El Personal, a Guadalajara reggae band that is described as “very melodic” and that boasts name recognition dating back to the 1970s, is slated to perform Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4, at the small but well established El Rojo Cafe in Guadalajara’s Colonia Americana.
Although El Personal is not well known among Guadalajara’s younger set, the group has appeared recently to crowds as large as 70,000 (at the music festival Vive Latino). And their first record, “No me Hallo” [I didn’t find myself] is now in its 26th edition and was listed by Rolling Stone magazine among the ten “must have” recordings for Latin rock.
So the show at El Rojo Cafe — capacity only 70 — is an event devoted fans will doubtless take advantage of. (El Rojo Cafe is in a converted house on a quiet street, offering a bar, menu — coffee, salads, baguettes, desserts, etc. — and table service during the concert.)“It’s a trick — we want the place to be packed!” joked Andrés Haro, who was raised in Guadalajara and is a business owner, apart from being El Personal’s founder. “Seriously, I like to play there because [owner] Alfredo Saras is very kind to us.
“Last time, in March, when we sold out, we played acoustic, but this time we’re going to be electric. We’ve always been electric. So it will be loud,” he warned.
Haro exudes conviviality, but the band’s early history was marked with sadness — three of the founding members died soon after the group began.
“They were among the first people here in Guadalajara to die of AIDS,” Haro recalled, “25 or 26 years ago.” Of the founders, Haro is the only one left.
“El Personal is a mythical group in Guadalajara,” explained El Rojo Cafe’s Saras. “Most of the founders didn’t survive long, but they’ve had a big impact in the state and the country. Nobody can really explain the high degree of acceptance they have found.
“They started out with rebellious themes, such as gays, and they used bad words. So they were very accepted by people looking for something different.
“Now they are accepted by kids and adults. And they have a very melodic sound.”
“Lots of bands are just noise, but we are very musical,” Haro agreed. “We were the first reggae group to sing in Spanish. Now, we’re a reference group — other groups play our songs. And some of our songs are emblematic of Guadalajara.”
Among these are “La Tapatía,” which has been called a local anthem. In their last CD, El Personal even recorded a song named “La Torta Ahogada” after Guadalajara’s emblematic sandwich. Another of the group’s oft-mentioned songs is “En Guadalajara Fue.”
But, although the songs may be iconic, they are not so easily interpreted. The record “No me Hallo” refers to an occasion when the composer tried to vote, but couldn’t find his name on the list of registered voters.
“But there’s a double meaning,” said Saras, “A funny, existential meaning, just like in English.”
El Personal at El Rojo Cafe Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4, 9 p.m. José Guadalupe Zuno 2027, 1/2 block west of Chapultepec. Cost for concert: 150 pesos. Tickets available in advance at El Rojo Cafe or www.rojocafe.com. Open daily from 10 a.m. (for coffee and baguettes) until midnight or 1 a.m. Full bar/restaurant service begins at 5 p.m. daily.