Topline: \u200aJoey Qui\u00f1ones grew up in East L.A., surrounded by cumbia, punk and oldies soul within two blocks of each other. That mix shaped the sound he’s built with his band, Thee Sinseers, and on his own. This year, he\u2019s out with two very different albums \u2014 the band\u2019s \u201cLove Stories\u201d and his solo album, \u201cInna Soul Steady Situation.\u201d He brought it all home over the weekend with shows at the Wiltern and Pacific Electric.<\/p>\n
Why it matters: Qui\u00f1ones says the sounds of East L.A. are baked into his music. \u201cYou wake up in the morning, and your mom would be cleaning to cumbia, and you\u2019d hear it blasting from the other yards,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019d hear the local neighborhood band practicing their punk rock songs. Then you get to the street, and you hear all the oldies with the lowriders on Whittier Boulevard. It\u2019s everywhere. We can\u2019t sit down and not write a song that doesn\u2019t incorporate stuff like that, whether it be the singing or the horn section or the guitar playing**. It\u2019s** always gonna be subliminally in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Making the band: Qui\u00f1ones says Thee Sinseers came together almost by accident, when he accepted a dare to sing. But he knew the band had potential once the gigs started paying. \u201cWhen you don\u2019t owe money, then you\u2019re doing something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Joey Qui\u00f1ones grew up in East Los Angeles, , where cumbia, punk and oldies soul could all be heard within two blocks. That mix shaped the sound he’s built with his band, Thee Sinseers<\/a>, and on his own. This year, he’s out with two very different albums \u2014 the band’s Love Stories<\/a> and his solo album, Inna Soul Steady Situation<\/a>. And most recently, he brought it all back with hometown shows at The Wiltern this past Saturday and Pacific Electric on Sunday. <\/p>\n Qui\u00f1ones says the sounds of East L.A. are baked into his music.<\/p>\n “You wake up in the morning, and your mom would be cleaning to cumbia, and you’d hear it blasting from the other yards,” Qui\u00f1ones says. “You’d hear the local neighborhood band practicing their punk rock songs. Then you get to the street, and you hear all the oldies with the lowriders on Whittier Boulevard. It’s everywhere. We can’t sit down and not write a song that doesn’t incorporate stuff like that, whether it be the singing or the horn section or the guitar playing. It’s always gonna be subliminally in there.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Qui\u00f1ones says \u200aThee Sinseers came together almost by accident, when he accepted a dare to sing. But he knew the band had potential when they started getting paid.<\/p>\n “When we made $100. There was a time when that’s really what it was,” Qui\u00f1ones says. “The community of musicians that we have has always supported each other in anything. So to be able to kind of do something where we were able to support our families and support each other was the key thing to really take it seriously. When you don’t owe money, then you’re doing something.\u201d<\/p>\n