Boyle Heights rock band The Tracks is getting a lot of buzz for their LP’s debut track “Go Out Tonight.” The Los Angeles Times commented on the band’s ability to build momentum and LA Weekly has also featured the Boyle Heights musicians. The band faced a slew of challenges on their way leading up to this newly acquired fame.
Singer and guitarist Vernancio Bermúdez tells the website LA Taco that the band was born after his abusive father –a mariachi musician from Nayarit– died from cancer. He was then kicked out of his home for choosing to pursue music. Bermúdez’ mother welcomed him back six months later but to help support his family, he worked 16 hour days, six days a week at a tortilla factory and went to band practice afterwards. That went on for several years.
The Tracks got their name when Bermúdez was on his way to rehearsal. He tells LA Taco that the old tracks that used to run LA’s trolley system are still found in parts of the city. While he was riding his bike down Soto Street to band practice, his bike got stuck in the tracks and flipped him over. He says tracks were removed from many parts of LA but poorer neighborhoods still had remnants of the old trolley system. Bermúdez says the tracks that were left in the low-income area of the neighborhood are a symbol of LA.
The Tracks is made up of Bermúdez, bassist Felipe Contreras, drummer Jaime Conde and guitarist Jesiel Higuera. Bermudez, Contreras, and Conde are all from Boyle Heights and Higuera was born in South LA but now lives in Boyle Heights. The Tracks plan to release their album next year. Their first song from their debut album, “Go Out Tonight,” is online now.
Photo above: The Tracks in front of mural at Mariachi Plaza. Photo courtesy of Echo Park Records.
