'Présente!', the second Los Callejeros album has just been released, but before getting into more detail about that, maybe it would be better to start at the very beginning. The Spanish word "callejero" means "busker", but the biography on your website (www.loscallejeros.be, red.) mentions Los Callejeros started after a nice evening at the pub.
Ben De Wandel (vocals, guitar, charango, percussion): "Los Callejeros really started out as just a bunch of friends playing music and having fun in the streets. The idea to be playing to complete strangers and passers-by sounded very appealing and the fact we were Flemish youths playing South-American rhythms gave us a bit of an extra edge on other buskers out there. We still play the streets quite regularly, because for us that is still the location that suits our music best, but in the mean time of course Los Callejeros has evolved into a professional stage act as well. Whenever we're on stage we try to recreate the vibe of playing in the streets, but imaginably that's not always easy."
Somewhere in the early days of Los Callejeros you guys were involved in the documentary project "Cara O Moneda" ("heads or tails", red.). When did you guys start thinking of forming a band?
Peter Morris (vocals, guitar, bass, charango): "After we released the documentary we kept being asked if we couldn't perform live to give the screening of the movie that little extra. Up until that moment we'd been mainly occupied in dealing with the technical and practical problems surrounding the release of "Cara O Moneda", but the idea sounded appealing. We then started rehearsing and after playing a first live gig, everyone felt this was something we had to keep going."
Are all of you amateur musicians?
Ben De Wandel: "All of the original members are, yes. We often collaborate with other musicians, though, and through those collaborations we've learned quite a lot. That's also part of our vice: music as a means to meet other people and if at all possible learn something in the process."
I think we can catalogue the music of Los Callejeros as musica mestiza and world music in general. How difficult is it to survive in Belgium playing that genre of music?
Peter Morris: "There's a difference between surviving as a band or as a musician and making a living from playing music. You just have to make sure you get to play live as much as possible, but sometimes that might mean you'd have to invest some money in your own music. If you really want to make a living from playing music, you often end up not being able to play the music you really want to play, having to make compromises and finding yourself a place in the market."
You just mentioned the fact you have to invest in your own music from time to time. These days, one of the biggest financial risks in the music business is the release of an album. Few bands still see a profit from the sales of CD's, but you guys still seem to put a lot of energy and dedication in your album releases.
Ben De Wandel: "I think that has a lot to do with our urge for perfection and a healthy dose of stubbornness. Some of the members of Los Callejeros have a background in visual arts and we really only want to put out an album we'd be happy to buy ourselves."
Did you feel there were a lot of differences in the recording of the first and second album?
Ben De Wandel: "In my opinion, the songs on 'Présente!' sound a lot more diverse than the ones on our debut album 'El Camino Es El Distino'."
Christophe Millet (conga's, percussion): "We sound a lot more mature on 'Présente!' as well, and it was also the first time we worked with a professional drummer and various guest musicians, so musically speaking, the recording process was quite different this time around."
Ben De Wandel: "I should also mention that when we were recording 'El Camino Es El Destino', we were doing a whole lot of things at the same time, when for 'Présente!' we could dedicate all of our attention to our music."
Have you ever considered shooting a sequel to "Cara O Moneda" or is that documentary part of Los Callejeros in the past?
Peter Morris: "(makes the money sign with his fingers) If we can find the right financial backing I would not dismiss the idea, but the fact is that in making "Cara O Moneda" we spent all our savings with a very minimal return. In comparison the sale of our CD's is still way more profitable! (laughs)"
Ben De Wandel: "Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to downscale the next documentary project if that ever happens. Right now we're focusing fully on our music and I'm sure things will start happening again if it's meant to be. It won't be for lack of ideas anyway. You have to realize that "Cara O Moneda" kind of developed spontaneously without a lot of planning and organizing; for a possible future project we'd definitely have to switch strategies."
Something that seems pivotal in your songs is the use of various languages; the song 'Nifuna Ndoni' on 'Présente!' being an extreme example. When you start working on a new song, when and how do you decide in which language it will be sung?
Ben De Wandel: "We try to base that on gut feeling: some things work, others don't. To give you an example, we've experimented with lyrics in Ukrainian for a while, but somehow that didn't work with the vibe of our music. We always listen to the rhythms we are playing and try to find the best matching language. Of course 'Nifuna Ndoni' is a bit of an exceptional case; that song is about world peace and we wanted to put that message out there in as many languages as possible so people could sing along wherever we might be performing it."
Like the members of Terrakota, you guys like to incorporate the influences from your travels into your music. Do you think you would be able to turn out the same music if you wouldn't travel?
Ben De Wandel: "I think we kind of proved that already with 'Présente!'. Ok, we still went to Peru and shot a video clip for 'Mas Corazon' there, but I don't think it's a must any longer. Belgium has become a melting pot of different cultures, allowing you to travel without even having to move! Filming a documentary project like "Cara O Moneda" is a different matter of course; for a film like that to work, you just have to shoot in the right locations."
Christophe Millet: "I don't think I have to tell you travelling is always fun and being able to travel as a band even doubles that fun!"