Los Abandoned - Biography
Los Abandoned were a vibrant encapsulation of 21st century Los Angeles, and an abruptly optimistic beacon for like-minded, hook-slathered pop. The four members drew on Latino culture and influences, singing in a carefree splattering of Spanish, English, and Spanglish, but if they had a fondness for nostalgia, it stopped far short of the typically hoary commercial wallows of Norteno-influence, chart-topping Tejano. Los Abandoned pined for the post-pubescent chaos of their high-school hallways, for the unrequited crushes of their teens, and for the energetic bounce of 60s bubblegum pop, early-80s New Wave, and 90s retro punk. They simply incorporated aspects of Latino culture with effortless, pragmatic, naturalistic aplomb — and they did the same with the other frond-draped tropes of Tinseltown culture that informed their work. They slung it all into their C-60, mix-tape aesthetic: assertive, teen snottiness and trouser-tight braggadocio; Paul Simenon-style, spread-legged posturing; nasal, Casio-driven pertness; and crunchy, syncopated riffage, executed with terse, no-frills professionalism. Let other bands wrestle with the ills of the world; Los Abandoned were content to snark about romantic entanglements, offer tongue-in-check anthems to the dreary confines of the San Fernando Valley, and channel a vaguely pan-cultural mash-up of Dale Bozio and Missing Persons, with a dollop of ukulele and a few picante squirts of Kim Wilde for extra zest. Los Abandoned enjoyed a brief stay on the scene and compiled a nominal discography, but they nailed the ultimate criterion of LA success: they sounded great blasting from a car stereo while rolling down Ventura Boulevard.
The group formed in 2001. Lady P, a.k.a. Chilean-American Pilar Diaz, was the driving force; she sang lead vocals, played rhythm guitar, ukulele, and keyboards, as well as writing the songs with lead guitarist Don Verde. They soon added the rhythm section of Vira Lata on bass guitar and Dulce on drums and percussion. They knocked out an excellent demo, with a charmingly lackadaisical title. Combined with word-of-mouth from their live gigs, the self-released EP Demotape (2002) got the band some music-industry attention. They followed it with Self-titled EP (2004), which caught the ear of Neil Young, who signed the band to his Vapor label. The first and only full-length release by Los Abandoned is a concise affair, combining the best of the EP material with several outstanding new tracks. Mix Tape (2006 Vapor) is a rollicking collection that spurts along, too breathlessly enthused about the next song to dawdle in the present. The big-time connections paid dividends, and Los Abandoned were soon sharing stages with A-list indie-rock royalty like the Breeders and saguaro-shade dwellers, Calexico; the Neil Young bona fides got them a slot on the annual Bridge School Benefit, where they appeared on a bill with Ben Harper, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sir Paul McCartney.
It seemed like Los Abandoned were on the inside track for alt-rock stardom, appearing on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and earning all sorts of critical gush from the usually complacent bloviators at the New York Times. But in 2007, Los Abandoned announced on their MySpace page that they were immediately breaking up. Their final show took place two days later, on October 7, at TarFest, a music and arts festival held at Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits. The underground press was distraught, but maybe within the critical reaction, there is a glimpse at the reason Los Abandoned called it a day. They were hailed as “The Great Brown Hope,” and had high expectations placed on their shoulders. But a brief, exhilarating spin of Mix Tape reveals a band that had immense amounts of fun in brilliant, staccato bursts. Their patron Neil Young would understand: Sometimes it is better to burn out than fade away.
