By Noe Gutierrez
I’ve written for Coachella Valley Weekly for almost one year and have penned a considerable amount of articles on a diverse selection of musical artists in our area. From adult contemporary to metal I have done my best to showcase our preeminent performers and challenge our collective musical palette. My intent has been to progress as a writer and focus on as many original artists as I can without writing about the same artist again and again. My belief is that there are enough musicians in the valley that rehashing an article is unnecessary. I have yet to compose two articles on the same artist, until now. Mikey Reyes is that artist. He has become a staple in my crusade to illuminate the desert’s auditory bliss.
There is no doubt Reyes brings a peace to his audience. I have experienced it. I’ll just touch on what you may already know about Reyes. He’s originally from Indio. He has been impacted by music since infancy. His forever and a day girlfriend is the prodigious songstress Bryanna Evaro. Sublime was a huge influence on Reyes and confirmed his partiality to reggae music. Whether you’ve been witness to his performances in Soul Opus, the Mikey Reyes Acoustic Movement or his solo work, you understand his importance to the backdrop of the desert music scene and the reggae movement.
This Saturday 1/25/14 the Mikey Reyes Acoustic Movement will be performing a free show at Tack Room Tavern at the Empire Polo Grounds at 9 p.m. Opening support for Reyes and Evaro will be Machin’.
Reyes has established his objective in creating an outlet for his constant flow of music. This constitutes the Mikey Reyes Acoustic Movement. “I’m really pushing our acoustic movement. Bry and I are looking to record in the next month. We will be releasing a demo and that will be our main focus. We’re getting more and more momentum as we progress steadily and continually making moves that create balance. 2014 is our year.”
Reyes and Evaro have been performing at venues across the desert to high acclaim. “A lot of what were gonna be recording is a compilation of songs about us and the times we’ve gone through. It’s about us getting better as people, family and lovers. It’s a lot of good soulful music. We’ve been focusing on the beauty and blessings provided on the daily. Music is the tool, I’m the vessel; love is the outcome. It’s harmony for the masses.”
Evaro shares her sentiment towards Reyes, “I love that I am able to play and write music alongside Michael. He never ceases to amaze me. Our styles are so different but that’s what makes it so much fun. It’s nice to step out of my comfort zone, learn new techniques, and write music that maybe I would have never written.”
When you see them perform live you will be astounded at the fullness of their sound, especially since it’s normally just Reyes and Evaro. That vastness of sound is deliberate. Reyes uses a loop pedal effect. He adds guitar or vocal melodies, textures and beats to create the sound of a full band with one instrument. The looping pedal is a multi-track recording unit that Reyes controls with his foot. He can start by recording a track of himself playing rhythm with a guitar, his voice, or any sound for that matter, and then overdub this track with another of himself playing accompanying rhythm, lead, vocals, etc. The possibilities are truly endless. “I’ve always been intrigued by it. Seen Keller Williams busted it a long time ago. A super chill cat named Regan Perry did reggae on it but Mike Love was the one who got me into it.”
The show this Saturday at Tack Room Tavern will feature Reyes’ loop talents along with Evaro. “It’s acoustic with the loop. We’re really basing our sound around the loop pedal. It’s been a great outlet for us since we want a big sound but only have each other to play with. It fills in the empty spaces,” shared Reyes.
Evaro is delighted to be along for the ride and fill that big sound. Involving Evaro in Reyes’ game plan further dignifies the music. I would be remiss if I didn’t ask Evaro for an update on her solo work as well as her sibling super group ‘Evaro’.
“Well Evaro is always there. All of us are always playing, writing, creating. This May you can see Evaro on stage together for the Joshua Tree Music Festival as ‘Gene Jr. and The Family’. My brother Gene just finished his first real solo album and was asked to play Joshua Tree Fest. My sisters and I, along with some other musicians, will be bringing my brothers lovely music to life at this year’s festival. I am really excited for him and am extremely proud of him. He has worked long and hard on this album and it couldn’t be more beautiful. I am thrilled to be embarking on this new adventure with my family and am really looking forward to see what else will rise from this project. So who knows? Again it just goes back to that forward momentum, it’s all timing and this is our time,” shared Evaro.
Timing seems to be impeccable for Reyes as well. Well known for his accomplishments with Soul Opus, Reyes is pleased to share that fans of Soul Opus will be comforted to know that the band remains active. “The boys and I are still rockin’ it! Playing and writing. We’ll be recording early this year as well. All of us are still very much involved in each other’s lives and are making that Coachella Valley roots reggae for the masses.”
If that wasn’t enough to keep Reyes occupied, he is now involved with Irie Junctions. A roots reggae band based out of the Coachella Valley, Irie Junctions is comprised of recent addition Reyes on guitar and vocals, Daniel Cedeno on bass, Enrique ‘Rick’ Rodriguez on guitar and drummer Saul Ibarra. At the helm of their new music is none other than Indio native and virtuoso producer Ronnie King. King has produced music from 2PAC (Tupac Shakur), Snoop Dogg, Pennywise, NOFX, Mariah Carey, The Offspring and Jimi ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald to name a few. He has had his hand in over 40 million records sold. His Chateau Relaxo in Thermal, California is a hot spot for many noteworthy musicians seeking solace from the big city to record.
I spoke to King about Irie Junctions, Reyes and their potential. “I’ve been producing Irie Junctions for three years. There have been different transitions of the band and the new line-up is phenomenal. I feel really good about everything. We have over ten songs with them all ready to go. I’m familiar with Mikey now. We have Lewis Richards mixing the first single ‘My Home’ right now. Lewis is the reggae mix master.”
Richards has mixed albums by The Dirty Heads, Sublime, Sting, Micah Brown and Mary J. Blige. “‘My Home’ depicts life in the CV. I asked them to write a song about the CV that would campaign for the desert. I work in Orange County a lot with The Offspring. They write songs from where they come from. I really feel like Irie Junctions can lead the way in the reggae category like Queens of the Stone Age has with rock.”
King is adamant about the capacity for Irie Junctions to be accepted into mainstream radio and pop music. “We can get on the radio. Irie Junctions has all the qualities of being another great reggae band where we’re not known for reggae. They are paving the road for music the world is gonna dig. I’m gonna personally make it a point to make ‘Our Home’ a big song in the desert. It’s a showcase piece for sure. I think it should be the theme song for the local news.”
Reyes keeps his feet grounded and does not overlook where he hails from, ever. With his foundation intact Reyes is progressing towards universal appeal. His potential for cross-over success is within reach. Knowing Reyes he would agree with King, “I’m just a kid from Indio. If I can do it from Indio then anything is possible.” Come out and see the kid from Indio this Saturday at Tack Room Tavern along with Bryanna Evaro and Machin’.
Mikey Reyes Acoustic Movement
Tack Room Tavern w/ Machin’ 1/25/14
Eureka Indian Wells 1/30/14
The Hood Bar & Pizza 2/7/14
Soul Opus
Hangar 24 Craft Brewery Redlands 2/1/14
