Interview With Proyecto X – Taking Aim And Hitting The Target

What happens when a group of five talented musicians unite forces with the goal of signing a major record deal? Well, usually nothing. Not every band is lucky, determined, or successful enough to make that dream a reality.

In 2012, a new band was born in Salinas, California with that very goal. The group, Proyecto X, is the culmination of talent from Carlos Zamora (vocals and guitar), Eduardo Batres (tuba), Tony Carrillo (accordion and vocals), Fabián Rodriquez (vocals), and Johnny Espino (drums).  The group is managed by Raul Avalos. Together the men had the same dream as so many others – to make their mark on the scene, get on the radio, and land a major record signing. “It was one of our goals when we started out in the band,” says Batres.

Within no time at all, the group accomplished what so many spend a career trying to chase. By 2013, Proyecto X signed a contract with Universal, joining a family with a long list of successful groups and artists.  Zamora says, “We were about a year old.”

“It all started with a trip to Vegas,” as Zamora recalls. The band attended a workshop conference there that was intended for new artists. Their album had only been out for a few months and they were fresh on the scene. Eduardo Batres, the group’s tuba player, said “They [Universal] called us up and said we want to meet up with you. It was nice.”

Since that time Proyecto X has built a mainstay following in the United States with extensive touring. They’re also very popular in Mexico, where they have been receiving many requests to play shows there; it’s also the home of many of the members’ extended family and friends.

During a sit-down the five musicians spoke about their success and following as a band, the role of social media, and each counterpart’s rich musical histories and backgrounds that have led to their success as an America-based norteño band.  Norteño is a Spanish-language genre from the north of Mexican and the southwestern United States.

Social media has been “huge” for the group of musicians who have a combined history of twenty plus years in the industry. “It has changed a lot since back in the day when it was mostly radio play that got exposure; now it’s Facebook, Instagram, Youtube... it’s a big deal for all the groups, not just young ones,” states Zamora. “Now all the older groups are kind of learning what the newer groups know as far as promotion and social media.”

Before Proyecto X was a thing, its future members were musicians in other groups in the Salinas area. On one fateful day they were individually called in to serve as musicians for a solo artist. Upon hearing how they sounded together, the foundation for what to come was set.

Johnny Espino was born in San Jose, California. Since the age of four he has been playing the drums. He says his father recalls when he was even younger “banging on pots and pans and whatever.” After being called into what he described as a “drunken audition” he started playing drums in a group, mostly doing parties and quinceañeras.  He met Zamora about seven years ago and the two stayed in touch. “We always joked around that it would be funny to end up in a band together.” We’d go and see each other play in different bands. Among Espino’s influences he cites the Spanish genres of banda, tierra calienta and norteño music as the top.

Fabian Rodriguez started out playing parties and learning different musical instruments. He recounts it wasn’t long until he started focusing on vocals, which is what he does for Proyecto X.  His relationship with Zamora goes back to the 1980s when the two would play soccer together.  Rodriguez played in several local bands, “And then in 2012, was when we all came together and formed the band.”

Carlos Zamora, the most outspoken of the group, started out “very young as well” in the music scene. He started singing at age four and performing mariachi music. “I started learning how to play the guitar, violin, and accordion.” His first band was formed when he was just seventeen years old. That group was a norteño band; he then moved onto a banda group where he was a vocalist. “And then from there I got out and we met up and made the group, and the rest is history.”

Tony Carrillos’ background goes back to childhood as well.  “My father was a musician. Ever since I was little I would also be around him” hearing the music.  He started on drums first, and “over the years I kind of left it back… about five years ago I started learning the according. I actually didn’t want to play the accordion, but my dad made me. But it’s paid off.” His musical genre of choice has “always been norteño. It’s always been my thing.”

Eduardo Batres began his training in elementary school. He actually started on the flute, picking up the tuba at a later age. He says, “I’ve always been part of school bands and was in symphonic  bands. I also did mariachi music and started teaching mariachi to kids.” At age eighteen he started seeing the banda and norteño music scenes. It didn’t take long for him to see that that was “where the money’s at.” He went on to explain, “In mariachi, you can only get up to a certain level. This music gives you way more.”

On deciding what to call themselves the group said, “we didn’t have a name. When you go to the files to hear the music, the engineer would put “proyecto ___ with the name of the band.” Since there wasn’t an official band name the letter X (pronounced equis in Spanish) was put in the place where a proper name would go. “Equis, it’s like nothing, whatever,” says Zamora.  When the sound engineer opened up the music file, “it said ‘Proyecto X’, and we said that’s it. That’s the name. It just happened.”

Proyecto X has a brand new album coming out in just a few months.  Looking at the rest of 2016, “pretty much the rest of the year is booked up.  We’re trying to cover the east coast this month. Hopefully by the end of the year or beginning of next year we’ll go to Mexico,” according to Rodriguez.

They have a big following in both the U.S. and Mexico.

Proyecto X’s latest single “Y Al Final Quede Sin Ti” has just been released. They’ve also been working on a music video for the single. The video was filmed in their hometown of Salinas. Espino says, it was shot in a historic theater of the city and “around the town as well. We tried to give a feel of where we’re from…there’s a lot of beautiful things there.“