EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The local band “Late Night Drive Home” is making its way to success as the young members are part of the list of performers for Coachella this year.
The band started as a duo back in 2019 with singer Andre Portillo and guitarist Juan “Ockz” Vargas. Ockz then recruited his cousin Freddy Baca on the bass, and later came Brian Dolan on the drums, who is a long-time friend of the duo, according to Spotify.
During the pandemic, they started catching momentum and performing at more local shows.
KTSM spoke with the band about their musical journey and here’s what they had to say.
“We went from like, playing shows for five people to 10, 50, 100. Now, it’s kind of like Coachella,” Portillo said.
“It’s just weird because it was like a joke to us at first, thinking like, “Oh yeah if we ever go to Coachella,’ we would always say that and now it’s happening,” Ockz said.
The band explained how they won’t be able to fully process it until they are actually there on stage.
Last summer, the band said they toured all across the country and played one of their biggest shows in Los Angeles for 800 people. And just last week, they came back from Mexico City where they performed there for the first time and the crowds gave them a big welcome, they said.
Additionally, the band recently released their new music video for their song “Stress Release,” and they are also releasing a new extended play (EP) on Feb. 16.
“If you are a young musician and you are watching right now, and you are just getting started I’d say to just do it. Start on your craft, start working on it as soon as possible. Try not to get discouraged or compare your sound to other people because I know that’s something that a lot of artists do. At the end of the day, it’s like your art is your own perception of reality,” Portillo said.
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will be from April 12-21.
For more information about the band you can go to their website or Instagram page.
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