The carpeted staircase leading up to the Alamo Rehearsal Studios landing has seen some things. It’s a prismatic pattern of fabric, endearingly retro and visibly shabby from years of use—nearly 30, to be exact.
Miguel Flores, vocalist and guitarist for Las Vegas Latin psych band Viaje Nahual, explains the history as we make our way inside the mission-style Downtown studio on a Thursday night. The Alamo has been a bedrock for aspiring local musicians since the early ’90s. It’s a vast rehearsal hall, one that Viaje Nahual, formerly known as Kurumpaw, has been frequenting since November.
It’s here that I meet Cindy Espinosa (vocals/bass/synths) and Ricky Hernandez (drums), two other original members of Kurumpaw, along with Jonathan Flores (guitarist) and Fernando Galarza (percussion), the newest additions since Viaje debuted in 2021.
“Do you mind if I smoke?” Galarza asks from behind his set of drums. The rehearsal room’s dark, but a glow of sapphire string lights illuminate his inquisitive face.
No one objects to the percussionist from Lima, Peru. If anything, they want this timekeeper comfortable and keyed in to his craft, because “my main role is to be the salt and pepper,” Galarza tells me, “a little bit here, a little bit there, a little bit spicy.”
The spice comes through on the next song, “Ahuicyahui.” Galarza’s percussion fits in lock step with Hernandez, who can’t hide a smile as he hammers down on the toms.
Though they’re not related, Miguel and Jonathan Flores act as twin flames, supplying the track with bright, groove-filled melodies as Espinosa swoops in with rhythmic bass riffs that drive the sonic narrative to completion. Aurally, it’s an adventurous composition in the tradition of so many different styles—Peruvian chicha, ’60s and ’70s psychedelic rock and, most certainly, cumbia.
“It just feels natural when we all put it together,” Galarza says after a run-through of “Fuego.” “I have more of a background in salsa, merengue and Latin tropical jazz, but this was something new. It was a challenge I liked.”
Some of Kurumpaw’s musical makeup still lingers in Viaje Nahual, partially because that band ended prematurely. Kurumpaw was riding high after the 2019 release of debut album Biónico Cósmico, before getting cut off by the pandemic. “We were in the middle of recording our newest album, and we had to stop,” Miguel Flores remembers. Soon after, half of the band’s six members departed.
Miguel Flores, Espinosa and Hernandez vowed to return to their roots with Viaje Nahual. “We were like, ‘What did we listen to when we were little? What were our parents listening to?’” Miguel Flores says. “A lot of it was cumbia. We were very drawn into that, and it’s very tropical.”
The band’s name also departs from Kurumpaw, which was drawn from the 1898 Ernest Thompson Seton tale “Lobo, the King of Currumpaw.” “We’d tell this story of the black wolf of Currumpaw, but here’s the thing: We’re not from New Mexico,” Miguel Flores says. “It was just a story that caught our attention, and we were like, that’s beautiful.”
“It was a good story,” Espinosa agrees, “but we just didn’t really connect to it anymore.”
“And personally,” Miguel Flores continues, “If I’m gonna tell a story, I should tell my story.’”
In Mexican folklore, a nahual is a shamanic brujo (wizard) rumored to be a shapeshifter. But to Miguel Flores, a nahual represents a person in pursuit of a higher consciousness through plant medicine, magic and sometimespsychedelics. Viaje also translates to “journey” in Spanish. That’s where the “shaman’s journey”—or, Viaje Nahual—originates.
Now, with Galarza and Flores along for the trip, the group sounds more refined than ever. Jonathan’s transition was especially easy, considering he’d jammed with Miguel Flores in the Latin rock group Lunero.
“I had already stolen this fool from another band, so I figured I’m gonna steal him from my other band,” Miguel Flores laughs. “In my mind, he’s one of the best guitarists in Las Vegas. I want the best in this sh*t.”
If Kurumpaw’s end felt like a blown tire, Viaje Nahual’s beginning feels like an engine revving up. Miguel Flores says the band has started playing shows outside Las Vegas for the first time, and Viaje Nahual has a jam-heavy album in the works, recorded live at Naked City Audio’s secret desert location, “the Dome.” Additionally, Miguel Flores says, Kurumpaw fans will get to hear the music the band never finished.
“We’re in the midst of finishing the mixing and mastering, and we’re gonna put it out as a gift to our listeners as Kurumpaw featuring Viaje Nahual, because we were in there,” he says. “As far as Kurumpaw, I think that’s our goodbye.”
Viaje Nahual linktr.ee/viajenahual
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