Members of the El Monte-based indie rock group The Red Pears are reflecting on their upbringing and the passions that drove them to their music career as they prepare to play at the Kia Forum. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for the NBC4 News at 4:30 p.m.
For The Red Pears, the road to success has always led back home.
In their case, home is the San Gabriel Valley, specifically El Monte — and they’re thrilled to bring a piece of home with them when they perform at the Kia Forum in Inglewood for the first time this weekend.
“It's crazy. I feel like it's going to hit once we're there, you know, once we're like being called to go play,” said drummer Jose Corona. “I think it's nice to show that to your peers, your community, your family. This is what we're doing. This is where we're at.”
Corona co-founded the band The Red Pears back in 2014 with frontman and guitarist Henry Vargas. Later, bassist and guitarist Patrick Juarez joined the band to form a trio with a growing fanbase.
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“I think it just kind of throws it back to the backyard shows. I feel like it's a very historic thing happening -- a lot of Latino bands coming up in that scene and playing The Forum is like a big deal,” Vargas said. “I don't think I've seen any other event like that happening, so it’s just crazy. Just want to say I'm very grateful for the opportunity.”
It’s an opportunity that comes after spending years touring and recording, creating a unique sound that blends multiple rock genres, such as indie, garage and surf.
“I don't think we force anything. I don't think we try to be anything,” Corona said. “I think we just create and subconsciously, you grab from all these things, all these eras, all these different genres.”
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The band has made a name for itself for its electric shows, full of fans ready to dance, scream and crowd surf, allowing the band members to feed off the energy and sometimes join them.
“You should go to our show if you’ve never been to one of our shows because the energy is unmatched,” Juarez said. “Our fans, our crowd gets pretty wild.”
They’ve played everywhere from Coachella to big venues around the country. However, there’s something special about playing a historic venue like The Forum, bringing a piece of El Monte’s rich music history to one of LA county’s biggest stages.
“For me, it's been crazy because for me, it's a little different since I started off as a fan,” Juarez said. “I would go to all your back backyard shows and everything, and I don't think I expected to join the band so it's just crazy all these years, like seeing the progression of the band and being part of that progression.”
Part of that progression has been acknowledging their Latino heritage, something band members say didn’t think about as much in the beginning.
“We didn't really take note of our skin color when we were making the music, until later, we find there's not a lot of Latino bands playing the type of music that we play,” Vargas said. “So, that was something that I think now we kind of appreciate more because there's a lot of people that want to create that type of sound too, but maybe feel like they can.”
The band is opening for Chicano Batman on Saturday while starting yet another tour in the near future.
But no matter how far they go, they remain grounded by staying grateful to those supporting them back home.
“Just thank you to El Monte and everybody in San Gabriel Valley,” Corona said. “Our parents, especially our families, you know, thank you to as many as possible. Without those experiences and without those people in our lives, you know, we're doing our best to make you all proud.”
