Adrian Quesada brings Boleros Psicodélicos to Austin City Limits
After the success of his latest collaboration, Black Pumas, you wouldn't fault guitarist and producer Adrian Quesada for taking a little time for himself during the band's recently announced hiatus. But Quesada thrives in collaboration, and his work ethic regarding creativity has inspired and built a community of amazing musicians around him. His most recent project, Boleros Psicodélicos, had been ten years in the making. Drawn from the balada movement of the 70s, Quesada envisioned reworking the songs of heartbreak with a psychedelic twist. It's a fantastic album and features an array of amazing Latin musicians from all over the world. This weekend he was able to showcase the music to the masses at the Austin City Limits Music Festival as well as a special taping of the Austin City Limits television series on Sunday night of the festival. Being the rare soul that Quesada is, he was supported by several of the artists that appeared on Boleros Psicodélicos, who traveled from all over to be a part of this weekend's performances. To say that these two appearances were both rare and unique would be an understatement. We had the opportunity to attend the ACL taping, and not only was it a celebration of Adrian Quesada's vision, but it was a celebration of Latin music itself, featuring some of its brightest stars, eight in total.
The night started with the instrumental "Starry Nights" from Quesada's forthcoming album, Jaguar Sound, before bringing out the night's first collaboration with Mireya Ramos of New York's all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache. Ramos captivated the room with "Tus Tormentas." From there, we were treated to "El León," with singer Rudy De Anda. After De Anda, Mexico City's Girl Ultra took the stage for two tracks, "El Payaso" and a cover of Sandro's 1969 hit, "Trigal.” Quesada then took a break to acknowledge the magic in the air and his appreciation for the artists willing to make an effort to come to Austin and be a part of such a memorable weekend. And while he has performed on the Austin City Limits stage with various projects over the years, he commented on how special it always feels to be on the stage. The following guest, Jumbo frontman Clemente Castillo, joined the band for "El Paraguas," who entered the stage twirling an umbrella that posed perfectly against ACL's famous Austin backdrop setting the song's mood.
Thievery Corporation collaborator, Natalia Clavier, came to the stage. Quesada acknowledged that she was the first to sign on to the project when he initially conceived it several years before when many others thought his idea sounded crazy. They performed "Esclavo y Amo," a cover of the Peruvian/Mexican band Los Pasteles Verde's famous track. She also performed "¡Adios!" which she previously recorded with another of Quesada's projects, the Echocentrics. After that, one of our favorite new artists, Guatemala-based singer Tita, came out to perform a cover of Spanish singer Jeanette's 1982 track, "El Muchaco De Los Ojos Tristes."
The night closed out with its last guest and collaborator, iLe, previously of the iconic Puerto Rican group Calle 13. the singer came out in a dazzling emerald green dress and, from the first note, completely captivated the entire room. She performed the Cuban singer and queen of bolero Olga Guillot's 1967 hit ballad "Bravo" before closing the show with the opening track on Boleros Psicodélicos, "Mentiras Con Cariño," which saw the return of Mireya Ramos with a violin solo to rapturous applause. After the conclusion, every collaborator returned to the stage for one last bow, with Quesdada introducing each artist on the stage. The close of the show bookended something we might not be able to see live in that iteration for a long while but will live on when it premieres on your local PBS station early next year as part of Season 48 of Austin City Limits.
