Photo: De La Luz/Facebook
De La Luz
De La Luz
When De La Luz took to the Summerfest stage earlier this year, there wasn’t much known about the band. Shrouded in mystery and covered in face paint, the band played their debut show on the Miller Lite Oasis Stage, warming up the space for the headliner of the night, rising Latin star LUNAY.
It was a fitting introduction considering the group is taking a more performative-centric approach to its music. Through a combination of theatrics, filmmaking and music, De La Luz plans to tell a story that draws upon the ethnic backgrounds and experiences of the main artists of the group, Vincent Black and Mario Lanza, weaving those elements into a sci-fi-influenced tale.
“Musically its very genuine and personal,” says guitarist Lanza. “There’s a rawness to this and we’re aiming high for studio-quality R&B pop-alternative music. It has a lot of energy and its huge and is also melodic and somber.”
Black, who played in progressive rock outfit SACRED, approached Lanza, who was previously lead vocalist in the pop-punk group Human After All and has released solo music under the name Riolanza, with the vision for the project.
“We put together a team and I got more involved with the project—I started just producing and recording him and helping him hash out ideas but then I started playing guitar in the band,” Lanza says.
Ancestral Connections
The two felt a connection through their ancestry—Black identifies as a native Puerto Rican and Lanza identifies as a native Mexican. Tapping into these roots, the group developed a stage persona that utilizes face paint to project a warrior mentality and image.
“This project is a very special and powerful thing that we’ve created together,” Lanza says. “We’ve embodied this spirit of rage and determination and we feel crazy and it just feels good—like a primal element.”
|
|
De La Luz translates to “of the light” in Spanish. Black’s grandmother, named Maria De La Luz, was a healer who played an influential role in Black’s life. “We carry her spirit into this project—we use this music to heal in a similar fashion,” Lanza says.
In the spirit of the holiday, De La Luz released its first single and music video—chock full of costumed characters—on the weekend of Halloween. The video portrays a man (played by Black) struggling to break free of his inner demons and addictions—the chains that bind him, as the title implies. A minute-and-a-half introduction precedes the musical portion of the video, introducing characters that will likely turn up in future De La Luz videos.
“It’s a loud but dynamic song,” Lanza says. “It’s kind of about obstacles—feeling bound and tied down.”
Powerful Introduction
The song is a powerful introduction to De La Luz, allowing Black to showcase his abilities as a vocalist as he navigates through chilling verses that build up to booming choruses.
The video is vague in its storytelling, creating a world and yet purposefully leaving the viewer to wonder who these characters are and what role they play. But those who enjoy won’t have to wait much longer to learn more. Lanza hints at another release in the spring of 2022, and an eventual debut album.
“This is (just) the first chapter of our story,” Lanza says.
To watch the video go to youtube.com/watch?v=GwJL8jS0PTc
