The venue is small but the music is huge and compelling, and The Banditos are in rare form churning out some funky vibes. Their music is a veritable cornucopia of styles like colorful reggae teetering on the edge of heavy metal rock.
As I settle back to listen, I challenge myself to find a category that would fit this music blowing through my mind. I couldn't.
The Banditos make no excuses and take great pride in their music. As they aptly say, the beauty of The Banditos is their innate ability to meld different genres of music, and create something completely new and unique.
There is a point during their set list when I think I have definitely put my finger on the vibe I am hearing, and then something unexpected reawakens my senses. I hear the strains of some new age, alternative chords arising from deftly played guitars complimented by drums, then building to a surprising heavy metal crescendo. I confess, I have never heard that before, and it works.
Who Are The Banditos?
So, who are these boys in The Banditos? They are Steve Predes, K. Budd, Alex Goethe, and Chile Gonzalez. The Banditos are a new band on the scene that started jamming together in the summer of 2010. The guys helped me put together a mini-bio, so here goes.
Steve Predes is a Gainesville, Florida native who attends Santa Fe College. His career goal is to become a medical doctor or a financial advisor. Steve first started studying jazz and music theory. He plays drums for the band and says that the way he plays is definitely influenced by more traditional backgrounds. Steve's musical influences include Chick Corea, Buddy Rich, Lee Beddis, Dave Weckl, and Lil' Wayne.
K. (Kyle) Budd plays lead guitar. He's from Tallahassee, Florida, but confesses he is a true orange and blue Gator. He attends the University of Florida with the goal of becoming a professor and writer. K. Budd's musical influences include August Burns Red, John Mayer, and Row Within the Ruins.
Alex Goethe is from Bradenton, Florida. He attends the University of Florida and plays bass guitar for the band. His aspirations are to someday become president. Alex's musical influences include Sublime, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Bad Brains.
Cristobal "Chile" Gonzalez plays rhythm guitar and sings lead vocals. He was born in Santiago, Chile and moved to the United States when he was thirteen. Chile attends Santa Fe College and says that his main goal right now is to have a good time and in the future, maybe enter the political arena.
Chile's musical influences include Sabbath, Sublime, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, and King Crimson. He feels that one of the great things about The Banditos music is their focus on guitar solos. Chile is planning for the band to schedule some studio time soon, so they can lay down some tracks for their first demo.
One of the things that is very impressive about The Banditos is that although they love their music and performing, they are also very well grounded and focus on their studies, graduating, and then pursuing their careers. They certainly would not mind if success from their music comes knocking at their door, but they are savvy enough to figure out that it would be wise to have a backup plan. For now, they say that they just love performing, and The Banditos play more for the love of music than anything else.
I hate to use the word eclectic to describe The Banditos, because it is sometimes more cliche than righteous and doesn't truly do justice to the sublime mix of highs and lows, the cadences that change at the most unexpected moments, and the different influences and perspectives that each individual band member brings to the party.
It's like when you are a kid opening up a surprise package. You never know what you are going to get, but you are always delighted to have it reveal itself to you.
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