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FFF6 Artists Exposed: Puerto Rico's hook-heavy Davila 666

The comparison of Puerto Rico's Davila 666 to The Ramones has been over-used to such an extent that I really didn't want to mention it, but there I just went. Yes, they're a group of young, fearless partiers who all (save for one) have adopted the Davila surname in a unified front of music and mayhem.

But let's talk about a major differentiation. It's pretty rare that a band that sings in another language can cross over so seamlessly (Minus pretty much everyone that comes out of the Nordic hype-machine of Scandinavia. How many pretty little blondes can we take? A lot, apparently.), but Davila 666's hook-driven, 60s-doo-wop-garage-rock melodies do the language-transcending trick.

Their latest album title, Tan Bajo, translates literally to So Low, and more accurately, Lowlife. But don't take that the wrong way; it's upbeat, catchy music. As Carlito Davila once clarified, "It’s music to make sad lowlifes happy."

Pretty Puerto-Rican surfer girls are featured in more than one video, and most prominently in “Tu.” At first you'll roll your eyes, wondering how the guys could have agreed with a director’s vision to play out a sweet picnic in the park, but you’ll eat your words a minute into the video when the music marinated in summer sensuality turns towards a shadow-drenched girl-on-girl love scene. Suddenly, you’ve watched the whole thing. Twice.

To better prove they’ve still got the rock ‘n roll edge they emerged with in 2008 are the ever popular "Basura" and the newly-released "Mala." The former relies heavily on throaty screams, while the latter comes and goes with whiplash speed and force, clocking in at one-minute forty-four seconds.

If forced to give Davila 666 any sort of criticism, it would be that the music can blur together after several songs—not dissimilar to a night of alcohol-fueled partying, a comparison that likely gets the band off the hook of homogeny where record reviews are concerned.

As for who to expect to see in the crowd for Davila's set, envision a gathering of former Black Lips fans who've grown bored with the party boys of yesteryear. Or, maybe, former Black Lips fans' little brothers.

Regardless, American support for Davila 666 has spread like a relentless punk-rock rash, and there'll be a large crowd before FFF6's Black Stage early Sunday afternoon. As AJ Davila told the L.A. Times in September, “It’s crazy because we have a lot more love in the United States than we do in Puerto Rico, even in any town in South America. It has become our land, our place.”

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KOOP DAY

Weird, longtime Austin radio station gets city proclamation for KOOP Day

KOOP Radio/koop.org

KOOP Radio is seldom concerned with the commercially viable choice of the moment.

In 2024, people from other cities look on with suspicion when Austinites claim to listen to FM radio. We're lucky that our local airwaves offer us something our streaming accounts cannot, and one independent radio station that really breaks the mold is getting its flowers: September 17, 2024, is now KOOP Day.

The news comes from the City of Austin itself, following an official proclamation. This year is also the 30th anniversary of KOOP (pronounced co-op) 91.7, a volunteer-run, non-commercial station that plays music and other cultural programming.

It'll celebrate that "birthday" February 1, 2025 at Antone’s Nightclub with live acts, a silent auction, and more. Throughout the 2024-2025 season, folks tuning in look forward to special broadcasts with interviews and archival content, plus some community engagement initiatives including an annual membership drive.

KOOP Radio officially started after 11 years of planning and bureaucratic battles, as detailed by the Austin-American Statesman, with the first words on air in 1994 being spoken by the station's (later ousted) founder, Jim Ellinger, quoting cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

The station has seen plenty of turmoil over the years, but has become a haven for many of Austin's weird ideas — plus less weird ones people just don't come into contact with otherwise. Marginalized voices and social justice are constant drivers of KOOP's programming, which has earned it 30 awards in the Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin awards, including "Most Radio-Unfriendly Radio" (2013), "Best Sound of Cinema" (2018), and even "Biggest Waste Of A Radio Frequency" (1992).

On this station, Austinites hear instruments from cultures around the world; experimental sound art; ambient tunes; playful and challenging interviews; and thoughtful educational programming day-to-day, or on history-heavy holidays like Juneteenth and the Fourth of July. It also gets community members together by hosting and attending events around town.

Here's an excerpted selection of regular programming for a Tuesday (when this KOOP Day falls) on the station:

9-11 am: Under the X in Texas, a review of influential musicians in Texas' history, especially where underexposed.
11 am to noon: The Dark End of the Street, a celebration of Black music from the 60s and early 70s.
1-2 pm: Austin Artists Show, an interview series with local creatives of all stripes.
3-4:30 pm: Mood Ring, a "queer utopia" designed to pump up the living room.
4:30-6 pm: Le Chateau Daddy-O, a psychedelic jaunt for "sensitive listeners and the really up-tight."
6-7 pm: HeartbeatZ Indigenous Hour, a Native American show that's mostly music, with some educational segments.
9 pm and overnight: Local music online.

"Celebrating 30 years of KOOP Radio is a celebration of Austin's diversity, culture, and commitment to community," said the station's general manager, Federico Pacheco, in a news release. "We are deeply honored that the City of Austin has declared September 17, 2024, as KOOP Day. This recognition reflects the hard work, passion, and dedication of everyone who has contributed to KOOP's success over the past three decades."

More information about KOOP Radio is available at koop.org.

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