Thee Sinseers' Love Stories
The Chicano Movement that took place in the 1960s drew inspiration from their indigenous, Mexican and American past. The leading figures of the classic brown-eyed chicano soul were Thee Midniters. By using "Thee", the leaders of the modern Chicano soul Thee Sinseers pay direct homage to their East LA fellow citizens from back in the days. Thee Sinseers new album Love Stories contains sweet, slow-tempo love songs that fit perfectly in the lowrider car culture, where drivers want slow, romantic, and smooth tracks to blast while cruising slowly down the Southern California boulevards.
The band's parents appear in the album art of the new record. The vision of love put forth on this record is full-spectrum. Love Stories isn't interested in the happy ending. It's interested in everything that comes before it, after it, and in spite of it.
To say that Thee Sinseers play oldies would be a misnomer. Fronted by bandleader and son of East Los Angeles Joey Quiniones, the group has quietly chipped away at the sounds of R&B and soul. Quinones and his crew have continuously created a distinctive vibe that explores all aspects of a timeless genre, bringing together their interpretation of music through an unmistakable modern lens.
With Quinones on vocals and keys, vocalist Adriana Flores, Christopher Manjarrez on bass, Francisco Flores on guitar, Bryan Ponce on guitar and vocals, Luis Carpio on drums and vocals, saxophonists Eric Johnson and Steve Surman, and Jose Luis Jimenez on trombone, Thee Sinseers present themselves on this album with their own distinctive style. Their sophomore album was released by Colemine Records and mixed by Kelly Finnigan. We had the chance to ask Joey Quiniones a couple of questions about the album, the roots of the band and the upcoming tour that will bring the band to Europe as well.
What did Kelly Finnigan do in the end mix of your new album Love Stories that particularly pleased you?
"Sometimes as you're writing and composing, you get lost trying to find the end point of things. It was key to have Kelly put all the pieces together and say 'it's done,' being a fresh set of ears that we really trust. He does great work and we're such big fans of his."
You shared the stage with Los Lobos. Is this band an inspiration for you?
"Absolutely. Being from the same neighborhood, sharing the same trajectory of influences, and the whole journey of it – Los Lobos were always kind of the marker, and a standard to live up to, for sure."
Are you coming with the full band to Europe in September/October and what can the audience expect from the upcoming shows?
"Yes, this is the first time we'll be able to have the full band and all original members. The audience can expect to get really sweaty, to dance, to sing along, and to really participate with the us…we like to incorporate the audience into the show just as much as the instruments."
The new album is available in our record store. Tracks of the album can be heard in our Spotify playlists.
Thee Sinseers will be on a tour that will bring them to Europe as from next week:
23 Sep - Utrecht, NL - Tivoli Vredenburg
24 Sep - Groningen, NL - Oosterpoort
25 Sep - Rotterdam, NL - BIRD
26 Sep - Amsterdam, NL - Tolhuistuin
27 Sep - Antwerp, BE - Trix
29 Sep - Bristol, UK - Strange Brew
30 Sep - Manchester, UK - The Blues Kitchen
1 Oct - London, UK - The Jazz Cafe
2 Oct - Paris, FR - New Morning
4 Oct - Düsseldorf, DE - zakk
5 Oct - Basel, CH - Kuppel
6 Oct - Darmstadt, DE - Centralstation
7 Oct - Berlin, DE - Gretchen
Oct 10 - Arcata, CA - Lumberjack Weekend at Cal Poly Humboldt - w/ Durand Jones & The Indications and The Altons
Oct 17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
Oct 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Pacific Electric
Oct 21 - La Jolla, CA - Epstein Family Amphitheater
Oct 22 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
Oct 23 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum Theater
Oct 24 - Santa Fe, NM - The Lensic
Oct 25 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
Oct 28 - McAllen, TX - Cine El Rey
Oct 29 - Houston, TX - The Heights Theater
Oct 30 - San Antonio, TX - Stable Hall
Oct 31 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler Theater
Nov 2 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
Nov 3 - Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre
Nov 4 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Commonwealth Room
Nov 6 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Nov 20 - Mexico City, Mexico - Corona Capital
Dec 4 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
Dec 5 - The Stone Church - Brattleboro, VT
Dec 8 - Longboat Hall - Toronto, ON
Dec 10 - Thalia Hall - Chicago, IL
Dec 11 - Turntable - Indianapolis, IN
Dec 12 - The Blue Room - Third Man Records - Nashville, TN
Dec 13 - The Loft - Atlanta, GA
Dec 15 - Eulogy at Burial Beer Co. - Asheville, NC
Dec 17 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Dec 18 - Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA
Dec 19 - The Atlantis - Washington, DC
