Pure Rockabilly from Mexico: Nicotyna is the name to remember. The band started in 2000 and has become quite famous already in the Mexican rockabilly scene, but also in countries like Spain, California and the USA. The line up of the band is:
Rusty(double bass and vocals), Mario (stand -up drums and vocals), Wadalupe (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Alex(lead guitar and vocals).
Their performances on stage are wild and exciting and it’s often described as “erotic exotic reverb” and “ataque rockabilly”. It sure got me curious, so I think it’s very nice to know more about this band and the Mexican culture.
Tell us more about your band Nicotyna, how and when did you started this?
We started at the end of the year 2000 ‘cause we wanted a rockin’ scene here in Mèxico. There was a lot of people who likes rockabilly music but there weren’t bands playin’ cool stuff. So we said we have to form a band, start to play and tell everybody to come to see us.
So… many people came to our shows and it was a big surprise to us and we decide to go on playin’ rockabilly and rock and roll music ‘till we die. So this is how we started the rockabilly scene here in Mèxico City. The name Nicotyna was taken from a song of a 50’s rocker who sang the song, titled “Nicotine”, he was Paul Chaplain.
How is the Rockabilly scene in Mexico ?
The rockabilly scene in Mèxico is growing, the most of it is concentrated in 2 big cities : Mexico City and Queretaro. There are many young people, so young sometimes they can’t go to some places ‘cause they are still teens and we have to go to other countries at first, like U.S.A. and Spain to play and then we have more shows in Mèxico.
Do you write the songs yourself or do you play only covers?
The most of our repertoire are songs written by us, we also like to sing some songs from the 50’s, rockabilly music and contemporary rockabilly artists in our shows.
Have you released any CD’s or can we expect an album in the future?
Yes, we have recorded 3 CD’s completely with our songs and some covers and also we have participated in 3 other compilations CD’s .
We’ve also made an LP vinyl titled “Greatest Hits” as a limited edition to our first 10 years of being in the rockabilly music and now we have finished the recording of a new CD. We believe the CD will be ready in November 2012, so please get ready to listen the new era of Mexican rockabilly music.
Who is your greatest inspiration?
Well… there are many persons and things that inspire us, like the great rockabilly artists from the 50’s era and the rhythm & blues howlers, the cars from the 50’s, to know people from other countries …mmm
Who are your favourite artists?
Anyone of us have their own favourite artists like : Janis Martin, Wanda Jackson, Imelda May, Elvis, Eddie Cochran, The Phantom, The Cramps, The Johnny Burnette rock’n’roll trio, Stray Cats, Los Locos del ritmo, The Rio Rockers, Brian Setzer, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Los Rebeldes, etc…
Is there any place you would really like to play?
Oh yes, we would like to play in England, it is a big country …terrible!!! And to be at the Hemsby show …wow .. That would be great!!!
Do you like other music styles too, other than rockabilly and rock and roll?
Well… Many people ask us about it. But we always say that we don’t have time to listen another kind of music. But also we like to hear stuff like blues music, Doo Wop and some Psychobilly bands from the eighties era like the Guana Batz, The Sharks, Restless, The Polecats, but firstly we like to hear the rockabilly artists from the 50’s.
What’s your greatest wish for the future?
We would like to record a CD at Sun studios in Memphis in 2013 ‘cause they invited us to do a record there and we have to do it ‘cause to be in that place is something important …very important to feel the true spirit of our rockabilly idols …yes !! Also we would like to play many countries around the world and get more tattoos!!!
Is there anything you would like to tell?
First of all many thanks to you for having this interview and for what you do to keep rockabilly music alive …and like to invite your readers to know something more about us clicking on our web sites:
www.facebook.com/NicotynaMexico,
www.twitter.com/NICOTYNAMEXICO
And like to tell you that we have a show at “Rockabilly Radio” in the web jukebox “The rusty Quinteros’s show” www.rockabilly-radio.net , so please come to listen ‘cause it’s a frantic and wild show!!!
