Listening to Money Chicha feels a bit like taking a hit of acid, downing a couple shots of Tequila, and hopping a plane to 1960s Peru. If that particular combination of drugs and time travel sounds even a little interesting, you owe it to yourself to spend some time with this unique Austin band. Nominally a mildly alcoholic beverage popular with workers across South America, Chicha became synonymous with a distinctive genre of music that mixes the distorted guitar sounds of American psychedelic rock with traditional Colombian cumbia. Now combine that heady brew with a little South Texas swagger and some bruising Latin funk and you’ll get a feel for Money Chicha’s music. Sounds pretty crazy, right? That’s because it is. It’s the kind of music that rewires your brain, awakens your spirit animal, and takes you places you’ve never been.
The band stopped by Studio 1A shortly after returning from a successful European tour and gave us a taste of Austin’s finest Chicha music. Scroll down for video and audio of Money Chicha’s recent performance at KUTX.
