The music of Los Hot Boxers sounds like it was written in one of those old Portuguese neighborhoods near downtown San Jose; a place where Latinos from every corner of the Americas now convene and enjoy their mutual company and influence. In fact, it was.
Los Hot Boxers founder and lead man Christian Vela pays his respect to Caribbean, Latin American and African music by incorporating their distinctive elements into his songs. He does this with a style and grace that few musicians can accomplish.
The band name is a tribute to Vela’s upbringing. His father was an avid fan of pugilistic endeavors. Back in the day, it was common practice for fans to videotape and share bouts. One life-changing video exchange brought a documentary of Salvador Sanchez, arguably the greatest featherweight fighters of all time. Sanchez’s rise to glory, coupled with his premature and gruesome death, instilled a thirst for life in Vela. That thirst and a boxer’s dedication to performance and refinement has driven Vela ever since.
The affinity for such a wide scope of musical influence came early for Vela. His childhood was spent in a two-story, four-plex apartment building. His family’s door faced the domicile of an elderly woman who had a love for Tex-Mex tunes. His upstairs neighbors were a Nicaraguan family and an Ethiopian family, and the sounds of Africa and South America and Central America were always present during his youth.
“All of that has a common denominator; all of it has African undertones,” Vela says.
When asked his take on the sounds that influence him, Vela reveals one of his favorites, Los Zafiros, a Cuban group that combines doo-wop harmonies with calypso rhythms.
Los Hot Boxers has a cast of multiple, rotating musicians. The band is usually a trio during live performances, quite a departure from Vela’s last band Firme, which had nine regular members. The three-piece design allows for simpler structure and enough open space to keep the dynamics interesting. At times, Los Hot Boxers is Vela alone, with only his guitar and voice.
In addition to regular gigs around the Bay Area, the band spent two months in Europe, playing regular venues, cafes, street corners and houses. Vela summarizes his accommodations during that time as, “hotels, hostels and couches.”
.Local Look: Los Hot Boxers
