RECOMMENDED
Formed by creepster cousins Erik Garcia and Oscar Mayorga in Mexico City at the peak of the harsh electronica rise in the oh-so-delightfully abysmal nineties, Hocico (pronounced O-see-ko) has endured and evolved where many other bands of its particular penchant for visceral and ethereal industrial and EBM have faded.
The diabolical duo are better known in the Mexican underground goth scene as Erk Aicrag and Racso Agroyam (anagrams of their real names), and have been making electronic music since they were fifteen years old. It definitely shows. Their raw and unfettered aggrotech sound hones in on the brutality and alienation of our world. Aicrrag’s criticality and dual Spanish-English lyrics exhibit his affinities for heavy philosophical and literary inquiry. I think I’ve even caught interviews with Erk in German, but don’t quote me on that one. Where existentialism and gender violence, politics and rage meet in Erk’s lyrics will definitely be left up to the diehard fans to discern; but either way this night promises to be a full-on stomper. (Jose Luis Benavides)
April 22 at Beat Kitchen, 2100 West Belmont, beatkitchen.com, 8:30pm, $33-$37. 17+.
Robert Rodi is an author, spoken-word performer and musician who has served as Newcity’s Music Editor since 2014. He’s written more than a dozen books, including the travel memoir “Seven Seasons In Siena,” and his literary and music criticism has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Salon, The Huffington Post and many other national and regional publications.
Contact: robert@newcity.com
