I knew that I wanted to make a cumbia track the moment I joined the album. I’m more commonly known as a surf rock kind of guy, but I knew I wanted to make a song that would convey what I hear during the holidays when I’m with family. In particular, I knew that I wanted to make something that was inspired by Afrosound.

Afrosound was a group that formed in the early 70s whose music has become a staple at Colombian Christmas parties. Tracks like “El Pesebre”, which conveys that Christmas imagery in its music video, are common in playlists during the holidays. As long as I’ve been alive, I’ve been exposed to their music and have grown to enjoy it more and become appreciative of it as I’ve gotten older and have been away from home. If you listen to that track, as well as others of theirs like “La Danza De Los Mirlos”, you can clearly hear that it shares elements with surf rock, such as the amount of twang on the electric guitar and the use of tremolo picking. In a way, I didn’t stray far at all from my surf rock, but rather, a big chunk of my guitar playing influences come from cumbia, whether it is subconscious or on purpose.

These are the big reasons why I went with cumbia—it lets me express both who I am as a musician nowadays as well as pay tribute to my roots. As for the title, “El Paisa Y Su Bicicleta”, I was born in Medellin, which is part of the department of Antioquia in Colombia (think of it like a state) and most of us born there are Paisas. Those who know me know that bicycling is a huge part of my life, both for transportation as well as recreation, and cycling is a huge part of the culture in my home (I’m not the only cycling guitar player in the family after all). This is why, in English, the title would read “The Paisa And His Bicycle”.