Faced with unexpected and heavy life issues, one bandleader turns to his fellow musicians for focus

By Todd Eric Lovato 

”You can’t play the blues until you’ve paid your dues.”
—Unknown

For Nick Pena, guitarist and singer of the popular local rock/reggae/hip hop band, La Junta, the above adage is as poignant as it is emotionally painful. The months leading up to the release of Slangin’ Dirt, his band’s second studio release, have proven to be a struggle, to say the very least.

Reasons being, his father passed away in a work-related accident in early 2008, which was followed by a routine tonsillitis procedure that unfortunately resulted in a trip to the emergency room and a near-death situation for Pena. To further complicate matters, Pena’s recent completion of a B.A. left him feeling confused and grappling with a very common existential dilemma for musicians, “Do I begin to find work or do I play music?” 

 

“This was the toughest time of my life,” said Pena during a recent interview with Local iQ in Santa Fe. “Making this album was therapeutic, and I have to say, the hardships, the experiences over the last couple of years, they’ve only made my goals clearer: I want to make music.”

 

During the weekend of June 26, Pena will bring his aspirations to bear in a pair of CD-release parties for Slangin’ Dirt. One thing that Pena can take comfort in, is the fact that he won’t be pursuing his dreams alone. Backed by his bandmates, a tight-knit and talented group of musicians made up of Aaron Lamb (drums), Matt Ojinaga (bass), Daniel Hart (auxiliary percussion), Delmone Taylor (saxophones) and Matt Korce (guitar), Pena’s aspiration to make music for a living is highly auspicious.

 

Since forming in 2004 in Albuquerque, La Junta has performed in night clubs, at daytime festivals and at raucous house parties with its unique “505”-branded music and sun-baked stage demeanor. The music the band proffers on Slangin’ Dirt is a diverse and seamless blend of saxophone-driven, singer/songwriter-based rock music — think Dave Matthews, but with low rider headbands and a lot more tattoos, the “stoopid” vibes of SoCal reggae-cum-punk bands such as Sublime and the Aggrolites, or the homespun undertones of organic alternative hip hop in the vein of The Roots or G. Love and Special Sauce. Of course, such comparisons are always a little insulting, especially to a band with such a mosaic sound as La Junta.

 

The term “La Junta” is Spanish for “a gathering, a council or an assemblage,” so it only made sense that for his interview with Local iQ, Pena brought along fellow band members Taylor and Hart.

 

Local iQ: As a songwriter, what were some of the themes that went into this recording?

 

Nick Pena: There were a lot of things that influenced this album. My father passed away last year, so I was definitely influenced by that. It turned into a whole new realm of inspiration and drive, for sure, and a couple really good songs came out of it, too, that were more therapy more than anything. These were songs that would have come out whether or not they made it on the album or not.

 

iQ:  You want music to become a full-time gig. You want music to be something that you create and make money with. At what point did you decide that?

 

NP: I think I always knew that, actually; it’s always been in me. But I think when my dad passed away, that solidified it. That’s what the last track on the new album is about, it’s called “Pops.”

Being a professional musician [is something that has] been in the back of my mind a lot lately. I really would love to do this [professionally], but knowing the odds and the industry, and what it takes to do something big is also pretty scary. But it doesn’t matter. In the back of my mind, it was always a big dream. Once my dad died, I kind of wanted to live my life without any regrets.

 

Delmone Taylor: As far as the “Pops” thing goes, it was a turning point for the whole band. We all got La Junta tattoos; we all came together. We realized that this is the road we were going to go on.

 

iQ: Was it easy to make that commitment?

 

DT: As a band or a follower, you can only go as far as a band leader can take you. We were already down with the music, but when Pena created a home studio in Santa Fe, we all said, ‘What do you want us to do? I’ll do anything to help your vision.’ Everything just fell in line from there.

 

iQ: So, it was kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy? I mean, La Junta basically means, “the gathering” or “unity,” correct?

 

NP: Well, things were changing around us too. Everyone has their bachelor’s degree, so we are all trying to figure out what we are going to do with the rest of our lives. So everyone has come together again and it’s all about the future from here on out.

 

iQ: When was the Slangin’ Dirt album recorded?

 

NP: We started in January [2009], but then I was diagnosed with chronic tonsillitis and I got my tonsils removed. That put me out for a while. But during that time I was feeling better, playing guitar, getting back into music. The doctors told me it would be fine but that I had like a 1 percent chance of hemorrhaging. 

They were right. I ended up hemorrhaging and I pretty much told my mom that I thought I was done. 

Four months it took us to finish the album from start to finish, which is pretty quick, no?

 

iQ: This hasn’t been an easy run for you?

 

NP: This has been the biggest trial I’ve had in my life. I mean, it was one thing after the next. The music on this record is the most personal stuff I’ve ever written, by far. Honestly, it’s all about me. I use ‘me’ as a way to share my music with people. But I can’t stress enough how honored I am to be in this band. I feel so blessed that I can write all this crap, and have them invent the things they do. I write better and better songs, and they just make everything I do so much better.

 

DT: I just kept telling Nick, hang in there man, it’s gotta work out. You almost died trying to get this album finished.

 

iQ: How is this record different than the band’s debut?

 

NP: The fact that we produced this on our own. I set up the studio out in my pad and we really got into it knee-deep there. It’s more ‘us’ than anything we’ve ever done. I think, fundamentally, that was the biggest difference.

 

iQ: When you say ‘more us,’ what does that mean? Can you characterize that description in terms of the new music?

NP: In the past, a lot of people [outside the band] work on your stuff, and it’s not completely yours. This [record] was more centered around the songwriting, more representative of what I want my music to sound like. I just had more of an idea of how to represent me as a songwriter.

 

iQ: What drives you in terms of the audience, as opposed to thinking outside your own creative bubble?

 

NP: I think it’s important because I am deciding what I want to do. I want to be a musician. I want to make money doing it. I want to work with my band. I think I’m pulling from the different things I’ve learned to make a product that’s not only true to us and what we do, but touching to other people.

 

iQ: What are your plans post-release?

 

NP: We’ve had a pretty busy two years. We’d love to be able to get some kind of funding, some kind of distribution. We’re really hoping that somebody can recognize our talent and potential. I think they will hear that in the new album.

 

iQ: If you’re moving toward bigger and better things, and tailoring your music to different listeners, how are you defining your audience? That’s what a record label is going to be most interested in.

 

NP: Our fans are really diverse — from our friends to college kids to people driving from all over the state to watch our shows. I’ve got a little seven-year-old niece who is singing along to the songs. She’s so little! It’s the coolest thing you’ve ever seen.

 

iQ: What motivates the band right now?

 

Danny Hart: We were all athletes at one point in our lives, so when we get sort of brushed off or disregarded, it only motivates us to come back even stronger. It’s in our competitive nature.

DT: We’ve always felt like underdogs, but it’s that underdog fight that keeps us from folding. We love that fourth-quarter pressure.

NP: That’s true. We have that competitive spirit. I mean, I’d rather die winning than to live my life losing.

 

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La Junta

With Nosotros , Crazyfool and Cultura Fuerte

9:30p, Fri., Jun. 26

Launchpad

618 Central SW, ABQ, 505.764.8887

$7 

launchpadrocks.com

8p, Sat., Jun. 27

With Rubixzu & L.O.A. 

The Lodge Ballroom

750 N. St. Francis, Santa Fe, 505.992.5800

$7

myspace.com/lajunta