Vitera Interview: SXSW 2010

Haydn Vitera formed the band that bears his name a few years ago with his brother David. When his brother moved on, Haydn gathered a new group of musicians as Vitera and began to build a following with a sound that combines rock n roll and Spanish pop. Spinner spoke with frontman Haydn Vitera about the band's upcoming showcase appearance at SXSW.

You guys are from Austin. Have you played SXSW before?

I did with a previous project that I had back in '06. I've been involved in several of the SXSW showcases with other artists. I'm a violinist/fiddle player, so I've played with Rick Trevino and Los Super Seven. But these are the first real showcases that we have with this band, so we're excited.

How would you describe the sound of Vitera?

The best way to describe it is old-school American rock with Latin elements and Spanish lyrics. I think of AC/DC-era rock with big guitars, not a whole lot of effects. We have elements of slide guitar, Latin percussion, and some horns. The thing that holds it all together is the Spanish lyrics. We do have some English and some Spanglish lyrics.

One of the main elements of our sound is the violin. I play a really unique instrument called a viper. It's a six-string fretted flying V violin. It can sound like a clean violin but it can also sound like a guitar. We have a really cool instrumental on the record called 'La Vibora,' which features that as the lead instrument. Everybody freaks out. Especially live – people are like, "What is that?" So that's one of our staples.

How did the band form?

This project started back in '07 with my brother, who co-wrote most of the songs with me on the record. My brother has since gone and done more of the songwriter thing.

This particular group -- we came together about four or five months ago. It's one of those things where you're like, "Hey man, this guitar player wants to come jam with us." "Cool, I know him from back then..." It's pretty cool the way it came about. I had the music and the record, getting ready to release it, but now I've got the right group of guys and we're all a team.

Who are your musical influences?

It's such a wide range. AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, some of the '80s stuff like Whitesnake – that big guitar, swaggering rock kind of attitude. Then also the Spanish pop lyrics like Man, Juanes, even Luis Miguel -- the ballad stuff.

The significance of your band name seems pretty obvious.

Yeah, just the last name. My brother and I started the band and we figured it has a ring to it. If it's good enough for Carlos Santana, it's good enough for us [laughs].

Do you have a musical guilty pleasure?

Sometimes I don't mind listening to some of those old '80s pop ballads, like 'The Lady in Red' [laughs]. It reminds me of junior high or high school. It just takes you back to a place. Then also, all that Luis Miguel stuff, the romantic Spanish stuff. It doesn't exactly factor into the rock image, but that's definitely something I enjoy.

Do you prefer the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

I'm all about the Stones. I respect what the Beatles did, all the innovations they made and their songwriting, but the Stones are just where it's at. Raunchy, nasty rock [laughs].

Have you played with any big names before?

I personally have toured with Asleep at the Wheel, a legendary western swing band from Austin. I played with them from '03 to '05. I've also done a few gigs with Los Super Seven, a Grammy Award-winning group. In that incarnation it was Raul Malo from the Mavericks, Rick Trevino, another band called Calexico, and Ruben Ramos. Most of my pro experience has been in the country scene as a fiddle player, harmony singer and guitarist, but rock and Latin is where I wanna be living.

Vitera's debut album 'Subete' will be released in April. What can you tell us about it?

The album is really energetic. Just put it in the car and put your rock hand up and start rocking. When most people think of Latin they think of salsa dancing and all that stuff. But we don't want you dancing – we want you up at the stage pumping your fist.

The band Vallejo played on the title track. I grew up with them in El Campo, Texas. It was really cool to collaborate with them because they were a huge influence on us. Another collaborator was Anita Benner of Five Alarm Fuego, who wrote and dueted with me on a song called 'The Way I'd Love You.' We like to think of this track as Juanes-meets-Gwen Stefani. It's a reggaeton beat, but it has mostly English lyrics with a Spanish bridge. It gets a really good response live.

Finally, what do you hope to get out of SXSW?

It's really exciting. Obviously we're going to have a lot of networking opportunities. I feel like the energy is just right and everything is aligning. This is the perfect year for us to be doing this with this lineup. I think the visibility of having a showcase at the festival is going to be a huge help to get attention from booking agents. We're a relatively new band, so we'll definitely get attention from the industry and fellow artists.


Scott Shetler is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.