Photo Courtesy of the Band
Last year, Charlie Garmendia of Champagne Superchillin and La China de La Gasolina and Boone of Fly Golden Eagle made a lateral move, from indie musicians to restaurateurs. They opened a sandwich shop in Brooklyn, serving Dominican sandwiches and ice-cold drinks. To help promote the pop-up the duo did what they do best, and wrote a couple of catchy tunes to tantalize the tastebuds and entice the ears. A funny thing happened though. As it turns out, running a restaurant is an incredible amount of work, and writing the jingles to promote their sandwiches ended up being easiest, and most fun part of the job. Leaning into the irony of this situation, Charlie and Boone decided to make a full album based on the sandwiches and drinks served at their pop-up, create a smattering of tasty, summer jams that embrace the Latin roots of the hot menu items they serve, in the hopes of inspiring some sensational and sumptuous parties.
If they weren't succeeding on both accounts, the story might have ended there. However, Charlie and Boone have a solid slate of parties booked for this summer in New York and their album is out now via ACT-ualize. If you can't get on the guest list, you can at least enjoy the smooth blend of tropicalia, reggaeton, samba, jazz, funk and lite rock that flows together on Chimi / Liquid to keep it cool, where ever you can get away to today. Whether that be to the park for some tacos with friends, your neighbor's back yard where they've filled up a kiddy swimming pool and invited you over for a BBQ, or even just in your own apartment, smoking a pack of cigarettes while looking out the window, lost in a daydream. Where ever you are, where ever you are going, take a pull off Chimi / Liquid and let it help you get the vibe right.
You can read a full interview with Charlie and Boone about their new album and their pop-up below:
The following interview was conducted over email on July 14, 2021. It has been edited slightly for clarity.
Where did the inspiration for starting a Dominican sandwich pop up come from?
CH: During the Summer of 2020 we wanted to figure out a way of getting people together to enjoy live music without music as the selling point. We figured a tasty sandwich and cheap cocktails would do the trick. It's cool because this idea evolved from parties in the park with generators, to BOONE's summer residency out in Rockaway called "Sure High High Five".
B: Yeah, it’s been a blast doing these parties this summer in Rockaway. It’s been all about trying new stuff and seeing what works.
Do you or anyone in your families have prior experience owning and operating a restaurant?
B: I've washed dishes in a couple restaurants, but that’s all. Haha. So no, not really.
What menu items are you most excited about / proud of?
CH: Personally, the ketchup and cabbage. It gels all the flavors together.
B: My favorite drink has been the Mint French 75. It’s 2 parts champagne, one part gin, a little lemon juice and muddled mint. Delicious Summertime beverage.
What is on a chimi, and what are its origins?
CH: A chimi is a late-night snack with fresh cabbage, cooled onions, peppers, ketchup, mayo, and a mystery pork patty. There's also a secret sauce that gives each chimi it's own personality. I believe that in the 70s an Argentine brought the recipe to the Island and almost overnight it became a national hit.
CH: During the Summer of 2020 we wanted to figure out a way of getting people together to enjoy live music without music as the selling point. We figured a tasty sandwich and cheap cocktails would do the trick. It's cool because this idea evolved from parties in the park with generators, to BOONE's summer residency out in Rockaway called "Sure High High Five".
B: Yeah, it’s been a blast doing these parties this summer in Rockaway. It’s been all about trying new stuff and seeing what works.
Do you or anyone in your families have prior experience owning and operating a restaurant?
B: I've washed dishes in a couple restaurants, but that’s all. Haha. So no, not really.
What menu items are you most excited about / proud of?
CH: Personally, the ketchup and cabbage. It gels all the flavors together.
B: My favorite drink has been the Mint French 75. It’s 2 parts champagne, one part gin, a little lemon juice and muddled mint. Delicious Summertime beverage.
What is on a chimi, and what are its origins?
CH: A chimi is a late-night snack with fresh cabbage, cooled onions, peppers, ketchup, mayo, and a mystery pork patty. There's also a secret sauce that gives each chimi it's own personality. I believe that in the 70s an Argentine brought the recipe to the Island and almost overnight it became a national hit.
Have you done work writing jingles before?
B: No, but we have done studio work for other people, but nothing like for Nabisco or Nike or anything. Actually yes, I enjoy writing jingles for friends’ small businesses in my head. Haha. “The world of wines, not hard to find. It all begins, a glass with friends! Vino by the Sea!” for example.
Is writing a jingle different than writing any other kind of song? Why/why not?
B: I don't think so. Every song is a jingle with varying levels of ciche. Whether you're getting paid to write a song to sell a product or you find something that inspires you to write a song, in the end it's really the same thing. That being said, are we looking for work writing jingles... nah. It is interesting what songs motivate people to buy a product after listening. I suppose in a way that’s what this album is kinda about. Can the songs have a life of their own, when the product is half-baked:)
What were some of your commercial inspirations for the music?
CH: Spiritual music In central park drum circles Pharaoh Sanders House music played in the bars around La Romana, 80s 90s artists like Wilfredo Vargas, Big Boy, El General.
B: Todd Terje, Paradise is a Frequency, Suzanne Ciani, Bing & Ruth, Mort Garson, Kashif.
What were some of your less commercial influences?
B: A lot of the sound inspiration came from the Winter we spent in the Dominican Republic in 2019. At that time we were living in Nashville surrounded by indie rock-ish/ Country music. It was very inspiring to hear a completely different musical template.
These jingles work really well as stand-alone songs and the album, on the whole, is really coherent sounding. Was this always your intent?
CH: O wow! Thank you. Haha. Yes, that was our intent, but we knew stylistically it's all over the place. The bass tracks were mostly recorded on my ½ inch tape machine in Brooklyn, and then Ben did overdubs and mixed it in Rockaway. We mastered it at the esteemed Tall Juan’s (@talljuan) studio. Big shout out to Tall Juan. He’s a boss.
Millennials and Gen Zers have really embraced light rock, tropicalia, and samba in recent years. What do you think accounts for the increased popularity of these genres amongst young(ish) people?
CH: We think it's because we have more access to diverse music. People like to blend things together that feels good, not bound by time and location. Seems like this allows more eclectic things to surface in new and exciting ways.
From fusion jazz, to the Talking Heads, to your current project, Latin styles of music have proven to be very compatible and complimenting to disparate genres of music. Why do you think that they are so versatile and perennially appealing?
CH: Growing up around these styles of music you can forget how far back these rhythms go. The origin of these rhythms are ancient and Latin music is already a blend of many styles, Indigenous, African, Middle Eastern. I think they blend well with modern music because the initial intent in creating these rhythms is the same, to communicate a message and make the person feel something and dance. Afro Cuban music was blended by popular classical music composers in the 19th century and American Jazz artists in the 1950s created different styles of music coming from the same clave rhythm. Today you hear these patterns in electronic music. Now that I pay more attention I hear it right away, so this tells me it's still happening. Also, all the many different Latin styles are changing too so it's exciting to see where it takes us next.
What are your future plans for both the music and the restaurant?
B: Well, right now I have the summer residency till the end of August, and Charlie has been helping me a lot with that. We have some DIY Chimi / Liquid shows booked around the release. As far as the restaurant, we realized we get more energy back from doing the music than the food, so it's on hold for a bit.
Anything else you want folks to know?
CH and B : Just want to give a big shout out to the other artist featured on the Chimi / Liquid album. Lace Card is Ricardo Alessio (@deathspan) who we've made music with for years now. Also Breanna Barbarra (@breannabarbara) who is going to pop off next year, and we also play with. And the Eternity Now (@eternity_now) crew who helps us with a lot of our video stuff. Thanks!
You can buy Chimi / Liquid's debut album via ACT-ualize here.
B: No, but we have done studio work for other people, but nothing like for Nabisco or Nike or anything. Actually yes, I enjoy writing jingles for friends’ small businesses in my head. Haha. “The world of wines, not hard to find. It all begins, a glass with friends! Vino by the Sea!” for example.
Is writing a jingle different than writing any other kind of song? Why/why not?
B: I don't think so. Every song is a jingle with varying levels of ciche. Whether you're getting paid to write a song to sell a product or you find something that inspires you to write a song, in the end it's really the same thing. That being said, are we looking for work writing jingles... nah. It is interesting what songs motivate people to buy a product after listening. I suppose in a way that’s what this album is kinda about. Can the songs have a life of their own, when the product is half-baked:)
What were some of your commercial inspirations for the music?
CH: Spiritual music In central park drum circles Pharaoh Sanders House music played in the bars around La Romana, 80s 90s artists like Wilfredo Vargas, Big Boy, El General.
B: Todd Terje, Paradise is a Frequency, Suzanne Ciani, Bing & Ruth, Mort Garson, Kashif.
What were some of your less commercial influences?
B: A lot of the sound inspiration came from the Winter we spent in the Dominican Republic in 2019. At that time we were living in Nashville surrounded by indie rock-ish/ Country music. It was very inspiring to hear a completely different musical template.
These jingles work really well as stand-alone songs and the album, on the whole, is really coherent sounding. Was this always your intent?
CH: O wow! Thank you. Haha. Yes, that was our intent, but we knew stylistically it's all over the place. The bass tracks were mostly recorded on my ½ inch tape machine in Brooklyn, and then Ben did overdubs and mixed it in Rockaway. We mastered it at the esteemed Tall Juan’s (@talljuan) studio. Big shout out to Tall Juan. He’s a boss.
Millennials and Gen Zers have really embraced light rock, tropicalia, and samba in recent years. What do you think accounts for the increased popularity of these genres amongst young(ish) people?
CH: We think it's because we have more access to diverse music. People like to blend things together that feels good, not bound by time and location. Seems like this allows more eclectic things to surface in new and exciting ways.
From fusion jazz, to the Talking Heads, to your current project, Latin styles of music have proven to be very compatible and complimenting to disparate genres of music. Why do you think that they are so versatile and perennially appealing?
CH: Growing up around these styles of music you can forget how far back these rhythms go. The origin of these rhythms are ancient and Latin music is already a blend of many styles, Indigenous, African, Middle Eastern. I think they blend well with modern music because the initial intent in creating these rhythms is the same, to communicate a message and make the person feel something and dance. Afro Cuban music was blended by popular classical music composers in the 19th century and American Jazz artists in the 1950s created different styles of music coming from the same clave rhythm. Today you hear these patterns in electronic music. Now that I pay more attention I hear it right away, so this tells me it's still happening. Also, all the many different Latin styles are changing too so it's exciting to see where it takes us next.
What are your future plans for both the music and the restaurant?
B: Well, right now I have the summer residency till the end of August, and Charlie has been helping me a lot with that. We have some DIY Chimi / Liquid shows booked around the release. As far as the restaurant, we realized we get more energy back from doing the music than the food, so it's on hold for a bit.
Anything else you want folks to know?
CH and B : Just want to give a big shout out to the other artist featured on the Chimi / Liquid album. Lace Card is Ricardo Alessio (@deathspan) who we've made music with for years now. Also Breanna Barbarra (@breannabarbara) who is going to pop off next year, and we also play with. And the Eternity Now (@eternity_now) crew who helps us with a lot of our video stuff. Thanks!
You can buy Chimi / Liquid's debut album via ACT-ualize here.
