Smart and charming and funny, the Avantist is a band slowly and deservedly on the rise. Its work ethic and time together are testaments to the strength of the group’s talents and clear sense of vision. And although any number of bands can claim similar attributes, few (if any) can throw out this simple fact: All four Avantist members are brothers.
Fernando, Erick, David and Luis Arias grew up in a musical home. Their father had a rich life in the industry working as a mariachi performer and later as a DJ for Spanish-language radio stations in the Chicagoland area. The brothers credit his strong interests as a leading source of inspiration for the music they continue to make today. “He hasn’t stopped singing,” Fernando said. “He puts me to shame every time he sings.”
One of the most influential bands, Cafe Tacuba, became a source of entertainment for the four when their father brought home CDs and videos of the group’s performances. And although their tastes expanded as they got older (they cite everything from System of a Down to Mars Volta as influences), they still turn to their father for advice and guidance in their music careers. “I know he’s proud of us,” Fernando said.
The Avantist is on the brink of a breakthrough, hard at work completing its debut album, “Terasoma,” which the band hopes to release in early 2016. “Terasoma” is the culmination of years of refinement and dedication. The four formed the Avantist more than seven years ago when Luis, the youngest, was only 13 years old. Since these early days, the four have settled on a unique, nostalgic and precise sound fueled by a strong sense of voice and heart.
“Truth in Light,” the first single from “Terasoma,” is a lovely and tight ditty that connects to the record’s larger themes such as love and relationships. Other topics include family, religion and politics. For the latter, the group cites “Conquer,” the album opener, as the most political track on the record. Co-written by Fernando, Frankiem Mitchell and L.A. Van Gogh, the track was hammered out in a day and addresses ideas of confusion and how the brothers strive to say things they want to say. Emotionally propulsive, “Conquer” underlines the idea that humans have the right to be heard and must band together to not be conquered.
Coming full circle from the quartet’s childhood influences, “Terasoma” also will feature saxophone work from Adrián Terrazas-Gonzalez, who has worked with the Mars Volta. In the works since July 2014, the album has been recorded in bits and pieces in places from a recording studio to the band’s parents’ basement.
“There’s no wrong answers with us because ultimately we’re so locked into each other that someone’s going to do something right,” Fernando says about the four working together. As brothers, they have the advantage of knowing and working with each other for their whole lives. “This is it for us,” Fernando said.
Erick agreed. Growing up together, they had to learn how to respect and listen to each other, making a familial relationship not unlike a work partnership or friendship. It takes effort, patience and a consistent regard for other people. As a band, this idea has a deeper effect. The stakes are, in some sense, higher than they would be in any other band. “If we fail, we’re all failing together so we have to get out of it together,” Erick said.
Britt Julious is a freelance reporter.
Twitter @chitribent
When: 7:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave.
Tickets: $12-$15 (17+); www.subt.net
![There’ll be more than one story to write about “Sundance Institute x Chicago,” coming to town June 28-30. Consider these to be some preliminary questions to be answered in a couple of months. A sort of pop-up import, sponsored by the Chicago Film Office and Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism bureau, “Sundance Institute x Chicago” is the power of branding incarnate. The event will consist of a modest four-screening package of titles that premiered in January at the annual Sundance Film Festival of Park City, Utah fame. The off-screen activity’s the apparent bigger deal: panels, discussions, filmmaker-centric meetups, patterned after […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CTC-L-Sundance-01.jpg?w=579 "There’ll be more than one story to write about “Sundance Institute x Chicago,” coming to town June 28-30. Consider these to be some preliminary questions to be answered in a couple of months. A sort of pop-up import, sponsored by the Chicago Film Office and Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism bureau, “Sundance Institute x Chicago” is the power of branding incarnate. The event will consist of a modest four-screening package of titles that premiered in January at the annual Sundance Film Festival of Park City, Utah fame. The off-screen activity’s the apparent bigger deal: panels, discussions, filmmaker-centric meetups, patterned after […]")
