Artist description Almost a decade after my involvement with the phenomenal talent of Four Hispanic Women, SAD Records has asked me to say a few words about this sorely anticipated new collection of classic tunes. So long ago, it’s a bit difficult to recall, but, ah, those were great days. The first time I heard the 4HW was in Brazil in 1991. I was on an R&R after an extensive series of maneuvers in Argentina related to the Desert Storm conflict (and due to the sensitive nature of those operations I can not comment upon them further). It was Ash Wednesday morning, I was hungover, and I had awoken in a strange room in some Amazonian village. The Fat Tuesday partying had verged on excessive and the violent throb in my head that racked my whole body told me that I was paying for it. Did I think it was going to be a free ride? Sleeping next to me was perhaps the ugliest woman ever born. Or so I thought, not realizing she still wore her Mardi Gras mask. Actually, as I penetrate the haze associated with that era, I remember that she was really quite pretty. She spoke no English and I knew only dirty words in Portuguese, so we communicated waving our arms and pointing. Pretty soon she made me understand that she wanted to know if I had any more tabs of Purple Hammer*. I still had half a sheet, which I split with her, and then she plugged a tape into a Boom Box on the nightstand. It was one of those tape players that, unattended, would continuously reverse the tape. I crawled back into bed and fucked her silly and as the acid high peaked I became increasingly aware that the music was transporting me to other dimensions. The songs painted landscapes in my mind. They sang of hope and despair of ugly truths and beautiful illusions. I can not truly explain how this music affected me except to say that I was brimming full with a happy sadness. With the use of my limited Portuguese and exaggerated hand gestures we had a rather filthy conversation where it was established that I really liked the music, that the music was made by her band Los Mujeres De La Cocina (the Kitchen Women), that her name was Concepcion De La Puta, and that she was the lead guitarist. I found out that they had no record deal and in fact very few people had ever heard of them outside their village, but here the band was worshipped in a very pagan way. She explained that virgins were sacrificed as they played live music. I felt there was room to capitalize on this small phenomenon and make a quick buck, it turned out I was quite an awful businessman, but the initial vision in my mind was surrounded by a swarm of dollar signs. In short order Concepcion had introduced me to the rest of the band: Chiquita Queso played keyboards, Tia Sandia programmed the drumbeats and Delores Del Cajones played rhythm guitar, but really, as I discovered when they put on an impromptu jam session for me, they all played everything, sometimes changing instruments mid-song. They were young, sweet and innocent girls completely devoted to their town, where they were revered as goddesses. With promise of great wealth, however, I was able to persuade them to relocate in downtown Los Angeles and change their name to the 4 Hispanic Women. I found for them a very small one-room apartment at the corner of Fifth Street and Alvarado and that March we recorded the Vigilant Neighbors Album. I shopped it around to every label I could find and no one would have it. Finally the intelligent people at the ideal label Some Awful Diseased records realized the brilliance of the recording and took advantage of my horrible business acumen. As legal guardians for the girls (who were not women, technically, all being under the legal age of adulthood) I signed away all significant rights and profits associated with the songs on a three album deal. Ironically, it became increasingly obvious, as Vigilant Neighbors didn’t sell well, that there would be no profit. At this point, seeing all potential financial gain go down the drain; I decided to abandon ship. Some people might have had an ethical problem with taking little girls out of a happy rural home life in another country and leaving them stranded in a run down high crime neighborhood without any prospects, but my military training allowed me to do just that. I paid their rent for the next 6 months, disentangled myself legally (I was able to easily transfer guardianship to SAD based on the contract, they wanted custody anyway) and then moved on to my next mission. The last time I ever saw the girls I told them never to give up on their art (even if I had) that I truly believed in them (even if it seemed by my actions that I didn’t) and that one day they would be famous. Naturally they were upset at what they perceived as a broken promise. I can assure you however that I meant to do no such thing and that I’m very glad SAD has finally decided to put out this long awaited but very nicely packaged collection which includes every single great 4HW track, leaving off only the redundant and technically inferior productions. So while you enjoy this musical journey, keep in mind these girls sacrificed their souls to provide it for you. Sincerely Yours, Lt. Col. (ret.) William Wheelwhirl *Purple Hammer: Blotter tabs of LSD w/ purple caricature of MC Hammer.

Music Style garage pop

Musical Influences snakefinger, perez prado

Similar Artists sonic youth, radiohead, residents, pere ubu, primus

Artist History When Colonel Wheelwhirl first brought me the 4HW demo I was unimpressed, but because I had a relationship with the Colonel’s niece I promised I’d take it with me on a business trip to New Mexico and give it another chance. All it took was a little peyote and the gentle guidance of my Native American spiritual master: Crow Poo. We listened to the 4HW as I came in touch with my center. It became the soundtrack to my self-discovery and I was convinced. I didn’t mean to take such advantage of the Colonel (and the girls) but a business deal is a deal and I am foremost a businessman. I went to their Alvarado studio to watch them play. It was otherworldly. The girls weren’t unattractive, even if they weren’t beautiful, and Del seemed to ooze sexuality. They went from instrument to instrument, from Arctic wasteland to the Amazon jungle they hailed from. They actually were very green about how to play the instruments, but that gave the music a freshness, a new way of looking at electric guitars and Casio drum machines. We released Vigilant Neighbors on an extremely limited cassette only pressing and didn’t promote it in the slightest. It has been rumored that my motivation for this was that deep down I didn’t want to share the 4HW with the world. This may be true, but in my defense I must say that the girls were so far ahead of their time, so profoundly esoteric, that they probably would not have been understood by the record buying public at large, and a wide distribution quite probably would have meant financial disaster for the already struggling label. It was a gamble of course, but the SAD board of directors decided to err on the side of safety, even at the expense of those poor girls’ dreams. Despite poor sales and the sudden departure of the Colonel (good riddance, I said) the second album, 5th and Alvarado was brilliant, exciting, poised for success. The album was a loose concept about a foreigner (Albanian) coming to live in downtown Los Angeles. It was a sort of autobiographical soundscape very vividly realized. I was ready to promote with full media hype: TV, radio, and magazines, until Muchacha rebuffed my sexual advances! (She claimed to be a virgin if you can believe that!) In a fit of anger I changed my mind and decided to release their seminal second album in much the same way as the first, thereby sealing its doom. Out of spite I demanded they honor their contract and provide us with a third album at their own expense, even if it meant they might have to drift into prostitution (rebuff me will you?). My anger had abated a bit by the time the girls delivered Evolution of the Stickman, but the album was a disappointment. The songs, although tuneful and polished lacked the excitement of the first two releases and the music was a little forced as so often happens with albums that are uninspired by the nature of their contractual obligation. SAD decided to keep the 4HW to a small distribution. At this point SAD’s relationship with the 4HW had all but completely disintegrated. By now they were deep into drugs and prostitution and the music had definitely taken a backseat. I don’t know where the girls are today; I’ve heard that Concepcion was in jail, that Muchacha is a single mother living on the street, that Del turns tricks and there is a persistent rumor that Tia Sandia died of complications arising from a bad cold. I hope this is not the case because if this CD collection, which I believe celebrates the best of the 4HW experimentation and excitement, ever rises above the proscribed limited distribution, I would like to, maybe, reunite the girls and see if any of the original magic still exists. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy this life-changing, boudary breaking, inspirational overview of a small but fierce vision of four young girls coming face to face with their own womanhood. Slappy Slax, CEO SAD Records

Group Members In short order Concepcion had introduced me to the rest of the band: Chiquita Queso played keyboards, Tia Sandia programmed the drumbeats and Delores Del Cajones played rhythm guitar, but really, as I discovered when they put on an impromptu jam session for me, they all played everything, sometimes changing instruments mid-song. They were young, sweet and innocent girls completely devoted to their town, where they were revered as goddesses.

Albums Vigilant Neighbors, 5th & Alvarado, ballads for the stickman, Coleccion

Location Santa Ana, CA - USA

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