EL Nada

With a name like El Nada,



"the nothing", some might conclude that this powerful Orange County based band is a nilhistic punk outfit with nothing to say. But they would be wrong. El Nada, through the seven years of its existence knows the difference between having nothing, and having a musical core of friendship and family of the kind that now produces some of the most powerful, aggressive punk rock music currently coming out of Southern California.

With the release of their self titled debut album, El Nada shows that they indeed have something; something born of new unity and the inherent passion for music that will not easily be dismissed. Five guys who decided that just because they grew up on the streets of Santa Ana, Ca did not mean they had to follow everyone else's notion of musical culture by playing funk or hip-hop.

Punk rock, often misperceived as the exclusive domain for disenfranchised, white suburban males, proved to be the perfect vehicle for the boys in El Nada to reflect upon the wild ironies in their world. From the drugs, murders, guns, multicultural lifestyles, poverty, ignorance and intolerance to beaches skateboarding, beer, girls, friends and family, and the freedom to express themselves however they chose. "Every day is another story in this wild city and behind the Orange Curtin" guitarist Pat Hernandez states. "Our songs tell a small part of a much bigger picture."

Seven years can be a lifetime in the dysfunctional world of punk rock. The story of how El Nada has survived since 1995 is one best told by the guys themselves. Suffice to say, that just seeing Cadillac Tramp and Ex-Member/Manic Hispanic Gabby Gaborno front man do his thing made being a punker with Hispanic roots look easy.

Practicing in the same studio and taking cues from those around them practically insured that the guys in El Nada would take many a wrong turn in their crazy quest to keep having fun while trying just to survive. By 2000, after a particularly long layoff, core member guitarist Pat Hernandez and Santa Ana born neighbor guitarist Danny Wong reeled in original drummer and lead vocalist Aaron Maturino for the final time.

Disgusted and annoyed by all the "pretty" bubble punk gumming up the airways, El Nada was determined to make their stand. The typical band churning of members and breakups ensured that much like their mentors, the road El Nada would take would not be an easy one.

Converting guitarist Arvin Mani to bass proved to be one of the final pieces of the puzzle. The ensuing return to the club scene proved to everyone concerned that the time for El Nada had come. Show after show proved that while slightly older and wiser, they could still rip it up, and with authority. Besides everyone was having a gas, and at the end of the day that was what it was about.

The next step, that step not taken so many times before, was to record. 21 songs in 48 hours to be exact. That they had made it this far, far enough to have their songs see the light of day made it all the better. But this story doesn't end with that D.I.Y CD that they were now selling out of at each and every show. That El Nada managed to capture so many powerful, good songs in so little time was stunning to say the least. Finger Records owner Mel Schantz quickly realized that El Nada played the kind of old school punk that needed to be heard, and signed the band. El Nada and Finger Records began to rework the demo CDR into the album it was to become. That was the push the band needed. Quickly they began to remix what were obviously punk rock classics with a particularly soulful, Hispanic twist. Blown speakers ranchero style Holmes. Songs about standing up overcoming and being proud of your roots. A 21-song demo got turned into a representative work that feels like a classic. Roaring guitars, non-stop bass lines, and shredding drums. Oh yea, and a bunch of guys who sing like they wanna destroy.

In a nut shell, El Nada brings the street experience to vinyl. They put the Sex and Drugs back into the Rock formula, mix in tales of their common street experiences with a healthy sense of humor and saturate it with punk rock riffs which recall the rich Orange County punk heritage of the Adolescents and just about any other old school punk band you wish you saw back in the day. Plenty of attitude, and a dash of what they call "Varrio style punk". Ferocious riffs and chord changes that will hook you forever. Old School is not dead, and El Nada proves it.