Chris Rea and Ray Keane see the birth of Keane’s son the morning after their first jam session as a positive omen in their band Fiesta Brava’s formative days.
It’s proven lucky so far, as the group—augmented by drummer Matt Snow and bassist Jeff Steblea with occasional assists from keyboardist Pat Garland—has been rocking steadily since that fateful day in March 2007.
Fiesta Brava claims great influence from the worlds of folk and punk, but its sound is firmly in the realm of the indie rock outfits the band cites as direct predecessors: Archers of Loaf, Death Cab for Cutie, and The National.
Rea says Fiesta Brava is also continually inspired by intra-band record swapping sessions: “Clearly, we’re all huge music fans, and the band benefits from all the album sharing that goes on.”
“Everyone has… disparate musical influences that help keep it interesting in a less direct way, from folk to jazz to punk to electronica,” adds Steblea.
The group has worked quickly to stake out space and fans in the Valley’s music scene.
“I think that part of the reason we have made strides in a short amount of time is because we have families, jobs, other interests and responsibilities, and we want the band to exist in harmony with those other things,” says Keane. “That limits the time we have to just be a band, and we really work to make the most of our time.”
“A gig at the Iron Horse was a big dream back [when we started],” Rea says. “And now we’ll be playing there for a third time in June with a band [Matt Pond PA] whose albums are all in my collection. That’s really awesome. I would attribute our growth to the fact that we’re lucky enough to live in an area that supports local musicians and provides them with plenty of opportunities to play out.”
In addition to a positive and productive batch of early shows, Fiesta Brava has already had a taste of mass public exposure: one of the group’s tunes was featured during games of the Springfield Armor, the area’s NBA Development League basketball squad.
“We were featured on Masslive.com, and it seems like somebody liked the tune,” says Keane. “It was a pretty amazing experience to have your song played at a place like the MassMutual center during a game.”
Whatever the future holds, Steblea feels like the band has found a comfortable place in the musical world. “As a band, Fiesta Brava’s strength is that we’re not about flash or virtuoso playing or larger-than-life personalities—that stuff can be great, but it would feel disingenuous for us. It would be a poor fit. This band really focuses on emotion and songcraft, and performing something on stage that feels true and comfortable for us.”
Fiesta Brava performs at the Iron Horse June 6 and at Diamond Junction Bowling Lanes in Palmer June 13. For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/fiestabravamusic.
