No Border, No Cry — the revolutionary vision of Stoic Frame
By Bill Nevins
ALBUQUERQUE — The US-Mexico border region is a hot, turbulent zone of cactus, songs, snakes, spicy food, guns and brave gente (people) doing what they must to survive. Some folks work long, long hours for low pay in the NAFTA-sanctioned sweatshops along the border, others make a precarious living moving people and goods back and forth across that arbitrary line.
Various military groupings — Mexican cops and soldiers, United States special troops and “advisors”, the FBI, La Migra (Immigration and Naturalization Service) and heavily armed narcotrafficantes (drug lords) and assorted militias (Mexicano and gringo) prowl the long stretch of land from California to Texas.
This area used to be Mexican, and on some days or nights, it still is — as when Pancho Villa led his roistering guerillas north of the line to briefly seize back a chunk of New Mexico, or today, when ambitious immigrants from the south covertly cross la frontera in quest of jobs.
Despite the evident tensions caused by this fluid mix of desperate poor people, greedy capitalists, criminals, the border is a joyous place in many ways, not least of which is the musical feast always in full swing here. Rancheras, norteno, ballads, polkas, jigs and waltzes. Not to mention plenty of hip hop, reggae, rock, blues and new trends in the sounds of these very noisy border towns.
Albuquerque is no exception. The “Duke City” is home to Stoic Frame, the border's most politically assertive, most danceable bunch of electrified desperadoes. Made up of veterans of the long, bloody struggles in El Salvador, Chile and in the gritty barrios and wide desert plains of Nuevo Mexico, these hermanos [brothers] kick it hard and fast.
Wearing an EZLN (Zapatista) T-shirt, a goatee and a porkpie hat, lead singer-guitarist Keith Sanchez gives cool a new definition as he leads a roiling audience of tattooed vatos (homeboys and homegirls) through a laughing, moshing, clenched fist, hip-shaking fast-dance to Stoic's hit single, “A Call to Rise”, off their first CD.
This show is taking place (typically) at the Launchpad, the El Rey or one of the other tequila, beer and soul-soaked working-class hangouts along Alburquerque's Central Avenue.
When the shoving gets a bit too rough for the dancers up front, Sanchez stops the band on a dime with a raised fist, calmly advises the homies to ease up on the rough stuff “and save that good energy for the cops!”. Then Stoic Frame's Matias Pizarro crashes his cymbals, Todd Sanchez lays down a wicked bass line and Glen “Buddha” Benavidez slams his congas and tosses his dreadlocks while the crowd riots, full-force.
Stoic Frame doesn't fuck around with silly love songs, though it's a sexy, sweaty, very live show they put on, each and every time. As you can gather from a listen to either of their two well-produced independent CDS (recorded in English, Spanish and street-Spanglish), Stoic Frame's are wild, rolling songs of battle, hope and revolution. Punk rock grit merged with Chicano/a pride and a fine knack for catchy hooks and memorable melodic lines.
Inspired by their mentor, Salvadoran revolutionary writer Fernando Llort, and by the joyous example set for them by what Keith Sanchez calls “the millions of poets struggling everywhere” south of la frontera, Stoic Frame mix fiery poetic visions with hard-nosed anger at the continuing injustice and martyrdom suffered daily by too many of those warrior-poets caught in the dying clutches of neo-liberal imperialism.
Invited to perform for overflow crowds for the past two years at the prestigious South By Southwest Festival in Texas, and touring the West and beyond, Stoic Frame are poised to break out onto the world stage.
“Our next CD will be called A Call to Rise to the World”, quips Sanchez, who strongly admires the attitude, success and integrity of Los Angeles rebel rockers Rage Against the Machine. “Like Rage, we mean what we say, man”, adds Pizarro. “We're having a great time at this, but we ain't kiddin'. We love our fans, and we will always serve them first. No sell out, man. Never.”
This is music to make you get up off your arse. To dance. To fight. To join in the love of your hermanos y hermanas, amigos y amigas. To hear through battle-smoke. Through which to watch sunrises and rainbows. By which to hold your comrades close and embrace their struggle to the end. Victory, peace and love. Or death. And to hell with all borders.
Information on Stoic Frame, including how to order their CDs, can be found at their web site, <http://www.stoicframe.com>. The band may be contacted for gigs or to talk about music and the way the world works at <stoicframe@stoicframe.com>.
[Bill Nevins writes for Thirsty Ear, RootsWorld, Dirty Linen and Z.
He plays border radio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.]
