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Band Profile: The Brand

By Jacob Nelson

Inside their studio, bassist and backup singer Leo Valencia calls countless venues in north Florida to replace a show on their tour that was just cancelled. Singer and guitarist Omar Garcia and drummer Juan Oña ready one of their three computers to edit their music video. They’re going to work late tonight so they can have the video done for the premiere in two days. In less than a week they’ll be touring again.       Garcia, Oña and Valencia make up this Hialeah-based indie-pop punk group called The Brand. And this is how they make their living.       "We function as a label," Garcia said.

L to R: Leo Valencia (vocals, bass), Omar Garcia (vocals & guitar) & Juan Oña (drums)

      The Brand began two years ago with Oña, Garcia on bass and Jorge Gonzalez on guitar and backing vocals. After six months they had recorded an EP and were booking their first tour. Eventually, Gonzalez left and their line-up changed. Garcia switched to guitar, Valencia joined, and they added synthesizer player Bianca Pupo, who left the band in mid-March of this year.

      In December of 2004 they recorded, mixed, mastered and released their debut full-length album, Grenadine, which Oña considers "a year of our lives summed up in 33 and a half minutes."

      The band broke into Miami’s scene with a Valentine’s Day show at Revolver in 2003. They brought in a larger-than-usual crowd by stamping their logo onto Valentine’s Day heart candies and handing them out in zip lock bags with show information inside.

      "We had 200 people at Revolver before their night was even kicking," Oña said.

      More recently, The Brand played the iconic punk-rock venue CBGB in New York.

      "We walked into a full house and it was the best show we ever played," Valencia said of the experience.

      The Brand also appeared in a Burdine’s/Macy’s commercial and their first video, for "Xmas Day," has appeared on Mun2 television in heavy rotation.

      But don’t let this seeming success fool you. The Brand is a full time job-- and it doesn’t pay well. Its members are completely and utterly broke.

      "None of us have any money," Garcia said, "We just attempt to survive."

      Oña wrecked his credit with loans he took out to pay for equipment, and all members of the band live with their parents.

      "Any art is a sacrifice," Oña said. "I’m all in."

      However, The Brand manages to continue touring and recording thanks to local shows, including Plaid Friday, a multistage concert at Churchill’s Pub they organize. They find other local bands and offer them an opportunity to play, and in return get the money the pub brings in for the entertainment.

      "Plaid is the way we raise funds," Garcia said.

      In December the band intends to begin recording their next album in an isolated cabin in Ecuador, but before then, the plan is to continue touring. They might play at this year’s Warped Tour.

      "We feel like that’s a new horizon we need to explore," Valencia explained, "We’re just trying to find the next bridge to cross."