Guanajuato, Gto. – always a good time. And tonight Zoe and Becker were added to the bill. Thanks to the University, the kids who wanted to rock got their chance to the dual sounds of Becker and Zoe. And rock they did.

Following standard operating procedure out of the La Jerga Interview Manual, we failed to secure a time and place to actually talk to these bands. Deciding sound check would be our best chance, we arrived shockingly early for any rock show. Right on time.

Of course that meant sound check was still in progress, which is the best time to actually listen to the band. The sound sweet spot, just in front of the sound man, is always unoccupied and can be enjoyed without 1,000 of your closest friends. I am not against crowds, but my time and place in anything that resembles a mosh pit was long ago.

It was when I was lying on the ground, listening to Becker remind me of the brighter side of emo, that I heard something I haven’t heard since my days back in the ranch lands. It was a stampede. When I turned to look I saw no less than 200 kids rushing the stage. They all wanted their rock, and they wanted it now.

It was at this point I decided to carry on the fine tradition of music critics everywhere, and grab a beer before the show. But no beer. And as the implications of going without beer during a concert on Dia de las Flores began to be fully fathomed, Becker began to offer the sad sound track of life to comfort me.

I like emo in Mexico. Because in Mexico, men don’t cry. See, back in the US, I remember seeing bands like Becker, but the lead singer would just start balling like a betrayed heiress on some bad soap opera. Seriously, the waterworks.
Becker would never cry. They have no need. This is a legit band, who uses their guitars to construct curtains of sound to draw around the well-written vocals.

And unlike a lot of bands I see trying to pull off this sound, the bass and the drummer were tight, and neither demanded to be the melody. And together, the band as a whole delivered a set that would make the indie rock gods proud.

This was my second session seeing Becker, and I would definitely see them again. They are like Sunny Day Real Estate, except with the driving guitars of Three Mile Pilot or Braid. If you don’t know those bands, but are reading this because you like Becker, Google them now.

Becker’s music always reminds me of a break up session during the rain to wash the tears away. Or an Eeyoree’s birthday party, where the decorations are always the same. Banked and backed by a kitten who has lost his way. Sad, but strong in the Mexican way, as opposed to their predecessors in the USA, who cried like little bitches. This is why I like emo rock in Mexico but despise it in America.

Then the ugly lights came on between bands. On reflex I got up to go get a beer, when I remembered this was a clean cut operation. The odd thing about this show was they also had absolutely no crap venders. It has to be the first show I have been to in a long while where the band was not trying to hock tour shirts and cds. Maybe even posters. With no diversion, I decided to sit back down and watch the roadie pretend he was in the band. Like I said, sound checks amuse me.



Then the lights faded, and Zoe came on out. I have to admit, I thought they were going to be a bit presumptuous. That fear was resolved after the first song. These guys not only make a good video, but back it up live as well. The best part was, the crowd was on fire. It is always a good sign when you can hear the sweet chorus of Mexicans singing together in harmony with the band. This was such a night.

Zoe offered up a set of quality melodic rock. I especially like the light electronics thrown in just at the right places. The best part was you could shake to it. And what is normally a no man’s land in front of the band turned into a dance party. Even when the power failure occurred in the sound booth, the crowd sung on, carrying the song out to its end. That is love from the fans.

Zoe also played their major radio hit mid set, instead of saving it for the cliché encore. But when the encore was called for, they delivered, providing a charge of energy which would fuel their fans through a long night of heavy drinking. For it was Dia de las Flores in Guanajuato, and the good times had just begun to roll.