Through a maze of blue splattered walls, The Hellas have carved themselves a home base in a north San Jose rehearsal studio. Inside their space, a wall is covered in posters that feature previous shows, while the rest is dedicated to hung equipment and stacked speakers. Everyone takes a shot of tequila and then it’s ready for practice.
The Hellas, a Bay Area band originating in Hayward, have developed a unique sound that blends elements of ska, punk, reggae and cumbia. They released their eponymous EP in early August with a show at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland. The Hellas didn’t start as a concept project, but by the end it was clear that what they had crafted was an homage to the Bay Area.
“This is kind of like, for us, taking a piece of that where we go—a little bit of the Bay,” said lead guitarist Gabriel Jimenez.
If someone wants to know what the Bay Area is like, they just have to open the CD. Songs like “Crisis” delve into infamous Bay Area bipping (car break-ins) while others capture what it’s like to grow up and live in cities connected by BART stops.
The physical EP is itself themed after BART, with a transit map on the CD and photos depicting the band on a train car and at Coliseum station. They’re hesitant to call those who support them “fans,” instead referring to it as a growing community that they’re building. Jimenez wants the band to be found organically, adding that they’re “not sellouts, man,” poking fun at the traditional punk attitude whose core principles they definitely hold true to.
It’s important for The Hellas to stay authentic and keep every part of the band close to home, referring to it as a passion project that now operates like a family business, with some members knowing each other as far back as high school. They DIY everything from merch to booking shows with a promotion label they started.
“We have our sewing machine, he has his press,” said Amaniel Medina, who predominantly plays the saxophone in the band while sometimes switching to a metal güiro, an instrument common in Caribbean and Latin music traditions.
Everyone brings their own skills to the table, including videography, photography and hand-drawn promotional materials.
“As much as we’re all musicians, we’re all creatives,” said Jimenez.
The music is also an amalgamation of sounds and histories each person incorporates from their own music background. Despite these diverse inspirations, it somehow comes together sounding like music that couldn’t have been made anywhere other than California.
Reminiscent of two-tone, a British genre combining the rhythm of Jamaican ska with blunt and powerful punk rock music, The Hellas tactfully capture the upbeat atmosphere of ska and cumbia with the gritty feel of California punk.
How did they find their sound? “A lot of arguing,” Jimenez says with a laugh. “A little mix of everything, what we all bring to the table, and arguing.”
Bass player Gizmo Silvey says that the genres they blend are pretty niche so he enjoys seeing people come out who don’t usually listen to this type of music.
They start their practice with a joke that they can’t seem to stop adding onto, with the group laughing together all the way up until Jarryd Domingo hits the drums and practice is in session.
Silvey moves in tune with the music, turning and rocking back and forth with his bass as the beat demands. His loose tank top reveals various tattoos on his chest and arms that blend right in with the punk vocals he and Jimenez contribute through mirrored microphones. Flaco Serna’s supporting rhythm guitar sits right behind Medina’s saxophone playing, which contributes heavily to the ska aspect of various songs.
Inside this dim, heavily decorated room, The Hellas spent three years bringing their latest project together, many songs of which they practiced from a previous set list. Not only was it conceived here, the EP was also recorded in-house.
For the next song Medina switches to the güiro, brushing its middle ridges back and forth with focused gusto. They explain that this instrument brings in aspects of Colombian cumbia.
They try not to be pigeonholed into one thing, constantly molding how they present themselves and their sound to prevent feeling stifled. Experimentation naturally follows, which has currently led to distinctly punk vocals backed by feel-good Caribbean beats we can’t help but jerk our heads to.
“If you go to a backyard party in California,” said Jimenez, “you’re gonna hear punk, you’re gonna hear ska, you’re gonna hear cumbia.”
On a late night in San Jose, it’s easy to imagine these songs booming from any speaker in the Bay.
The Hellas will play at Danny Murry’s Irish Pub in San Leandro on Sept. 19 at 9pm. Listen to The Hellas music at thehellas.bandcamp.com. Instagram: @TheHellasBand.
