Oakland-based outfit Combo Tezeta‘s sound is electric, polyrhythmic, and not just a highly danceable blend of instrumental cumbias, chicha, and música tropical inspired by the psychedelic late ’60s and early ’70s in Peru. Sure, psychedelic cumbia is how they identify their vibe, but it’s so much more than that.
These brothers are playing real instruments, and deliver a wave full of living reverb and accents that point straight at surf culture. In addition, rich melodies and hypnotic rhythms birthed from the Afro-Latin diaspora contribute to the group’s undeniable billowing of motion. And dammit, this may be some ole Bay Area talk-speak, but it’s the truth: the inclusion of multiple cultures makes this oscillation thick, baby.
But don’t get wordy with it, get hip. Listen. The band, which is comprised of Franklin Aguilar on congas, Abraham Aguilar on bass, Jonathan Rodriguez on timbales, Tony Bald on bongos and güiro, Santiago Ruiz on guitar, Cesar Flores on vocals and guitar, and Danny Snyder on guitar and organ, has had an about-face year, to say the least.
Hard work and humility do pay off.
We spoke with the band—its members answered our questions collectively—that could be the next big thing from the Bay to leap into the national spotlight. Be sure to catch them at The Ivy Room with Discos Resaca Collective on April 4 and at The Cornerstone in Berkeley with Son Rompe Pera on May 22.
48 HILLS How does the band feel about its success last year?
COMBO TEZETA 2024 was quite exhilarating for us. None of us have experienced playing such high-profile shows before, and we’re quite grateful to have gotten to do so. For many years before forming Combo Tezeta, we played mostly small clubs to niche audiences. We hadn’t seen past the goal of playing in a local club full of people dancing or rocking out.
48 HILLS Did it feel like a surprise breakthrough, or did you guys have an idea that it was coming?
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COMBO TEZETA It felt like a breakthrough. We officially formed in 2018, but have toyed with playing cumbia since 2013 or so. For the first few years and throughout the pandemic, things were moving much slower for us. We mostly come from the surf rock scene, and it took quite a while to rewire our brains to play cumbia and salsa naturally and with some degree of competence.
Before 2024, our biggest success was playing a few sell-out shows at the East Bay clubs (Eli’s Mile High Club and the Ivy Room) and we were gigging every month or two, just around town. In 2024, when we were chosen as a finalist for that year’s Tiny Desk Contest [with song “Interestelar”], we started to get an inkling that things might be moving a little faster. That summer, we toured with Pahua and Terror/Cactus, and from there, we were invited to play at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, which, as Bay Area locals was a dream come true. And then to follow that just a few weeks after playing a huge free concert in Golden Gate Park opening for Lee Fields and the Expressions and Thundercat it cemented the fact that we’re starting to make inroads into the broader music scene. Of course, much of the credit goes to our booking agent, Nina Sacco of Artists Liaison Agency.
48 HILLS How did it feel opening for Thundercat in Golden Gate Park?
COMBO TEZETA Unreal, as none of us have played in front of anywhere close to that many people. I heard there may have been as many as 35,000 there. Granted, not quite that many people were there when we opened the show, but it filled up quickly. And the backstage bathrooms were the nicest bathrooms we’ve ever seen—wainscoting! As exciting as it was to share the stage with a big-time artist like Thundercat, the real highlight for us was getting to interact with Lee Fields and the Expressions. We’ve been fans of the Daptone family of artists for decades (most notably Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings), and the Expressions are all Daptone veterans. After we played our set, they were very genuine in their positive response to our music, which has boosted our confidence.
48 HILLS I’m wondering what are the band’s thoughts are about the reinvention that world music/global music has gone through over the last few years? It’s not just Khruangbin putting a new twist on things, but all of these instrumental bands advancing folks songs from their cultures, putting them through a different prism.
COMBO TEZETA You can point to this phenomenon as being one of the positives of streaming music and video. It has leveled the playing field for finding what was once quite obscure music. It used to be that only crate diggers could find the gems from the past, but now there are countless curators online sharing interesting music from around the world and from throughout the last hundred-plus years. The notion of being a fan of only one or a few styles of music anymore seems to be passé, and thankfully so.
Many of the current bands whom you’re describing are mixing their folkloric influences with a very modern electronic approach, which makes a lot of sense, as most younger musicians have grown up incorporating computers with their music. It also makes sense considering the economics of touring in 2025. We’re a little older and have always been anachronistic in our tastes, so it’s only natural for us to stick with the electric guitars and organs and actual percussion instruments, which feel more authentic to what we want to do.
48 HILLS So last year I was at the 4 Star Theater during Noise Pop, catching Tommy Guerrero, and it was the first time I heard Ruffy from Discodelic play records. I’m a somewhat semi-retired DJ, and dude was just playing the wildest shit I’ve heard. So dope. To see Combo have a 45 on Discodelic was just awesome. Can you name some of the bands Combo looks up to and is inspired by?
COMBO TEZETA How much room do we have in your column, John-Paul? We can fill a page with all the great music out there. First, we’re honored to be Ruffy’s first original (not a reissue) release on his Discodelic label. His store on 24th Street is an amazing treasure trove, worth a trip for those looking to increase their global vinyl collection. I would advise anyone interested in our style of psychedelic cumbia to look for the two volumes of Roots of Chicha, source material for us and most modern bands inspired by this genre. The band that stands out the most for us on there is Los Destellos. Most of those bands are long gone, but one, Los Mirlos, is playing Great American Music Hall on April 15. They’re the OGs of OGs of cumbia amazónica or selvática, which is a more jungle-inflected style, in contrast to the urban styles of the other progenitors.
As for our specific journey, it started with Santana, and from there, it developed into a love for Afro Cuban music, of which Tito Puente is our greatest hero, along with anything Celia Cruz was involved with. Parallel to that, we all became interested and eventually spent many years playing instrumental surf music, as made popular by the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction. The more high-energy trad bands that we love are Satan’s Pilgrims, The Ghastly Ones and the Eleki bands from Japan, such as Yuzo Kayama and Terry Terauchi, just to name a few. You can still hear echoes (or reverberations!) of that style in the Combo Tezeta sound. As for active bands, we would cite The Budos Band, Sonido Gallo Negro, Discos Resaca Collective (with whom we share band members), and local African psych rock band Orchestra Gold. All of them inspire us and play in the Bay Area regularly.
48 HILLS Why do you think Combo is hitting new heights these days? You don’t just open for Thundercat out of pure luck. Talent puts you in the room for sure, but is there an additional factor?
COMBO TEZETA We can give you two big reasons that we’ve climbed a rung on the ladder of musical success. The first was the aforementioned Nina Sacco, who generously offered her services to book shows for us—a huge luxury for a small local group who all have to work full-time jobs. The second is that in 2023, we acquired our newest member, Cesar Flores, who, in addition to being an excellent guitarist, is a phenomenal lead vocalist, whose chill singing style meshes perfectly with our music. There is a limited path for an all-instrumental band, so once we added our singer, things started to take off for us. I’d say one more element worth mentioning is that we’re a big band, playing real instruments in a more traditional style, which we think gives us a certain authenticity people are craving in this day of computerized music or stripped-down lineups. We have a big sound, and while you can just groove and dance to our rhythms, a lot is going on musically for those who can appreciate it.
48 HILLS Thank you, gents!
COMBO TEZETA plays April 4 with Discos Resaca Collective at Ivy Room, Albany. Info and tickets here. May 22 with Son Rompe Pera at The Cornerstone, Berkeley. Info and tickets here.
