Rockers with Heart and Soul
By Esther Sanchez
If you have visited The River in Rancho Mirage, the Palm Springs Village Fest, The Purple Room or any of a dozen or so venues and events throughout the Coachella Valley over the past year or so, you may have had the privilege of checking out the winners of 93.7 KCLB’s 2015 Battle of the Bands, Avenida. That is because, although this four-man crew of early twenty-somethings has only been an official band for less than a year, within that time-span they have garnered quite a bit of well-deserved attention throughout the valley for their undeniable talents as performers. That being said, the average Joe who stumbles upon and enjoys an Avenida gig is most likely oblivious to the causes and passions that motivate them to do what they do.
Avenida’s current members include the Gonzales brothers, Samuel (lead-vox and bass), Vincent (vox, guitar and harmonica) and Josiah (keys), along with drummer Jose Juarez. Not only do they play music together, they all work together at the non-profit organization, Desert Arc which exists to improve lives and provide opportunities for individuals with physical and mental disabilities.
I had a chat with eldest brother and keyboardist, Josiah Gonzales about what these guys are actually up to and why. Frankly, what he told me simultaneously blew my mind and melted my heart. Gonzales: “The art program at Desert Arc has been in existence for about 8 years now under Director, Ken Boone and currently, it is being fully funded by the proceeds earned by our band from gigs we pick up throughout the desert. The art program runs weekly after normal program hours, and we usually have around 30 or so clients participating in activities such as expressive painting and mural projects under the guidance of volunteers. Some of our clients’ artwork has been featured in local galleries and art shows which is great.”
Let’s be honest……when you ask the average 20-something year-old rockers what their inspiration was for starting a band, there are a few typical responses that most of us would expect to hear such as, “for the love of the music” and of course, “for the love of the girls.” However, it isn’t every day that you hear about young musicians who are using their rock-band status to promote and fund a program for charity. But, after getting to know Avenida and the history of the band-members, it isn’t difficult to comprehend what kind of background and upbringing has fostered such an unusually generous and conscientious group of guys.
Josiah Gonzales: “We still double as the worship-team for our church. My parents are pastors of a small, Spanish-speaking congregation that meets at King’s School in Palm Springs called, Agape. My dad got my siblings and I training in music when we were kids so, although the Avenida project is relatively new, we have been playing music together for most of our lives.”
I have first-hand experience at what it is to live the life of a pastor’s kid, AKA, “PK.” Josiah and I spoke at length about what it is to grow up in a life centered around ministry. For those who aren’t familiar with the lifestyle, let’s just say that, when your parents run a church, its more than likely that you end up wearing many, many hats over the years.
Josiah Gonzales: “When you grow up as a PK, it becomes second-nature to just do whatever needs to be done.”
Not only are the guy’s from Avenida, doing what needs to be done in order to fund the arts program at Desert Arc, they are doing it well. In addition to their recent victory at the battle of the bands competition, they have also earned a spot in the semifinals for the current open-mic competition at Schmidy’s Tavern (formally held at the Tilted-Kilt), hosted by CV Weekly’s own, Morgan James. Josiah Gonzales: “We participated in the first round of competition last March and won. We will come back to play up against the other semi-finalists on July 28th. The winners are chosen by judges scores and audience response so hopefully we will get a good group there for support.”
Find out when and where to experience Avenida on facebook and Twitter!
facebook.com/littlestreetmusic
If you are interested in contributing to the amazing programs at Desert Arc, give them a call or contact them on their website.
Photos By Esther Sanchez
