Local Roma-inspired band Carute Roma will soon be releasing their newest album, Roma Road - with release parties in Durango and Mancos next week. KSJD's Music Director LP McKay sat down with band member Nicole Carey to discuss the band’s unique blend of sounds.
LP McKay, KSJD Music Director: Hi, this is LP. I'm sitting here with Nicole Carey from Carute Roma. Thanks for joining me today.
Nicole Carey: Thanks for having me.
McKay: Excellent. Well, we're here to talk today a bit about your new album coming out. But first, I wanted to see if you could give me a little bit of information about the band. I know you guys have a lot of members and a lot of influences. So tell us a little bit about that.
Carey: Yeah, we have been together for I think, over 15 years. It started with just three or four members, probably more about 15-16 years ago. And the core members have stayed part of it all this time. And we've evolved quite a bit the instrumentation and the folks in the band. My husband and I joined and he played upright bass and I play trumpet and sing. And then we have Robert Aspen, who's a teacher in Durango he plays accordion, Lisa Sumi also plays accordion. Michael Rendon plays violin, we have Mark Walzer, who is the music teacher at Durango High School, he plays violin. And, Dave sacks on drums, Brian Aaron's on guitar, they have been part of the band since the beginning. And, John Breaux on bass, and the iterations of the band have changed slightly, but the core group has been in it for the long haul. We were really good friends. We love playing Roma music and coming up with our versions of traditional covers, and also writing our own original music in that genre.
McKay: So what can we expect to hear on this newest album?
Carey: It's pretty cool to have two accordions and two violins with the with the songs that we have come up with we on this album, though, there will be 12 songs, seven are original. And, the other five are traditional covers. Incorporating a little bit different genre, one song we kind of went a little disco, we kind of had a little dancey disco beat to it. But when we went into the studio, we all felt like it was unfinished and it needed something different. And I had always really advocated for there to be more of a Middle Eastern feel. And, so our drummer Dave brought in with with a lot of requesting by me to bring in his his doom back, which is a traditional Middle Eastern drum. And it really, it really was the piece that sort of inspired how we, we put the song together. And I'm really proud of that song. And we all are and we're so thrilled. So there's, there's a little Middle Eastern, there's a little Spanish, we were playing a Cumbia sort of based song.
McKay: I'm from Texas, you're speaking my language, now.
Carey: And, just sort of bringing together this idea that Roma sort of represent the immigrants, the refugees, the the influences coming from their travels and from the oppression or the opportunities that they face because they're not in a homeland. And, so those influences happen all over the world.
McKay: So this album, when can we expect it to be out?
Carey: Well, we are having album release parties, two of them, one in Durango. That will be June 3 at the Union Social House. And, then the next night Saturday June 4 will be at Mancos Brewing Company.
McKay: We will put those on the KSJD website, our community calendar, as well so folks can check those out. Where's it going to be available folks can't make those shows?
Carey: Our plan is to make this album available on our website for purchase. So that's caruteroma.com. I also just want to shout out to the Montezuma county fans, because I do believe that that day is the Dolores river days, June 4 Fourth, but we don't play until five. So hopefully, folks will come and see it. And if you if you think you want to do both, and maybe you can head over to Durango on June 3, so you don't miss us.
McKay: Awesome. It looks like it's going to be a great show from what I've seen on the internet. It's going to be very entertaining, so you do not want to miss it! Thanks again for coming out and yeah we'll see you guys next time.
