Pepe Montes Conjunto Invites Everybody to His Cuban Party as well as Ball and Chain Miami
Local musician Pepe Montes Conjunto has recently released two multimedia videos with his band. The videos highlight two songs from his album, Cuban Party Everybody, called “Ya No Sé” and “Tu Destino.”
Pepe Montes Conjunto is looking to use his new album as his musical resume. He is a singer, songwriter, producer, and bandleader who touches many with his music.
“It has been a dream since I started writing some of these songs more than ten years ago”
Pepe Montes Conjunto
Using XStrings Studios Miami to make these videos has made Pepe Montes Conjunto’s dream come true. A big part of this dream was the album cover, which Conjunto says is a call back to vintage Cuban LP soundtrack disks from famous singers, like Benny More and Celia Cruz.
“It has a red background and the white star patriotic symbols of the Cuban Nation,” said Conjunto. “I visualized most of it and it was created by Lazaro Zaldivar from Genius Art Designs.”
This album gives Conjunto pride because he is an independent, self-sustaining musician with no investors. His fans are his greatest supporters, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Before the pandemic, Conjunto worked at Ball and Chain Miami since 2015, which is located on Calle Ocho, the heart of Cuban culture. According to Conjunto, Ball and Chain gave his band a live platform and the opportunity to interact with an abundance of people, including musicians, domino players, dancers, and tourists.
“It’s as diverse as Miami gets,” said Conjunto.
This diversity is why he wanted to work at Ball and Chain to begin with. Conjunto contacted Zack Bush, the owner of Ball and Chain, to take advantage of an opportunity to play with the orchestra. Bush came up with the idea to have Conjunto and his band play daily from noon until 6 p.m., in addition to a monthly concert at La Pachanaga.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put a big pause on Conjunto’s work, including the promotion of his new album.
“I was about to release the best production with Conjunto, and had April 7 planned to have the CD formally presented,” said Conjunto. His plans did not work out the way he wanted them to.
Many businesses are closed due to being deemed nonessential, Ball and Chain Miami included. Many musicians, including Conjunto, are out of jobs and struggling to provide for their families much like people in other industries during this time.
The pandemic is hitting Calle Ocho musicians like Conjunto extra hard because Calle Ocho is a place for tourists, but due to travel restrictions, tourists are currently not allowed to fly here.
“Social distancing affects us all and musicians the most. Musicians nowadays rely on audience support through social media platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and Facebook,” said Conjunto.
This is why Conjunto is inviting everyone to his Cuban Party. He needs your support on his new music now more than ever.
Conjunto is staying positive during this time, hoping that the community will keep his music in conversation. He also believes that soon, everyone will be back on stage at Ball and Chain and the Cuban vibes will fill the streets of Calle Ocho once again.
“This is music that has been inspired on the Calle Ocho vibe,” said Conjunto. “I hope the comeback after the Pandemic ends will be something to remember.”
That comeback starts with supporters. Everyone can view Conjunto’s videos on YouTube and listen to his music on Spotify and iTunes or follow him on Instagram @PepeMontesConjunto.
For more information or to show your support, visit Conjunto’s Twitter page.
