I have always been puzzled by the thought of “stage fright”: isn’t the very idea of a stage one that offers a platform of relative anonymity? I say “relative” because performers do not necessarily wear a mask or disguise, or remain nameless to their public, but anonymous because the very structure of their quarters rises over an already faceless crowd and renders these stage dwellers an inevitable gaze above potential judgment that should make them unafraid.
Having recently had the opportunity to meet a band that seems to have conquered the fear that confuses me, a band that projects anything but intimidation and rather thrives on fearlessness and spontaneity, I may have come up with the simplest of answers… “Substance”. RadioBoxer is more than a group of talented musicians; it is a group of artists that has chosen the medium to entertain their growing public through crazy live performances that are everything but ordinary.
The members of this Miami-based rock band, Vanne, J, Gian, Santos, Tekilla 23, and Esteban, all hail from different countries in Latin America. However, after meeting them it seems pointless to mention these, “I am Colombian, definitely. And we were all born in different countries, but Miami is our home and this is our city!” says J, guitarist and elected bandleader. Their relationship with Miami seems a continuous love affair that has resulted in an indisputable devotion to claiming the stages of local dives like Bardot and Buck15.
Wonderfully disturbed as this band may be perceived, often including elements like fake blood in their performances, meeting with them in fifty-degree weather on a high-rise balcony overlooking their city, I find myself in the company of “people” as we wonder into different subjects like selling-out, tampon commercials, Shakira, and Wal-Mart.
Feeling in the presence of untapped resources, talents still undiscovered by mainstream media, Hollywood, and MTV, I was compelled to ask RadioBoxer whether their goal was in fact to “make-it-big”, or if they had already reached their dream being a unique rock band with a cult following. After a few laughs and six-figure scenarios, the band agrees that they are glad they are active in an industry where it is so difficult to be heard; “Art is very selective. It has to be,” says J, “and of course there are more bands that don’t make it than those that do.” Although they know radio and television would put their music out there, keyboardist Gian explains that it should be noted that putting their music out there has the sole purpose of entertaining, that they do not have any particular “message for the masses”, emphasizing that even when their lead singer Vanne takes off her shirt or pours beer over her head on stage, it is not with any other purpose than to be in the moment and entertain… “We put on a show!” he says. For more information on the band, find them on facebook.com/RadioBoxer.
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