San Antonio Songs Of The Month (October 2023)

In July 2023, Other You Media started San Antonio Song Of The Week, a soulful journey through the diverse musical landscape of the San Antonio music scene. Each week, we randomly select a song from a local musician in the community, granting them a well-deserved platform to showcase their talent.

Our small reviews are not critiques; they are heartfelt expressions of admiration and appreciation for the artists who pour their hearts and souls into their music. By spotlighting these hidden gems, we aim to amplify their voices and connect them with a broader audience. After all, if we've learned anything through projects like SA Covers For A Cause, we've learned music can transcend boundaries and bring people together like nothing else.

Our philosophy of In Lak'ech Ala K'in emphasizes the interconnectedness of everyone in our community. As we embrace this, we recognize that by supporting local artists and musicians, we strengthen the bonds of our community.

In other words, we are not a local music-sharing website. Instead, by establishing relationships and building a supportive community of talented musicians, we aim to unify the music scene to enact positive changes within our communities.

We encourage our audience to participate actively by enjoying the music and sharing their thoughts, feelings, and interpretations.

This month’s song selections were dedicated to San Antonio’s spookiest. Here are the songs we listened to in October 2023.

Vintage Pictures - Brujeria (Live)

Vintage Pictures, an experienced and talented alternative-rock band with years of chemistry, conjures up a headbangingly groovy yet eerie atmosphere with their track Brujeria. Off the band’s live EP, Brujeria leaves an indelible mark on the listener with its intriguing blend of Latin influences and alternative rock.

Every band that has had the opportunity to have their recording done at San Antonio’s own The Starlighter has walked away with a great-sounding performance, and Vintage Pictures is no different. The live atmosphere adds a layer of authenticity and energy that can't be replicated in a studio recording. The band's synergy, developed over years of playing together, is evident in their tight performance. They move as one cohesive unit, ensuring that every note and every beat is delivered with precision and passion.

Brujeria features a bewitching guitar melody and chord progression that set the tone throughout the track. This is coupled with an overdriven bass that is steeped in crunch. It rumbles beneath the surface, adding a layer of brooding intensity to the song. The rhythmic backbone of Brujeria is held steady by the drums, which propel the song with an irresistible energy. Finally, the eerie and supernatural lyrics are delivered with unwavering passion,

The pièce de résistance of Brujeria arrives in the form of a spine-tingling breakdown towards the end of the song. The tempo accelerates frantically, creating a sense of urgency and evoking the feeling of being chased through a labyrinthine forest by unseen forces.

Delenda - Dog From Hell

The world of alternative pop often offers a portal to unexpected musical landscapes, and Delenda's Dog From Hell is a compelling testament to the genre's boundary-pushing tendencies. With its brooding atmosphere, captivating synth arpeggios, and haunting vocals, this track delves deep into the eerie recesses of pop music.

Delenda is a performer through and through. I remember seeing her play last October for a Halloween show at Slab Cinema in the Blue Star Arts Complex. Not only did Delenda entrance the audience, she commanded their attention. Dancing between the mesmerized show-goers and the stage. She broke the unspoken barrier between audience and performer and included everyone in attendance in her performance. With songs like Dog From Hell, it makes it easy to do.

At the heart of this song lies an arpeggiator synthesizer melody that weaves a tapestry of dark and foreboding notes. The rhythmic foundation is expertly laid down by a rolling kick and a bass drum machine that form a formidable backbone for the track. The batten of the drum machine, coupled with shuffling hi-hats, brings a subtle but contagious groove. Delenda herself takes center stage with her delicate yet passionate vocals. Her voice is an instrument of its own, and she uses it to carve out a haunting, emotional backdrop for the song.

The synthesis of these elements results in a sonic landscape that is both arresting and chilling. The song evokes comparisons to the moody stylings of synth-wave, with its pulsating rhythm and enigmatic melodies. Yet, Delenda's distinctive approach transcends any genre categorization.

Night Ritualz - Try Means Fail

Night Ritualz features a myriad of synthesizers, reverb-soaked vocals, and a unique blend of elements to capture the essence of sorrow and desolation in his melancholic track Try Means Fail.

Night Ritualz, aka Vinny Guerrero, alongside Jonabelle Timms, owns and operates Vice Versa Coffee & Music in St.Paul Square. Vice Versa is a relaxing and charming place to enjoy coffee by day and a bustling hub for San Antonio’s creative scene by night. With everything from jazz and comedy nights to the rowdiest punk rock shows and raves, Vice Versa has provided a haven for the San Antonio creative community, which makes Night Ritualz’s music all the more impressive.

An arpeggiator synth bass acts as a heartbeat for the track, maintaining a steady tempo and driving the emotional core of the song. Accompanying that is a reverb-soaked guitar, plucking out a melancholic melody that elegantly complements the overarching mood. The guitar's haunting twangs meld seamlessly with the synth bass, enhancing the song's depth and texture. One of the standout features of this composition is the intricate and open drum machine beat. It introduces a unique groove that distinguishes the track from typical darkwave fare.

Night Ritualz's vocals are a defining element of Try Means Fail. The reverb-soaked and lo-fi quality of his voice lends a haunting and ghostly atmosphere to the song. Singing in a monotone, somber voice, he brings an air of detachment and desolation, which perfectly matches the mood of the track.

Add the buzzing background leads and ethereal angelic chords that ebb and flow throughout the track, and you’ve got a fantastic, somber song.

Werito - Witchcraft and Rock & Roll

In Witchcraft and Rock & Roll, Werito fuses progressive rock, hip-hop, and Latin-inspired elements into a bewitching concoction of music experimentation. With mesmerizing guitar riffs, rhythmic drums, evocative poetry, and ethereal vocals provided by Vanita Leo, this track is a kaleidoscope of musical dimensions.

From the outset, Witchcraft and Rock & Roll introduces us to a spooky, Latin-inspired guitar riff that serves as the song's backbone. Paired with a grooving drum beat and Werito’s soulful vocal delivery, the song conjures a mysterious atmosphere. Lyrically, Werito offers a deeply emotive and poetic narrative that complements the song's enigmatic aura. Their words are delivered with emotional sincerity, evoking a sense of mysticism and intrigue, as if we've stumbled upon a secret incantation. Meanwhile, Vanita Leo's siren-like vocals add an extra layer of ethereal charm, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that draws us deeper into the song.

Witchcraft and Rock & Roll is experimental. The song ebbs and flows from tense and mystical Latin-inspired progressive rock to atmospheric and experimental noise-art. It is intentionally jarring as the song switches and builds tension throughout the track. However, it's in the climax of the song that the song truly takes form. Towards the end of the track, Werito unleashes a full-throttle rap breakdown. The elements that have been brewing throughout the song are repurposed into this fervent and passionate rap delivery.

Werito's fiery rap flow is a revelation, delivering verses with intensity and conviction, breathing new life into the track's themes. The fusion of genres culminates in this climactic moment, where the listener is left in awe. Witchcraft and Rock & Roll force the listener to respect Werito's fearless genre-bending style.

Honorable Mentions

At Other You Media, we proudly showcase songs from the San Antonio music scene in an effort to build a supportive community, unify the music scene, and enact positive changes within our communities. For the month of October, we focused on San Antonio’s spookiest-sounding songs. It wasn’t easy narrowing it down to just one song a week. There are endless spooky, dark, and haunted songs in San Antonio! So we’ve decided to give a special spotlight to an extra few songs for their advanced spookiness.