"In the Dark, We Shine"- A Conversation with Hector Flores, Founding Member of Las Cafeteras
Hector Flores lives his life at the intersection of artistic expression and activism. As a founding member of Las Cafeteras, Flores and the five other band members have brought their unique brand of Roots Music to audiences worldwide for over ten years.
When we caught up with Flores, speaking to us from his East Los Angeles home, the band was on the eve of releasing their newest album and in the middle of a spring North American tour that includes several dates in the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and California.
MWPAC: I’m fascinated with bands that have been successfully working together for so many years- staying creative and fresh, making great music, spending time on the road together. So many bands seem to implode under the pressure. How did Las Cafeteras start, and what’s the secret to maintaining the creative energy after all these years?
Hector Flores: The band was really born out of solid friendships formed over the years as fellow activists and organizers. We were young, 20-something activist organizers who were very involved in community justice work. We had a collective art and movement space; part of the Eastside Café, which was all volunteer run. We ran ESL classes, dance classes – all of that. When I met Cano (drummer Jose Guadalupe Cruz Cano) at a protest against budget cuts, he had a big drum, and I had a big mouth. It was a match made in heaven. Now, he’s the drummer and I still have a big mouth! I feel like if we weren’t really good friends, we wouldn’t still be here.
MWPAC: Each member of this band comes from a unique, individual perspective and lived experience, but you’re all incredibly talented, creative musicians and songwriters. I wonder, are there times when artistic conflicts arise? How do you deal with that?
Hector Flores: You know, so this is interesting. It was like, seven or eight years ago we all got into group therapy, and we dealt with our conflicts in the same way that you deal with conflict in any personal relationship. We knew we wanted to make it work, and at the same time knew that we were all unique individuals… we’re all “lions.” That acknowledgement that we needed an outside person to help us collaborate was really important.
The other thing we did right after the pandemic was get a musical director. So now our director plays that role; therapist, director, arranger. A lot of bands start off really hierarchically. You know, like, the lead singer ends up driving the whole band. But we started as a collective, which is a very egalitarian way of approaching our work. When we formed as a band, we kept that sense, but as we’ve evolved as people and as a band, we’ve been able to home in on our strengths and weaknesses without feeling threatened – so we don’t have to fight each other.
MWPAC: You know, when I listen to Las Cafeteras I feel like I’m listening to the city of Los Angeles itself. I don’t know if that’s intentional, or how you do it, but it’s so amazing.
Hector Flores: You know, it just happens. The music is like the city itself, and you’ll really hear this when you listen to our new album. When you drive through LA, you go through many neighborhoods, cultures and flavors.
MWPAC: So, what is your process for writing songs? I love Oaxaca Love Song No2. How did that song come about?
Hector Flores: Well, you know, I’ve been writing poetry since 8th grade. A lot of the songs we’ve put out are built upon that poetry, like Oaxaca Love Song No2. I was in Oaxaca for the first time and wrote that first line, “En Oaxaca todo brilla Y se come con Tortilla”, Oaxaca shines bright and you can eat it all with a tortilla. It’s the first line that came out and I’m like, “oh, this is a song! I need to write a song for this city and for this culture like an outsider.” There is such a strong Oaxacan culture in California, some people even call it Oaxaca, California!
Songs are always coming up for me and I’m always writing. So, when an idea comes in, a line, a concept – sometimes when I’m driving – I pull to the side of the freeway and write it down or pull out my phone and do a voice memo. The ideas just come to me like a faucet, and I need to capture them immediately. But the development of the songs can take time. Oaxaca Love Song No2 took 5 years to become a song!
I never saw myself as a musician, per se. I’m more of a poet/songwriter. I was an organizer. I was fighting for new schools in East Los Angeles, and that's how I met (Las Cafeteras vocalist) Denise Carlos, doing these protests, and at these marches. And so, as an organizer, my job is to organize, activate, and inspire. I would use poetry and music to get people involved. Not everybody wants to listen to politics, but everybody wants to hear a song.
MWPAC: You sing in five different languages, English, Spanish, Spanglish…and Love and Justice. As you say on your website, everyone understands at least one of those languages, right?
Hector Flores: The dance floor is an ultimate equalizer. On the dance floor, nobody asks how much money you have, no one is asking who you love…on the dance floor everybody’s out there having a good time and we understand that we are one on the dance floor.
MWPAC: It feels like we’re in a very interesting and difficult cultural moment right now, and that makes me wonder, as artists and activists, what are you hoping the audience takes away from this performance?
Hector Flores: You know, it’s when the night is the darkest that the stars shine the brightest. What we need to do is shine bright in the work we do now. To be kinder to each other than we ever have before…to hold on to each other, point to each other, and know that we’re not alone. It’s easy to feel alone in the sky- but when each of us shines bright, then you can see that there are millions of us out here. Together we light up the sky! I feel like if we can sing and dance together, we can build a new world together. We just want folks to come out to dance and celebrate! And if we can share the dance floor, we can do it anywhere. I truly believe that.
Las Cafeteras will perform at the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, May 8th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/LasCafeterasTickets (opens in new tab) or by visiting the Box Office at 211 E DeSmet Avenue, 509-313-2787.
When we caught up with Flores, speaking to us from his East Los Angeles home, the band was on the eve of releasing their newest album and in the middle of a spring North American tour that includes several dates in the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and California.
MWPAC: I’m fascinated with bands that have been successfully working together for so many years- staying creative and fresh, making great music, spending time on the road together. So many bands seem to implode under the pressure. How did Las Cafeteras start, and what’s the secret to maintaining the creative energy after all these years?
Hector Flores: The band was really born out of solid friendships formed over the years as fellow activists and organizers. We were young, 20-something activist organizers who were very involved in community justice work. We had a collective art and movement space; part of the Eastside Café, which was all volunteer run. We ran ESL classes, dance classes – all of that. When I met Cano (drummer Jose Guadalupe Cruz Cano) at a protest against budget cuts, he had a big drum, and I had a big mouth. It was a match made in heaven. Now, he’s the drummer and I still have a big mouth! I feel like if we weren’t really good friends, we wouldn’t still be here.
MWPAC: Each member of this band comes from a unique, individual perspective and lived experience, but you’re all incredibly talented, creative musicians and songwriters. I wonder, are there times when artistic conflicts arise? How do you deal with that?
Hector Flores: You know, so this is interesting. It was like, seven or eight years ago we all got into group therapy, and we dealt with our conflicts in the same way that you deal with conflict in any personal relationship. We knew we wanted to make it work, and at the same time knew that we were all unique individuals… we’re all “lions.” That acknowledgement that we needed an outside person to help us collaborate was really important.
The other thing we did right after the pandemic was get a musical director. So now our director plays that role; therapist, director, arranger. A lot of bands start off really hierarchically. You know, like, the lead singer ends up driving the whole band. But we started as a collective, which is a very egalitarian way of approaching our work. When we formed as a band, we kept that sense, but as we’ve evolved as people and as a band, we’ve been able to home in on our strengths and weaknesses without feeling threatened – so we don’t have to fight each other.
MWPAC: You know, when I listen to Las Cafeteras I feel like I’m listening to the city of Los Angeles itself. I don’t know if that’s intentional, or how you do it, but it’s so amazing.
Hector Flores: You know, it just happens. The music is like the city itself, and you’ll really hear this when you listen to our new album. When you drive through LA, you go through many neighborhoods, cultures and flavors.
MWPAC: So, what is your process for writing songs? I love Oaxaca Love Song No2. How did that song come about?
Hector Flores: Well, you know, I’ve been writing poetry since 8th grade. A lot of the songs we’ve put out are built upon that poetry, like Oaxaca Love Song No2. I was in Oaxaca for the first time and wrote that first line, “En Oaxaca todo brilla Y se come con Tortilla”, Oaxaca shines bright and you can eat it all with a tortilla. It’s the first line that came out and I’m like, “oh, this is a song! I need to write a song for this city and for this culture like an outsider.” There is such a strong Oaxacan culture in California, some people even call it Oaxaca, California!
Songs are always coming up for me and I’m always writing. So, when an idea comes in, a line, a concept – sometimes when I’m driving – I pull to the side of the freeway and write it down or pull out my phone and do a voice memo. The ideas just come to me like a faucet, and I need to capture them immediately. But the development of the songs can take time. Oaxaca Love Song No2 took 5 years to become a song!
I never saw myself as a musician, per se. I’m more of a poet/songwriter. I was an organizer. I was fighting for new schools in East Los Angeles, and that's how I met (Las Cafeteras vocalist) Denise Carlos, doing these protests, and at these marches. And so, as an organizer, my job is to organize, activate, and inspire. I would use poetry and music to get people involved. Not everybody wants to listen to politics, but everybody wants to hear a song.
MWPAC: You sing in five different languages, English, Spanish, Spanglish…and Love and Justice. As you say on your website, everyone understands at least one of those languages, right?
Hector Flores: The dance floor is an ultimate equalizer. On the dance floor, nobody asks how much money you have, no one is asking who you love…on the dance floor everybody’s out there having a good time and we understand that we are one on the dance floor.
MWPAC: It feels like we’re in a very interesting and difficult cultural moment right now, and that makes me wonder, as artists and activists, what are you hoping the audience takes away from this performance?
Hector Flores: You know, it’s when the night is the darkest that the stars shine the brightest. What we need to do is shine bright in the work we do now. To be kinder to each other than we ever have before…to hold on to each other, point to each other, and know that we’re not alone. It’s easy to feel alone in the sky- but when each of us shines bright, then you can see that there are millions of us out here. Together we light up the sky! I feel like if we can sing and dance together, we can build a new world together. We just want folks to come out to dance and celebrate! And if we can share the dance floor, we can do it anywhere. I truly believe that.
Las Cafeteras will perform at the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, May 8th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/LasCafeterasTickets (opens in new tab) or by visiting the Box Office at 211 E DeSmet Avenue, 509-313-2787.