Saturday, July 29, Puccini’s Golden West Saloon (21-and-over); $5: They would go out on the weekends to bars like Tumbleweed, Fantasia or Bandito Hideout restraurant. Spanish rock lived in those joints–on the radio, but never live. The boys of Hecho n’ K-za (pronounced casa ) spied a niche. Five years ago, they began settling into it. Things haven’t always been easy, says guitarist and sometimes singer Israel Contreras. Bars Downtown "don’t hear too much of Spanish rock." So Hecho sought other places to play. "Not too many bars give us a chance."But when the leap is made, like when the Sunshine Theater brought out Spanish rockers El Tri, the place was full to bursting. That’s their goal with every show, Contreras says, to get enough attention that those bands—the ones on all his friends’ radios and in the clubs he hangs out in—can start making our corner of the Southwest a stop on their tours. Hecho n’ K-za goes about its business deliberately. For each show, whatever venue it might be in, the band draws support from local businesses to sponsor radio ads on KRZY 105.9. Contreras loves it when those sponsors turn up at shows. "They’re the rowdy ones in the back." Hecho n’ K-za fears no rock sub-genre, with its original tunes tapping into ska, punk and metal with the occasional hint of ranchero. Though their set is about 50 percent covers, Contreras says the group boasts 14 solid homegrown tunes that will become a full-length debut album. With backing from the radio station, their five-song demo has already seen some airtime. A Southwest tour with a stop in Juarez, hometown of two of the members, is also on tap. Ultimately, Hecho ‘n Kza is always pushing to keep Spanish rock in the public view. "There’s a demand for it, but people really don’t know where to go,” Contreras says. “We’re just trying to keep ourselves seen."
Hecho N’ K-Za
2 min read
