Enjambre

Written by Hilda Gabriela Tuesday, 27 November 2007 06:26

Nowaday, it seems as if everything is custom made. You can easily go to Cold Stone and create your own flavor of ice cream or even log on to create your very own customized M&M. From food to cars to homes to even your own physique, thanks to the latest innovations that allow plastic surgeons to cut, tuck and lift just about anywhere (ouch!), you can easily have the body of your dreams. So why not do the same with music? Well, someone has. Ladies, gentlemen, and rockeros of the world… we have reached a milestone in the history of custom making anything… and everything.

Enjambre’s sound has been labeled everything from pop, to macabre, to even sounding like alternative rock band Placebo. The truth of the matter is that Enjambre is just that. It’s a band that has taken influences from many different musical genres and created individualistic music that landed them three nominations for Univision’s “Premios Lo Nuestro”.

Influenced by nostalgic music, 60’s pop, lounge melodies, symphonies, opera, metal, and -if you listen very closely- a tad bit of Jose Jose at his prime, Enjambre is the epitome of individuality. It was in 1994 under the band name “Los Cuatro Fantásticos” that the oldest Navejas brothers, Luis and Rafael, together with drummer Angel Sánchez began to explore their musical endeavors when they were but youngsters living in Zacatecas, Mexico. When asked who made up the fourth member of the band, the brothers often jokingly responded that the fourth member was none other than the invisible woman herself.

In 1998, the brothers moved to the United States and formed the band “Enjambre” with heavy metal enthusiast Nicolas “Nico” Saavedra on drums and German born Osamu Nishitani on lead and synth guitar.

They began to play local L.A. venues to a rapidly growing number of fans. To the surprise of many of the Enjambre groupies that followed them religiously from show to show, the band members had average day jobs, which helped to keep the level of L.A. rock star arrogance well under control. Front man Luis Navejas was a teacher in a school that promotes social responsibility by aiding refugees and immigrant communities in Orange County. Rafael Navejas worked as a librarian, “Nico” as a math tutor at a community college, and Osamu was a student at Cal State University, Long Beach.

Video from: ArteAnormal

The quartet recorded their first album, Consuelo en Domingo, in 2005. The album was released by the indie record label Oso Records, which is owned by Javier Castellanos, owner of J.C. Fandango and band manager for Enjambre. Their most noticeable achievement as a quartet were the 3 nominations they received for Univision’s “Premios lo Nuestro” in 2006 for Consuelo en Domingo. They competed alongside Juanes, Molotov, and Andrea Echeverri.

Enjambre has shared the stage with Cafe Tacuba, Lucybell, Aterciopelados, Fobia, Enanitos Verdes, Babasonicos, Jumbo and Zurdok, and has performed in major cities like Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.

In 2006, both Osamu and Nico left the band to pursue other careers and adventures, leaving the door open for Angel Sanchez (original drummer from their first band, “Los Cuatro Fantasticos”), Javier Mejia on guitar, and Julian Navejas (younger brother to Luis and Rafa). These two, alongside the three Navejas brothers make up the current lineup.
In 2007 they released an EP titled “Mania Cardiaca” whose music video is underway. The band is currently preparing to close off the year with a bang by performing at Al Borde’s last acoustic session for the year on December 7th.

Enjambre has achieved a sound that signatures the band as no other in its genre. With nostalgic memories that draw back to the days when “viejitas pero bonitas” (old but timeless) bands such as Los Angeles Negros ruled the airwaves with classics such as “Y Volvere” and “Dejenme Si Estoy Llorando”, Enjambre can single-handedly be the link between first generation U.S. born Latinos and their parents. In hopes of bringing closure to a gap that grows wider with the passing of time, the customizing that Enjambre has done to its music by combining old classics to more contemporary elements, is undoubtedly a modernization that serves justice to the word “innovation”.

Hilda Gabriela
		About the author:
		recently discovered mustard and onion terrified of midgets hootchie mama for Obama! loves to dance with rich old men orphan writer and video producer for AB