstreet sound and groove alive. “Satin Tavern” is a moody dance track that displays all elements of the band at its best; the band travel together in and out of precision experimentation.
Bumpstreet Fonanza has been able to take elements of their early sound with their complex instrumentation and groovy tempo changes and incorporate them into the new phase of their journey as a band. The band manages to infuse their influences in a package that comes together like the perfect Flan.
https://www.facebook.com/BSFonanza
http://www.indieonthemove.com/user/BumpstreetFonanza
https://soundcloud.com/bumpstreet-fonanza
TEXT: DANIEL SALAS