Montreal-Based Alt. Rock Band THE NOLAS Capture The Latin Spirit In “Mexico”
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and this is especially true with rock music. Rock music originally came from genres such as gospel, blues, and country. For Montreal-based alternative rock band The Nolas, their new single “Mexico” captures a Latin spirit.
The song opens with an upbeat surf rock riff reminiscent of The Beach Boys before settling down to a relaxed Latin rock vibe that leads into the first verse. With two exceptional lead singers, blending melodies and styles to create an unforgettable musical experience, Manny Agostino sings of relaxing with senoritas and margaritas. This leads into the chorus, elevated by the surf rock riff that comes afterward.
“Come on take a ride with me
Sail across the deep blue sea
We’ll walk the shore
Where ladies they dance”
In fact, the song was inspired by a vacation.
The band says,
“A transformative trip immersed in the vibrant energy of Mexico sparked The Nolas’ creativity for the song “While strumming his classical nylon string guitar, Manny came up with a captivating chord progression. The lyrics that ensued effortlessly flowed into the music, drawing from the impressions left by that voyage.”
Originally formed in 2013, The Nolas is an alternative rock band founded by Joey Tiano (Drums & Vox) and Immanuel (Manny) Agostino (Guitar & Vox). They were later joined by Fil (Bass, Back-Up Vox), Mark (Guitar, Back-Up Vox), and Peter aka The Magic Man before releasing their first EP in 2015.
Their first single, “So Fine” was featured on ReverbNation’s Crowd Picks in addition to receiving airplay on radio stations such as HOT 97.7 MTL ROCKS, 94.7 Hits FM Future Hits, and CMR Spotlight Song of the Week.
Meanwhile, their second single “Dance The Night Away” debuted on CBC Radio3’s Top 30 of Dec 2015 and hit the Top 25 in Jan 2016.
In 2021, they released their most popular song to date, “Johnny”. It received airplay on satellite and FM radio stations in Canada and internationally on stations such as CBC Radio 2 and Planet Rock Radio UK.
Listen to “Mexico” below and learn more about The Nolas via our mini-intervivew.
Care to introduce yourself?
Hi! We are Joey, Manny, Fil, and Mark from The Nolas. We are an Alternative Rock Band from Montreal. The band was formed in 2013 by accident. We (Joey and Manny) shared rehearsal space for years but never actually jammed together (even though we have known each other since childhood). One day we both happened to be there with nothing to do and we just started playing. Luckily we recorded the session. After listening back to our spontaneous jam session, we decided we had a few interesting pieces of music. That session turned out to be the foundation of our first EP, released in 2015. We released a few singles since then, Johnny (2021), So Much Fun This Christmas Party Rock Anthem (2022), and the latest one being Mexico (2023). There are more songs in the pipeline and we are looking forward to putting those out over the next year.
Tell us about the process of writing and recording “Mexico?”
I (Manny) took a trip to Mexico with friends and absolutely fell in love. The culture is very rich and the city vibrant. I always had a fondness for Latin and world music. A little while after I returned from my trip, I was sitting in my living room playing on my Classical nylon string guitar and the intro riff and chords just came about. The lyrics that ensued effortlessly flowed into the music, drawing from the impressions left by that voyage. At our next rehearsal, I showed the song to the rest of the band and they immediately embraced it. We have really great chemistry, so it took no time for the music to progress into a finished song.
What’s it like being a musician in Montreal?
Montreal is an amazing vibrant party city! The music community is rich in culture and talent. It is sometimes difficult being an original artist in the city as not many places support having original bands play since Montreal is a very club-type destination. We do have some really great pubs with amazing cover bands that people like to watch, but the original bands struggle. We do love playing in Montreal when we can, but also enjoy getting out and playing in other cities and provinces. It’s exciting to play to new people and connect with new fans. The indie scene is great and it’s an awesome feeling playing to a crowd that is visibly enjoying and dancing around to our music.
What Canadian artists are you loving right now?
The Damn Truth, The Tea Party, The Trews, The Stills, Headstones, Big Wreck, I Mother Earth, July Talk, OLP, Death From Above, Billy Talent, The Weeknd, The Standstills.