General Avocado conquers The Garage

By Michael Botsford and Sami Yazdanyar

SAN ANTONIO -- The use of ska has never blended together better with the right mix of funk, punk, and pop. This musical synchronization takes the shape of General Avocado & The Calavera Queen. Formed in 2010, the diverse array of sounds and originality that front lady Jessica Rondon exudes can't be found anywhere else in today's music scene. Already making a splash on YouTube and locally here in San Antonio, General Avocado is now taking on the world.

Originally from Venezuela, Rondon and drummer Mauricio Acosta have enjoyed rocking out in the Alamo City for the last several years.

"Who doesn't want to come to Texas, right? For me, I just wanted to go someplace else," explains Rondon.

For Acosta, getting to play freely in the United States is something that he would never take for granted.

"Venezuela became a very politically difficult country to live in. Many things went wrong like murders and much more. When I graduated college (and Jessica as well) we decided to come here," he explains.

Their changing government undeniably shook up the music scene of Venezuela.

"The government decided to impose folkloric music 80% of the time on the radio. The rock scene went down, it's actually dead. The bands are alive, but they normally tour here or Argentina or Mexico. It's all garage bands and just for fun. There's no money to be made," says Acosta.

It seems like Texas was the right change for Venezuelans. Rondon swiftly paired up with Acosta and welcomed AJ Dominquez on lead guitar and Leonardo Bosquez on bass to create a sound that was lacking in San Antonio.

It's hard to pinpoint one exact genre that General Avocado leans towards. Coming from different walks of lives and experiences, the band displays their unique ability to draw different types of fans.

"Everybody has different influences. The band is pretty much if you take a blender. Throw in some ska, some punk, some pop, and some latin music. That's us right there," they clarify.

Having picked up the guitar later in her life, Jessica dived into the songwriting process just shortly after perfecting her craft.

"As soon as I bought the guitar, it kind of came together. I started singing and writing music. I didn't even learn any cover songs. I started doing my own stuff, that's what I wanted to do. Everybody has their own preference. For me, it's all about originals and I'd like to play in more places all my originals. It's what music is all about," she says.

General Avocado has released a self-titled three songs EP. Performing the track "Get You Out" in The Garage was a great way to show off what to expect on their upcoming album.

The band plans on recording their full album in October. You can expect all of their cultures combining.

"It can turn from one funky song to a Latin beat. That's the case for the album. We like to thrive on that. That's how we write the songs. The album is going to be a lot of genres," explains Acosta.

Performing in The States is a far cry from their days in Venezuela.

"The [American] stage is a vibe. The moves come from my Venezuelan dancing moves. If you catch one of our shows you will see plenty of me dancing and moving around," Rondon says.

You can check out General Avocado & The Calavera Queen on July 22 at TonicPalooza at Tonic Bar (5500 Babcock). Also see them at the Battle of the Bands finals on August 26th at Jack's Patio Bar (3030 Thousand Oaks Drive).

For more information visit www.generalavocadoandthecalaveraqueen.co­m.

Are you in a band or know of somebody here in San Antonio that should spend some time in our garage? Please let us know! Email MichaelBotsford@woaitv.com.

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[Huesitoparte1]

awesome job by the WOAI.com Garage Production!!

[Huesitoparte1]

You guys are awesome!!!