By NOTES FROM VIVACE
I get invited to catch sets by various musicians and bands that are new to me. I do my best to go when invited or ask that I get kept in the loop for any future sets. This is how I came across Mars Rodriguez.
I’m not going to lie, what initially got me intrigued was the name: Mars. Then the fact that the set was at Hotel Cafe, which is one of the venues I like to hit up on occasion. What sold me 100 percent was that I decided to look up her music on YouTube. The first song I came across was “No Estas.”
I was hooked with the rock beats and screaming vocals. As a solo live performer, Mars Rodriguez will hit you like a stick of dynamite, in a good way. One can tell she’s having a great time on stage and so did the audience, which demanded an encore. She obliged with a cover of Kinky’s “A Donde Van Los Muertos.”
With that, I got the opportunity to ask Mars Rodriguez some questions. I hope you enjoy and please do check out her music.
Q. How would you describe your sound?
A. It’s a mix of lots of stuff, noisy, lofi, indie rock, latin, post punk and minimalistic.
Q. What motivates you to write your music?
A: Love, anger, sadness, experiences, life in general. Music is literally my therapy. Through music I’m able to express myself without filter in a powerful way.
Q. You mentioned you’ve been in Los Angeles for a year. Where did you come from prior?
A. I’m from Nicaragua, born in the USA. All my life I’ve lived in Nicaragua, but right now, my home country is going through a dictatorship. I came to the USA without knowing how long I was going to stay. So I moved first to Atlanta and then to LA.
Q. What have you learned about LA in the last year?
A. LA, I love how people are open to listening to new stuff. There is so much diversity. There is art everywhere, there is always something going on. I’m grateful I have met very supportive and awesome people. On the other side, you need to work hard, you better play your game and don’t waste energy on stuff that doesn’t serve you. Keep it real, trust your vision and give 0 fucks.
Final thoughts:
I do my own haircuts and I cut or paint my clothes right before my shows.
Follow Mars Rodriguez on Instagram and Facebook
Mars Rodriguez – No Estas