After two attempts to catch these boys live at SXSW, for once my terrible sense of direction didn’t lead us astray. On the final day of SXSW, while everyone was nursing their hangovers or catching a flight home, we ventured to Side Bar to catch a hot afternoon set featuring our SXSW favorite, Guadalupe Plata. A badass, grimy blues trio from Andalusia, Spain, these boys bust out some soul-clappin’ dirty-down-blues. There’s no fancy horns or whistles in their game, just a raw dose of what rock and roll once sounded like.
What started off as a duo comprised of guitar shredder and vox, Pedro de Dios Barcelo with drummer Carlos Jimena became a trio when they added the utter coolness of a washtub bass player. It doesn’t get anymore swampy than that! Guadalupe Plata reverberate an authentic sound that will make even the squarest of squares cut-a-rug. With a mean guitar squeal and some badass Spanish lyrics, you better start learning your second language now if you wanna ride with these outlaws.
I can only hope Guadalupe Plata make it back to the states in the near future with a long stop in Los Angeles. These guys roar with the madness of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins paired with the thick Mississippi blues flavor of John Lee Hooker. Their riffs are muddy as hell and exude all the wildness of real rock and roll. The kind of shit your mama warned you about.
If you ever get the chance to see these fellas live, jump on it! They will pleasure your ears and limbs with a damn good time. Download their new album for FREE via Bandcamp.
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Words & photography by Sandra Burciaga
Guadalupe Plata – Pollo Podrío from NYSUfilms on Vimeo.
