The Altons, a band from East LA who’s getting flowers for their easy blend of latin soul, psych, bolero, and rock, will be performing in San Jose this weekend.
The band named themselves after none other than Jamaican rocksteady legend Alton Ellis. You can hear how to Ellis informs the Altons on songs like “I Try, I Try” or “Waiting.” Bryan Ponce, the group’s frontman and founding member, explained: “That idea of reinterpreting music through your own lens has been a big inspiration for me as a songwriter, adding, “I first heard Alton Ellis through friends a couple decades ago and it blew my mind. His versions of classics like “La La (Means I Love) You” and “Sitting in the Park” were so unique. He took those songs and infused them with his own rhythm and culture.
It’s fitting because “La La (Means I Love You)” by The Delfonics and “Sitting In The Park” by Billy Stewart are classics in the lowrider canon, familiar and intrinsically tied to the south bay’s latine community, especially due to the city’s deep ties to lowrider culture. San Jose was home to the launch of Lowrider Magazine in 1977, which documented car customization, cruising, and the broader Mexican-American social landscape in California.
Lowriding emerged in postwar Chicano neighborhoods as a response to mainstream hot rod trends. Builders lowered their cars, transforming vehicles into rolling, prideful expressions of identity.
The soundtrack for lowriding, backyard barbecues, and neighborhood cruises has long come from soul and R&B records like Motown but with slower grooves — more Sunny and the Sunliners than the Supremes.
The herladed East Side Story vinyl compilations also captured this world with emotive balladry by The Chantells, Barbara Lewis or Van McCoy. These artists ended up soundtracking relatable, everyday moments which the Altons tap directly into. The Altons mirror these oldies in spirit and feel, occasionally even switching to Spanish voclas, a direct tie-in that speaks to life in the South Bay and East Side to this today.
Dispute their classic sound, the Altons formed around 2016, starting with local gigs and released a self-titled EP that mixed classic soul foundations with wider influences. They built a following in the region’s Chicano music community before signing with Daptone Records’ Penrose imprint. The deal opened national and international doors, leading to sets at Austin City Limits, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and Corona Capital in Mexico. Early on, band members hand-sold thousands of 45s at shows and record fairs, creating a buzz that has brought them to the current day.
Their latest album Heartache in Room 14, produced by Bosco Mann of the Dap-Kings, sharpens their songwriting and highlights vocal harmonies. Songs like the title track layer swelling organ over words of quiet heartbreak. Other tracks like “Your Light” explore slower and, in ways, more effective ballad forms. Earlier recordings had surf and psychedelic touches; the newer ones lean into emotional depth and restraint.
Ponce describes their new, elevated recording process: “Our first record was self-produced basically our live set at the time.This one was completely different. Gabe pushed us to focus on strong songwriting from the ground up. Everything was recorded analog on tape, so we kept playing until we got the right take. It was a real masterclass in how to make quality records. Most of us in the band were already huge fans of Daptone. It’s been an incredible honor. Working with Bosco Mann as a producer has been a real masterclass. We learned so much from him.”
“We’re really excited to be back in San Jose,” Ponce conculded. “We’ve played the Ritz a couple times and it always felt like a big party. With this weekend being an all ages show, we can’t wait to play for everyone — old fans and new ones.”
By grounding their work in specific cultural and musical traditions, the Altons show how a revival can be authentic. Their sound honors the past without copying it, offering crowds a reminder of soul music’s ability to connect generations and spaces.
