The World According to Maná

Mexico's Latin Rock Ambassador

By Erik Philbrook

There are many rock bands that achieve international success. However, there are but a few bands able to achieve worldwide acclaim while at the same time embodying the unique character of their country of origin. Some bands become unofficial cultural ambassadors for their homeland, representing its ideals, passions and truths all over the globe. Jamaica had Bob Marley and the Wailers. Ireland has U2. America has Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Mexico has Maná.

Since its inception in Guadalajara, Mexico in the mid '80s, before the term "Rock en Español" had ever been used, Maná's rise to global prominence has been strong and steady. Having released eight albums and having sold 18 million copies worldwide, they have become one of the most successful bands in the world. To date, they have visited more than 22 countries and have played in front of more than ten million fans. Dubbed by the Wall Street Journal as the "U2 of Latin rock," their music combines universal themes such as love, freedom, justice and environmental awareness with strong melodies and Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms to create grooves and anthems that speak to the masses, regardless of their language.

On their latest album, Revolución de Amor (Warner Music Latina) vocalist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González, Guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Calleros have evolved and expanded their rock and reggae sound to include more textures, more ballads, a variety of rhythms and more songs written by three of the four band members. In songs such as "Justicia, Tierra y Libertad" "Fe" and "Sin tu Cariño," their passions are in full bloom.

Maná also does much more than write and sing about their beliefs. They have created their own foundation, Selva Negra, which employs a fulltime staff of marine biologists and workers involved in rescuing endangered turtles and whales off the coast of Mexico. The group is also in the process of organizing an ambitious reforestation plan for Mexico.

In February, the band was preparing to celebrate drummer Alex González's birthday in Los Angeles when they learned that they had just won a Grammy for Best Latin Rock Alternative Album for Revolución de Amor. On a rare break from touring, Gonzalez spoke to Playback's Erik Philbrook about Mana's secret for success and longevity.

Playback: You have been together for a quite awhile now, and have achieved so much. What was it like back when you first came to America to perform? What sort of reception did you get?

González: We had this feeling that since there was such a huge Latino community living in the United States, we always thought that it would be logical to play there, especially in the cities where there were a lot of Latinos. So the first city we started off in was Los Angeles because, after Mexico City, that's the second biggest concentration of Mexicans living in any city in the world. So we went in '93 and it was just amazing because we sold out the Palace.

But then we started thinking, if this is going on here, what would happen if we would go to other cities. So we started booking Chicago, Miami, San Antonio, Dallas. We booked other cities in California -- San Jose, San Diego. It was very interesting to see the reaction of the crowd. It was very cool because the entire Latino community, not only the Mexicans, were very happy to see a band that represents them in the States.

Was there anything else that helped to spread your popularity?

With every album that we've toured behind in the United States, it's just gotten bigger and bigger to the point where we sell out most of the important venues. It's just amazing, especially with such little radio airplay that we get.

Maná's 2002 album, Revolución de Amor won a Grammy for Best Latin Rock Alternative Album

So word of mouth has been more more important to you than radio exposure?

Yeah. Our marketing plan has always been about playing live. The record company has been very supportive but we still have that ongoing battle with radio because the formats in Latino radio are more directed towards pop and ballad than to playing rock bands. Even though we're a pop rock band, we're one of those bands that have a lot of melody in our music.

Was America behind the ball in embracing Rock en Español? Or was Latin rock taking root at the same time in other countries as well?

Basically the United States has grown in the same way we have grown in the rest of Latin America. However, we are still breaking new ground, especially in Brazil, which is a country that was so closed in receiving music from Spanish-speaking countries, even though they are Latinos.

Really? That's surprising.

They receive so much music in English, their main language is Portugese and they are such a big country. But they are beginning to find out about Maná now and how big we are in other parts of the world. So, it feels great that we can still break into new markets. It's exciting to us.

A key to the success of any band is collaboration. You guys seem to really do that well, and on the new record you yourself have written almost half the music or lyrics. Give me a sense as to how you collaborate? Do you sit down together as a group and come up with stuff, or do you do that separately and bring it to the band?

The whole process is interesting. Take for instance the song "Angel de Amor." It was our first single. Fher and I sat down one afternoon and we began to write the song musically. It only took a day and a half to write the music, which is a result of the chemistry that Fher and I have when we sit together.

Some other songs I might write on my own in my home studio or Fher will in his home studio. And now Sergio, the guitar player, has been coming to the table with really good ideas. But usually what we do is write songs individually, and then we get together as a band in our studio here in Gaudalajara. We then start working on ideas and dissecting and seeing what really gets us excited. It's very open. The other thing is that Fher and I are also producers. So when we get a cool idea in our heads, we get that idea as clear and direct without filters.

When you go out on the road and you receive so much positive energy and love from people that are happy to see you, it is so uplifting. It's one of the most amazing feelings in the world. - Alex Gonzalez

So you know exactly how you want to bring the music out in the recording?

Exactly. Even though Fher and I are writing partners, I'm more musically inclined in the process. Fher is the guy who writes the majority of the lyrics in the band. Even though I've done some lyrics by myself and Sergio has, too. We really have a lot of fun writing, and it's more about us being happy, as opposed to maybe what the critics might say or what the radio might play.

Do you still enjoy spending so much time with your bandmates?

Oh yeah, it's a brotherhood (laughs).

Why do you think you work so well together, musically?

I think one of the best reasons is that we're so diverse in our musical tastes. We like a lot of the same bands, but many times we're just totally opposed and hear different sounds. I think that makes it very interesting because on one hand someone might be making a valid point as far as what he's trying to create. And then on the other hand, I'm here, you know, bragging and bitching about well, you know, this is the other way to do it. That friction, which I call positive friction, is very good for bringing out a song.

I think it's interesting that you're a drummer and you participate in the writing so much. On this new record, what were you most passionate about?

Well, on the musical side, I definitely wanted this album to be an album with more guitars than we've ever done before. I was always a bit frustrated with the guitar sounds or the presence of electric guitars on our past albums. I think the job that we've done has been excellent. But I thought that it could be better. We're not a band that feels limited. I think that we have so much to give but we constantly push each other to bring out the best of our abilities. That was one thing that I really wanted to achieve on this album. And I'm very happy with the guitar work and sounds on this album. Another thing I wanted to achieve was the best drum sound of all our past albums with the band, and I was very happy with that also.

You write songs that mean something to you personally, but that are also very universal. Talk a bit about your songs on this record.

I wrote three songs on this album. And each song is going in totally different directions. For example, "Fe," which means faith, is a very Peter Gabiel-styled song, with some elements of The Police and a bit of Indian music. The lyric is about how in this world where people are still fighting and killing and betraying each other over revenge and land and whatever, the only way to survive is to have faith.

So that's one extreme. Then on another extreme, "Nada que Perder," which is the last song on the album, is a very positive song about achieving your dreams by believing in yourself and not letting anybody put you down. So it's a very optimistic uplifting, energetic song.

And then there's another song called "Sin tu Cariño," which is a very personal love song that I wrote for my wife. But at the same time, I wrote it saying that anybody that would listen to the song who is in love as much as I am, can totally relate to the song.

When it came time to pick the songs to go on the new album, was it hard to choose which songs from which songwriter would make the final cut?

I think the most important thing we try to do is to write as many songs and the best songs as we possibly can. Then when we choose which songs we think should appear on the album, we try to make an album that is very balanced. We try to make it as fun and as interesting for the listener. It's like when you read a book, each chapter has something interesting to offer. So each song should have its own personality and should not sound like any other song on the rest of the album.

Which do you enjoy more: writing and recording or performing?

I really enjoy both processes. But I would lean a little bit more towards the live experience. When you go out on the road and you receive so much positive energy and love from people that are happy to see you, it is so uplifting. It's one of the most amazing feelings in the world. And to be able to travel around the world and to enjoy this, it's incredible.

But creating the music has its own rewards. I feel like a painter with a canvas in front of me. When I sit down and start to mess around with my equipment and start laying down ideas and rhythms and riffs and melodies, it's so beautiful. Then when you finish the album, it's like this is your work of art. This is what you've accomplished. It's a great feeling.

Then to take that to the next level and perform the songs live, it's great. It's a blessing to be a musician and to be doing what we do, and to have so much fun and to be able to share our music with everybody, it's just amazing.

I also wanted to ask you about your environmental foundation, Selva Negra. Did traveling around the world make you appreciate just how fragile the planet is and want to do something about it?

We recorded a song back in 1992 that had a huge impact on people because in the song we discused very openly the destructive nature of people, and asked the question: where will the future children play? When we saw the reaction that we were getting from countries we were visiting, it hit a note, and Fher founded this organization which is totally funded by the band.

The idea behind Selva Negra was that we wanted to inform and to inspire people to take care of their city or their natural resources, for one day we have to leave it to the future generations. We decided we could utilize our fame and our ability to communicate with all the media around the world. When we grew up as a band, we learned more about the environment and about human rights through musicians like John Lennon, Peter Gabriel, Bono and Sting than through any politician. We might not be able to change the world, but at least we're inspiring, we're informing, we're doing things to make this world a better place.