Today at 10:00 p.m. Alba’s coffee. Murcia. €10.
Beauty making its way through the mystery of the first bars that smell of fog and fascination. The blinding awakening of cumbia and son. Corners to discover, compasses to undress and winds to conquer. Freedom in a guitar, the voice in the backpack and destiny in the rear-view mirror. In ‘Semillas’, Mario Boville’s first record outside of the irresistible Alpargata, we find a serene and analytical artist, enthusiastic and attentive, with marine ink and landing at ground level. Twelve songs that caress and invite reflection, that increase the scope of the gaze and invent horizons, unifying traditions, verses, escapes and reunions. We spoke with the Madrid-born singer-songwriter before he presents this artistically rich work at Café de Alba.
–He assures that he faces this new tour with a mixture of desire and nerves. Facing her appointment in Murcia, which of the two is winning?
«There are times when the truths come in better with a song»
–It depends on the moment and the day, but I suppose that the desire can because if the nerves did, I could not even leave the house.
–What do you enjoy the most about these concerts aimed at generating such a special intimacy with the public?
–I really like secluded places where the concert can become a conversation. One gives energy, but also picks it up from the public and realizes when a song is coming. You can hear people’s laughter and look into their eyes. That was what got me hooked, for example, the first time I saw Krahe, one of the great masters of song. Seeing him in concert was like being in the living room of his house listening to him tell stories.
–He presents ‘Semillas’, his first album outside of Alpargata. When did she know that these songs fit more into a solo proposal?
–I had the idea of this album in my head for quite some time, but it wasn’t until the confinement when I had the chance to recover old songs that had been left out of Alpargata’s records and record new compositions. When I wanted to realize it, there was a record with a unit of themes that went in that direction.
–In addition to oriental and African echoes, Latin American folklore beats with brutal intensity on the record. How have these musical references impacted your way of composing?
–I have given myself the pleasure of soaking up all my musical influences, which go hand in hand with the trips I have made, mainly through Latin America, and the folklore that I have picked up along the way. Music goes on the side of life and accompanies it. Beyond music as a merely commercial product, I have always been interested in each town having its songs, sounds, rhythms and ways of celebrating. If you look at the roots music, from jazz to salsa, they all have in common that they arise from community ritual.
–I have the feeling that ‘Semillas’ contains your most accessible songs.
-Yes and no. In fact, it is not that this work is a massive success, far from it. I could buy you one that is, depending on the subject, more accessible. I try to make the music that I would like to hear, although I don’t always succeed. It is true that some of these compositions were too soft for Alpargata’s transgressive spirit. On the other hand, from the point of view of the production, the simplicity is intentional because it is what some songs asked for.
–One of the outstanding songs is ‘Señor Cacique’, a fabulous cumbia that offers a very acid and critical vision of the most frivolous part of the music industry. Does relief taste better dancing?
–Writing has almost always been an outlet for me and a way of saying what I could not express otherwise. There are times when the truths come in better with a song. Speaking of ‘Señor Cacique’ in particular, it is true that it has a lot of poison towards a certain sector of the music industry with which I do not identify much, although it could be extrapolated to the oligarchs in general.
–How is the life of an artist without a record label?
It’s the life of self-exploitation. The artist who produces, tours and promotes himself. On one hand, it’s nice to have that freedom because no one tells you what you can or can’t do. For another, it is physically and mentally exhausting. Selling oneself is not a tasteful dish. You do it because you have to, but what I like is writing, composing and playing.
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