caguama

caguama

Caguama (cah-guam-ah) (Spanish: turtle).

. Caguama is the Portland Oregon quartet featuring Raul Ugalde (guitar, lead vocal), Freddy Trujio (bass, back up vocal), Antione Earhart (percussion) and Esteban Menedez (keyboards, accordion) that pushes the envelope of Americana, giving it the flavor of Mexicana.  Originally coined “Punk Rock from Juarez,” Caguama is an eclectic mix of rock, reggae, punk, surf and ska.

Using traditional Latin lyrics with very untraditional  style Caguama has wowed crowds in the western states for the last couple years and will continue to do so in the coming years with their first self titled release set to be released on April 7, 2010 (The Union Records, 2010).

Caguama began as a joke. During their college years in Santa Fe Raul and Antoine booked a show for themselves at a venue they owned. They played their first show under Mexican wrestling masks and were only discovered after the heat on stage became too unbearable to maintain concealment. After the confusion of the situation cleared the crowd, Raul and Antoine realized this was not only a prank but the beginning of something great. It was not until they moved to Portland that the band became whole with the addition of Freddy and childhood friend Esteban.

"Punky electric numbers sit alongside corrido waltzes, and standard norteño-inflected songs are balanced by trippy, acoustic desert wails. It would be easy to compare it to Los Lobos—maybe not entirely 100 percent accurate, but easy"  Portland Mercury

"[LATIN ROCK] Grounded in a timeless tradition of mellow Latino grooves packed with romantic yearning, Portland quartet Caguama nails every beat of its seductive sound. But the band?s not exclusive to the folksy, Spanish-language romanticism of its horn- and harmony-driven songs. It is, after all, named after a beer, and Caguama shows its rowdiness on tracks like ?Juarez Cowboy,? a distortion-heavy rocker that would sound right at home in a south-of-the-border action flick. Caguama's willingness to embrace tradition with guns and distortion pedals blazing marks the band as a rare blend of sweet and surly, a breath of fresh desert air."   Willamette Week

FCC issue on Track #s 4 & 7.  All other tracks no FCC issue

Compared to: Los Lobos, Tigres Del Norte, Ramones, Pistolera, Ozomatli

Guitar & Vox:Raul Ugalde/ Keys & Percussion:Esteban Mendez/ Bass:Freddy Trujillo/ Drums:Antoine Erhardt

Distributed by Catapult Distributing.

Press inquiries: Kelly {at} the unionrecords {dot} net

Booking inquiries: James {at} the unionrecords {dot} net

Social networking: http://www.myspace.com/caguamaband