Venus Calling: Musician Jandre Nadal speaks to LaAcera.com

Message to Venus (Top to bottom: Jandre, John, Juanma & Edgar) Photo by Nina

Jandre Nadal, guitarist/vocalist for Slimy Nuggetz, has been active within the local rock scene since 1999. His band released two full length albums, including the acclaimed Equilibrium in 2005. Since 2007, Slimy Nuggetz have been on indefinite hiatus following the departure of their guitarist Ramiro, whom they consider to be an indispensable part of the group.

For two years now, Jandre has been hard at work with his new project Message to Venus, a band that also consists of former members of De'fekt. A debut album is expected from them in the near future.

I spoke to Jandre at Slimy Nuggetz' reunion show in Taller CE on January 7th.

So it's been about 3 years since Slimy Nuggetz played their last gig here in the metropolitan area. Why has it taken so long?

Well, the deal is Ramiro (guitar) left to Europe to study in Amsterdam. I know everyone laughs... He's finishing his Master's in Political Science.

When was this?

This happened about 2 and a half years ago. So Ramiro is the reason why there has been a pause, and we feel like he's half of the band, he has half of the energy and with him leaving I felt like he took half of it with him. That's the reason why we haven't played. We just feel like it's not the same and we don't feel like it's right.

I understand you're playing with Message to Venus. I know initially it was like a Jandre solo project and now you've got the guys from De'fekt. What's going on with that?

It wasn't so much a solo project, it's just a concept I had in my mind and I wanted to be able to get musicians that were on the same page as me musically, and that's basically what I was looking for. I went through a few musicians, good friends of mine... It just kept changing pages and I was about to give up on the project because it just wasn't working. I just couldn't seem to keep musicians on my side, everybody kept doing whatever they were doing. So, the guys from De'fekt had... I'd say about eighty percent, ninety percent of the record done without vocals. Leo Alvarez (producer) called me and said that their vocalist had split and then they offered me the opportunity to record a few songs to see how the chemistry worked. I listened to the shit, it took me a few months to get into that vibe. We got into it. It's been a lot of work and we're still working on it. It's been almost a year right now, but we're working on it and it's been doing really, really well.

So whenever Message to Venus comes out, it's going to be a band thing, not Jandre solo?

No, nothing like that. This is a band. It was never a solo project. I mean, there was a rumor that it was, but that wasn't the direction I was gonna take.

So you're not playing guitar?

I am playing guitar on a few songs. I'm more focused on vocals because those are shoes that are really hard to fill up. I think that it takes a lot of work and effort and practice in order to be able to handle both equally.

Coming back to Slimy Nuggetz: Why now?

It's simple, man. Ramiro just showed up and we called a few friends and said hook us up with a couple of shows, I don't give a shit if it's in the parking lot of El Ocho de Blanco. I don't give a shit.

So you guys aren't really looking forward to recording any new music?

I wouldn't say that's not happening. We have done four new songs, though. But that's been me, Squeef, Evan and Gabi; just us four. We had a DJ doing a couple of gigs with us, DJ Wiwi from Aguadilla, but without Ramiro here we don't feel 100 percent. So, we're doing a few songs, let's see how it works and we'll take it from there. Let's see what happens. Honestly, I'm concentrating all my energy on Message to Venus. The record is 95 percent done and it's so close to being finished... that's what I want to concentrate on. If I ever get a chance with Slimy to do a couple of gigs, I'll keep doing them but my energy and effort right now is being focused on something else.

So are you going to be playing guitar live with Message to Venus?

I'm gonna have a guitar on me up there every chance I get. But the vocalist's shoes is something I really need to work on and I am trying my best on that, man.

Are you finding it harder? Because as far as Slimy Nuggetz is concerned you're like one third of the vocals, and now you're 100 percent – you're the vocalist.

Yeah, it's harder. It's been a mission, it's been frustrating and I've wanted to quit a few times. To be honest with you, I've just said 'Fuck this, I just want to play guitar' y'know? But opportunities are here and I've got some pretty good vocal ideas that I'd like to work on. The work on the record has been sounding pretty good. I'm a huge critic on myself but these guys have been giving me a lot of support.

Click here to visit MessageToVenus.com

With a little help from Bobby: A Reflection

I've been having a hard time lately coming up with subjects to develop in this space. I'm sure that if I read the newspapers with more frequency I could certainly come across an idea to Iook into and eventually shape into a column. The only problem is I don't read newspapers anymore. Unless I'm actively seeking a particular piece of news or I can't find my book on the way to the toilet, I don't look into the newspapers. I'm up to date on what's going on in the world because of online news sites, but I tend to stray away from local news. Why? Simple: It's very depressing.

This new year began less than two weeks ago and already vicious murders have been committed and more people have been fired from their jobs. People losing their livelihoods, while others are losing their lives... Doesn't particularly sound too peachy keen, does it? News of this nature is somewhat inescapable despite my insistence to avoid it. I like to be informed, but taking into consideration what's been happening lately, I'd rather invest my time elsewhere... like trying to figure out how to properly use Google Wave.

Does turning a blind eye to these atrocities make life easier? Last night, I was trying to watch a movie around 1 am. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate on the film, I could not divert my attention from the sounds of ambulances and police sirens that I heard about a mile away. Reportedly six people, all 18 or younger, were wounded in a shooting that took place in a bar I've gone to occasionally to see bands and have a drink. That's not an easy thought to take to bed with you on a Saturday night. The saddest part is that where I live incidents like these are exceptions, whereas in other places they are the norm. I have to pause and think about that for a moment, knowing and acknowledging the fact that however bad things may have seemed to me last night, there are people in Puerto Rico who have it much worse on a near daily basis. And to that I cannot turn a blind eye.

"But we can perhaps remember -- even if only for a time -- that those who live with us are our brothers; that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek -- as we do -- nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can."

-Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (Day of Affirmation speech - South Africa, 1966)

Photo by Andy Warhol