Edmonton based punk/pop/ rock band Mars And Venus have become huge in Mexico. Indeed their third gig ever a few years ago was in Tijuana.
“Our old guitarist is from Mexico City, so we based the whole tour on him and the people he knows,” said lead singer Carlos (Los Pipes) Calleja.
They make their Lethbridge debut, Aug. 6 at the Tongue N Groove.
A couple months ago they returned from their second tour of Mexico.
“The first tour was mostly clubs with a few outdoor music festivals. This one was mostly outdoor music festivals with a few clubs,” he enthused. He was surprised to see the interest in their music south of the border.
“They love any kind of Canadian music culture. I was surprised they knew about bands like Moneen and even other Edmonton bands,” he said.
“They love rock culture and good sounds.”
Their most recent tour was with a band called Zebra Circus.
“They’re really good friends of ours now. In fact we’re playing a fundraiser for the lead singer who is going blind. He only needs $3,000 but for them it might as well be $3 million.”
They are looking forward to their Lethbridge show.
“We wanted to get a gig there on the way to Mexico, but couldn’t get one,” he said.
“It’s going to be pretty much what we do. It will be high energy, good songs and some surprising covers. We play everything from ‘California Girls’ by the Beach Boys to ‘Shipping Up to Boston’ by the Dropkick Murphys and even Bryan Adams’ ‘Run To You,’” he said.
Mars and Venus play the Tongue n Groove, Aug. 6. at approximately 9 p.m.
