When your music fuses cumbia psychedelica, mambo, salsa and even some “spaghetti western,” it doesn’t take long to capture attention.
That’s what happened with The Animeros, who were playing together live for just the second time when their sound caught the ear of The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach at SXSW. The trio of Texas native Nick Tazzo (drums and percussion), Nicolas Sanchez from Colombia (bass) and Mexican-American Mauro Lopez (guitar) turned that moment into a professional relationship, with Auerbach producing their debut LP, ¡Qué Bárbaro!
Tazzo talked with me about what it was like to fly to Nashville and record the project at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound, the band’s musical influences and what audiences can expect when The Animeros play Cactus Club on Nov. 9.
