Music Style Improvisational

Musical Influences The Who, The Doors, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Lou Reed, Television, John Coltrane, Miles Davis

Similar Artists We sound nothing like The Who, The Doors, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Lou Reed, Television, John Coltrane or Miles Davis

Artist History Chocha was born in New York City in the summer of 1996. Displaced Bostonians, guitarist Fernando Avila (by way of Chilé) and bassist / keyboardist Pedro Gingerich had moved to New York City and were working on a score for a dance piece. It was there that they had met a Dalius, a Lithuianian drummer who was working on the score as well, laying down the drums and percussion. Avila -- who had been in many bands up in Boston; "Sub Skin Cables," (who put out a few singles on a local indie label and opened for the Replacements), "Illegal Aliens," "Nuclear Theater," and "Sense Surround" to name a few -- and Pedro -- who has been in probably a hundred bands (most notably "The Devil's Advocates" and the Diana Berry Band) -- approached Dalius -- a handsomly paid jazz drummer back in his native homeland before moving to New York -- to form a new improvisational band. The name came about as a half-serious suggestion from Fernando as the group-name-tossing-phase of any band's career began. "Chocha" which many of you may recognize by it's slang Puerto Rican definition, actually means something entirely different in South America. "Chocha" means: to radiate with pride over; to be ga-ga. Well anyway, the name became official before it became official, as Pedro -- rather than saying the band didn't have a name yet -- began telling folks at social gatherings that the band's name was "Chocha," regardless of what definition they associated it with ... a very Pedroesque thing to do. Pedro would eventually leave the band, as the Devil's Advocates began drawing all the hot women in the New York Club scene, and Chocha found a replacement in Mark Banayan, a bassist by way of Jeruselam. With it's new United Nations line-up in place, Chocha heads to the recording studio to cut two albums -- one with bass, drum and guitars, vocals, and lotsa texture and the other album as instrumental free jazz (or "free-noise" as Fernando likes to call it). Look for Chocha at all the popular clubs in New York City's hip lower east side.

Group Members Fernando Avila: guitars, tapes, vox • Mark Banayan: bass • Dalius Naujokaitis: drums, percussion

Instruments guitar, bass, drums

Location New York, NY - USA

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