Vida Vella – Panorama - New LP

releases March 21, 2025

Letra y música compuesta por Luis Gabriel Illades
ILADES MUSIC (BMI)
Arreglos orquestales por Reuben Butchart
Álbum producido por Luis Gabriel Illades y Reuben Butchart
Grabado y mezclado en Testa Estudio (León, Guanajuato)
Audio Ingenieros: Luis Sobera y Victor “KB” Velázquez
Grabación de vocales adicionales en Stereo Image (Brooklyn, NY)
Audio Ingeniero: Reuben Butchart
Diseño:Jeanete (Juana) Ciénega
Fotografía en la Portada: Mafe Cano


Covers:
“When I See His Face” Letra y música compuesta por Freda Love Smith
FRED LOVE (ASCAP)
“Cuando Vea Su Cara” Letra y música compuesta por Freda Love Smith y traducida por Luis Gabriel Illades
FREDA LOVE (ASCAP) y ILLADES MUSIC (BMI)

PERSONAJES:
Luis Gabriel Illades...Voz
Victor Krummenacher...Bajo
Luis Andrés Tovar Gomez...Violin
Doug Hilsinger...Guitarras
Davíd Rizo Gonzalez...Violoncelo
Patrick Main...Órgano, Teclados, Melódica, Silbido
Luis Gabriel Illades...Batería, Teclados
Carles Moya...Tuba
Atanasio Padilla Gutierrez...Trompeta
Luisber del Río...Saxofón
Reuben Butchart...Voz en Coros, Teclados, Silbido
Julieta Balcón...Voz en Coros, Silbido

Music and Lyrics by Luis Gabriel Illades
Orchestral Arrangements by Reuben Butchart
Album produced by Reuben Butchart and Luis Gabriel Illades
Recorded and mixed at Testa Estudio (León, Guanajuato)
Audio Engineers: Luis Sobera and Victor “KB” Velázquez
Additional vocal recording at Stereo Image (Brooklyn, NY)
Audio Engineer: Reuben Butchart
Album Design:Juanita Cienega
Cover Photograph: Mafe Cano


COVERS:
“When I See His Face” Music and Lyrics by Freda Love Smith
“Cuando Vea Su Cara” Music by Freda Love Smith and Lyric translation by Luis Gabriel Illades



CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Luis Gabriel Illades...Vocals
Victor Krummenacher...Bass
Luis Andrés Tovar Gomez...Violin
Doug Hilsinger...Guitars
Davíd Rizo Gonzalez...Cello
Patrick Main...Organ, Keyboards, Pianos, Melodica, Whistles
Luis Gabriel Illades...Drums, Keyboards
Carles Moya...Tuba
Atanasio Padilla Gutierrez...Trumpet
Luisber del Rio...Saxophone
Reuben Butchart...Backing vocals, keyboards, whistles
Juliet Balcony...Backing vocals, whistles

How does it feel to step out from behind the drum kit and take on the notoriously difficult role of “songwriter”? As a performer, is there added pressure when going solo, and if so, what do you do to mitigate it?

Luis Gabriel Illades: Well, it took many years to find the space to play in another musical role. I do love writing, but I had always thought the ability to construct a melody, framework, and communicate a sonic vision was beyond me, since I mainly built song ideas through rhythm. Somehow, writing a proper song felt beyond me. I had bits and pieces or ideas and started forming them into songs by playing the piano rhythmically, without worrying about the melodic arc upfront. Once I allowed myself to be in that position, everything just started flowing, and I felt braver in clumsily letting ideas develop. I even forgave myself for not being a virtuoso. Funny enough, that was when I found myself able to write things that were beyond my ability and increase my playing ability to match the idea. I don’t feel pressure at this point because I am trying not to have expectations. Historically, expectations have been where disappointment is born for me. While I have goals, those come from me and things I look forward to doing. Expectations, on the other hand, come from imagining outcomes beyond my actions. I always want to be careful about that.

Vida Vella is unlike anything you’ve done with Pansy Division and Avengers. How much of your debut album is shaped by where you’ve been, and how much of it feels like a completely fresh start?

The approach that anyone can write a song and that you have ideas that can be shared by a musical project comes from my years of playing in punk bands. Some of these songs were written as punk blasts and slowed down to allow for breath, swagger, or additional instrumentation. If a song has a decent framework at its base, it can work at 180 bpm or 80 bpm. I found that slowing things down allowed for a mood with more creative expression at this point, but always with some sort of message that is both vulnerable and empowering or encouraging, which is what I took from the songwriters of the bands I have played with. Something that hopes to include the listener and encourage them.

 

‘Panorama’ blends several elements of psych, Americana, and traditional world music into a unified sound. Were there any specific albums that influenced this direction?

The magic of creating this sound was bringing in players from different backgrounds. Inviting a group of Amer-Indie stalwarts and Mexican folkloric and orchestral musicians really made the record. Part of the process was my writing and setting forth the demos, then standing back and letting the individuals add their signature approaches. Co-producer Reuben Butchart really shone in his role of orchestration, encouragement, and guidance, while joining me in letting the players be who they are and acknowledging that everyone was invited for a reason and given trust to shine. We only rehearsed twice and then went directly into the studio to record.

What made you decide to record some songs in both English and Spanish on this album, and not have some tracks that were exclusively in one language?

This album is a representation of my experience growing up in a bicultural environment. I am Mexican, but I grew up on the border. It is referred to as “cultura fronteriza.” It takes pieces from both languages and is in a constant state of extracting resources from both sides of the border and perpetually translating. This was important to keep. Interestingly, I felt like I sang and engaged differently in each language. The language evokes a different sense of self. Spanish words tend to end in vowels and evoke a more romantic and reaching effect, while English is more consonant-heavy, which feels more precise but also more guarded.

‘Panorama’ boasts an extremely well-stacked cast of players from some highly regarded bands like Camper Van Beethoven, Anohni and the Johnsons, and the State Band of Guanajuato. Can you share any further details about how they got involved with the project and what the album-making process was like?

These are some of my favorite people that I have played with over the years. People I both admire, care for, and have shared emotional experiences with. If you stick around long enough and say yes to enough things, you end up sharing stages with many people from many backgrounds. This was the most accidentally queer cast of characters. I think that whether intended or not, you are always bonding over lived, cultural, and musical identification with others. We keep tabs on our family within the music scene and seek to return to the people who have made us feel seen and upheld. These are those folks! Additionally, they are the most talented people I know, and the fact that they agreed to participate was my sincere good fortune.