Ál Carmona is one of the members of Rober y los Optimistas‘s band. They have just recorded the song ‘Vamos despertando’ (We Are Waking Up) written by composers living with the symptoms of mental illness, in the framework of the IME (Introspection Music Experience) project founded by the European Commission. We discover more

Question: How was the collaboration with composers who inspired the song ‘Vamos Despertando’?

Answer: We are used to playing with people with mental health issues: the leader of our band lives with the symptoms of it, so we accept this condition as something natural. Róber and I have been playing together for about 17 years. Rarely has it been a month during these years that the band has not rehearsed weekly.

Question: How did Rober y los Optimistas get started?

Answer: Félix Pérez, from the group Candeal, had a studio and the first two EPs were recorded there. The first one with Rober and Félix helped by Jesús E. Cuadrado ‘Chuchi’ on the guitar. For the second one, Rebeca de Orleans on the chorus, Quique ‘Más madera’ on the solo guitar and me on the bass. From there the group began to be called ‘Róber y los Optimistas’. There was a moment in which the bassist Alejandro Rivero, from the group ‘Reciclaje’, joined the group and I moved on to the rhythmic guitar. Later on, Gabriel Santiago, the people from La Cava, came… Since 2004, many Optimistas have come and gone. There have been trips and moves to different cities. We have had painful losses, Félix recently or the flutist Óscar García a little bit before… But we have met many people and all have influenced us, I guess that we have also left something to them. This path has led us to publish a compilation with three EPs -the third one we recorded in the IES Puerta Bonita in Carabanchel- in all digital platforms such as Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/album/3xhFHpCTFOR04tCDMyYGwm?si=2XG1K_YZSa2dd4Btfca4YQ) or TIDAL (https://tidal.com/browse/album/149698383)  We have made some video clips that we are going to publish gradually (https://youtu.be/z9Rz3_-XNOI)..

Question: How do you create your songs?

Answer: In Rober y los Optimistas, both the music and the lyrics come from Rober. We make some arrangements, but Rober is a very good musician and a very good guitarist; very personal. The repertoire is mainly his own, his ideas and songs. The lyrics of the song for the European project IME, ‘Vamos despertando’ has been written by Rober together with his colleagues from the 20 metros day care centre. Rober has put together the lyrics from different people and created the music; the Optimistas have just finished arranging the song.

Question: Does this proximity to mental illness give you an identity?

Answer: The circumstances of the leader of our band give a creative and unusual nature to the lyrics and structures of the songs, but Róber y los Optimistas is a band like the others. We make music and we do it naturally. You don’t have to be mad to make creative music, but if you are, it is not a problem. It’s even an artistic advantage sometimes. We’re all on the same level, those who have diagnosed mental health problems and those who don’t… Music and artistic creation are healing elements, vital for anyone. We must remember that Róber is also a painter with a unique and recognizable style. He has absolutely superb pictorial work.

Question: Do you have a message for the public?

Answer: Our repertoire challenges the public and we encourage them not to judge and not to be condescending with our music. At first glance, it may capture you more or less, but it never leaves you indifferent. We would like people to listen to Rober’s songs seriously, no to first think ‘It has been done by a madman’ and that is all. There are songs which are provocative and funny, those celebrate both his own and everyone else madness, other songs have a background, a meaning and dig in an experience that is difficult for anyone to live. Rober’s music is unique, it is more important the attitude than the form. Sometimes I am not sure if the concept is understood: people could think: ‘¿¡And these fucking lunatics…?!’ [Laughs]. But our songs try to be touching in a certain way; they touch something personal and essential in the audience. There are some songs that are brutal, but they are also as innocent as they are able to disarm you.

Question: What does being a member of Robert y los Optimistas bring to you?

Answer: In my opinion, music is something very powerful. Making music makes us, as musicians, very happy. It makes us feel fulfilled and that compensates the pain that it also brings now-a-days. The feeling you get on stage, when everything: musicians, audience, sound… works is unique and addictive. Anyone who has ever been on stage knows what I am talking about. There is no need for further pretensions. I remember one of the last concerts in a bar next to Rober’s house: we really enjoyed it, many friends came and also some strangers were amazed… a concert of Róber y los Optimistas is always fun! On the other hand, genuine music brings people together; it empowers society and its individuals: it makes us a tribe. Now this does not seem to please certain interests… it is easier to control people if they feel lonely and vulnerable and to sell us useless things if we feel displeased and sad. That is why certain musical scenes are promoted, those that have more of a neutral and alienating product than honest and genuine art.

Question: What do you mean by genuine?

Answer: To dare to say: ‘I am here, I am like this and this is what I really feel’ even though it is not pretty. To recognize that shit exists and because of this, the world is not less beautiful. To talk about other types of sensations beyond good vibes, fun or romantic love; those cliché rock songs. To not try to please for the sake of liking, nor to be cool for the sake of being cool. Listen to songs like ‘¡Estoy loco!’, ‘Metemos miedo’ or ‘Nada en el cuerpo’ and then ‘Lo que yo sé’, ‘Esperando conocerte’ or ‘Lisonjera sonrisa’ and you will see what I mean.

Question: What do you get out of participating in IME project?

Answer: I am left with having met new people. Both incredible artists from other countries and Róber’s colleagues at INTRAS. The latter have been rehearsing for more than a year and, even though they are not very experienced musicians in general, their motivation and sensitivity often surpasses that of professional musicians. There are people who have embarked on writing lyrics and poetry in such an honest way that it hits you like a slap in the face, people who have started singing in public with a determination that I wish I have for me, and others who have picked up the guitar again to enter the studio and record this song, “Vamos despertando”. That moment when you feel that people ‘wake up’ to music is very motivating. And contagious.

Ál Carmona is a founding member and guitarist of ‘Róber y los Optimistas’, bassist of the band ‘Sin voz ni don’ and has published the solo album ‘Canciones sin estribillos’

www.facebook.com/alcarmonamusic / @alcarmonamusic

2 thoughts on “Ál Carmona reflects upon the identity of Rober y los Optimistas (Rober and the optimistic people) and how proximity to mental illness influences their songs.

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