Indie rock band, REBEL from Miami is ready to take Broward County by storm. Surely after each lively performance on a future tour, they will be leaving a trail of devoted fans along the eastern seaboard. Along with a mix of lawless rock beats and soaring guitar riffs – add a dollop of mesmerizing electronic sounds and a dash of megaphone – just then we might be getting close to appreciating the indescribable sound of REBEL. As the band gears up to play this Friday at 1921 along with Retrocities and Manifest Test Subject for FTLC’s launch festivities, I had a chance to catch up with them by email.
REBEL, Retrocities, and Manifest Test Subject
@ 1921 Friday June 11, 10pm
1921 South Federal Highway, Ft Lauderdale
No cover charge; Cash only bar
Migue Fernandez (MF) – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard
Carlos Jorge (CJ) – Bass, Percussion
AJ – Drums
I have read that the band’s name – REBEL, is intended to capture the capricious and unique nature of the music. How has the band evolved over time and how do you describe your sound?
MF: Yes this is true. Not only of our music, but of our individual personalities as well. I guess we were considered rebellious people back when we were younger. But who hasn’t been rebellious in their life? I guess that is the beauty behind our name that everyone can indentify with it. The band has matured a lot since then and so has our sound. All I can say about the music is that people are appreciating the fact that we aren’t really trying to follow a pattern here. We are a rock band and that is what we do best so we’ll stick to it. We explore a lot of different areas when it comes down to creating, but in the end everything gets stamped with our seal and the song locks itself with the rest of the repertoire.
AJ: I think Migue hit it just right. It’s just something that we love to do – make music, and furthermore, have people bop their heads to it and enjoy it as much as we do. If it feels real to us, it’s going to be much more powerful to the people and they’ll know that. The audience knows when an artist is being truthful to their “art.” The songs speak for themselves. The show we put on makes it a much more enjoyable experience, a REBEL show.
Your next gig is at an underground bar, 1921 in Fort Lauderdale. What can both fans and newcomers expect from REBEL at the FTLC launch party?
MF: Each of us on a tricycle juggling eggs while performing. How’s THAT for a show?
THIS FRIDAY THEY CAN EXPECT A SHOW! We’ve been approached by a few folks telling us about the amount of energy they see in what we do and I’m so glad we’ve been able to let that show. I guess our songs have the tendency to speak for themselves on stage but its how we deliver them that has established that trust between us and the crowd. We try to give it all every time. Just ‘cause you’re a local band doesn’t mean you have to act like one.
AJ: It’s a “100% no holds barred, even if you’re fatigued keep on plowing the songs through” type of night, every night!
I heard a rumor that the INTRCPTR EP is coming soon – Tell me more! And what else can we all look forward to?
MF: Yes. INTRCPTR is near the final stage. We’re just tweaking and re-recording little things that could be done better, or differently. Plus a few other technical stuff that no one wants to read about. It should be out sometime around this summer. We approached songs from a “live” angle instead of a “studio” perspective, which is what sort of happened on our first EP, TELEVISIBLE. This doesn’t mean we’re going to sound “LIVE” on record! It means that what you’ll hear on INTRCPTR is what you’ll hear when we play live. We have some other brilliant ideas in the works that sound AMAZINGLY DIFFERENT! But as far as a release date… that we don’t know yet. Let’s aim for early next year!
Rebel has great stage presence and you all are a lot of fun to watch. For instance, drummer Aj is typically seen sporting a red handkerchief around his face during the sets. What’s the story with that? Are there any other antics Rebel likes to do?
AJ: Well – the face mask (ninja look) came across when we were joking one time about dressing all in black ninja gear and I decided to jump on that look – with my touch, and it stuck with me ever since. As far as antics are concerned, we have some ideas of what to do later on in the “career.” As of right now, we have our little stage goodies that have to be seen – no freebies, hahaha. Eventually we want to move onto stricter types of costuming and stage looks, to tie in all the essence and theme of whatever is going on at that particular time with us.
I want to be let into the private world of Rebel. Can you give me some hints as to what are some of the band members’ secret music indulgences?
AJ: Well – as far as I’m concerned, I listen to a lot of different things on my iPod. On occasion, I just put it on shuffle and all the craziness starts up. The list can be from one day to the next. It’s as simple as a Spanish song my parents implanted into my head in the 80’s or something that we have all been really into, since last week. It’s comforting to know that at any second any of the thousands upon thousands of songs in the memory bank can sprout an idea.
CJ: I’ve been listening to Kasabian, Mutemath, Zoe and some other artists that I grew up with like Depeche Mode, U2, Bunbury, and Cerati – the list goes on eternally.
MF: I’m on a never ending constant of finding new things that could grab my attention or at least stimulate me in some way. But it’s all about the way I’m feeling at the moment. So I could say I’ve always been into the 80’s scene like Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, and Peter Gabriel to mention a few. Most of all I love the music the Brits gave us and continue to give us today. Right now I have Stardeath and the White Dwards blasting in my car. Tomorrow? Maybe the Beatles again, I keep going back to them whenever I’m saturated.
Catch the band this Friday night at 1921. In the meantime, indulge in a dose of some of Rebel’s rockin’ tunes.
Warning Sirens
Bullet
