HAIL FROM: Lucho moved from Peru when he was 19 in 1993 to Tamarac; lives in Boca Raton. Fred moved from Brazil to California when he was 23 in 1993, then in 1994 to Margate, where he still lives.
BAND NAME: “I was going through a breakup,” says Lucho, “so I started going to a therapist and he said, ‘You do music, that’s your weekend therapy.'”
THE SOUND: Top 40s rock, alternative and Latin rhythms with influences ranging from rock and alternative to hip hop.
MUSIC INTRO: Says Lucio: “My dad had this keyboard in his office when I was probably around 12 or 13 and I would play that. There was a cover band that lived across the street from my house, so I would go and watch them rehearse. I joined my high school band and played clarinet, but then I found a broken guitar and I ended up fixing it. So, I just taught myself. But I didn’t get more serious until I moved to the States. Says Fred: “My dad was a disc jockey and radio personality in Brazil, and I would go to the studio with him and spend hours. We would listen to everything, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, then I got into ’70s rock, then into metal music. When I was 10 years old, I told my parents I wanted to play drums. And when I was 13, I got a drum set, even though my dad didn’t want me to be a musician. In 1993, I moved to California to actually study music.”
DAY JOBS: Says Fred: “I have a family, three kids, the whole nine yards, so yeah it is necessary to have a day job.” Says Lucio: “I’ve been a loan officer for a long time.”
SET LIST MUST: “Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus.’ We do a cool version of that song. We change the beat on that one.”
PRE-PERFORMANCE RITUAL: “We have one first drink. You ready for it? It’s an Old Fashioned” (whiskey cocktail).
BAND SOULMATE: Each other. Says Fred: “Lucho and I, we always had this very close bond as musicians and now we’ve become friends, of course. We rarely disagree with each other. After COVID, we wanted to reevaluate what we do, and we decided to become just a duo. It took a different shape. Our identity changed for the better.”
SOFLA’S MUSIC SCENE: “I think the music scene has changed since COVID,” says Fred. “I’ve seen a lot of tribute bands coming up, like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and even a Meat Loaf tribute band.” Says Lucio: “You know why? It might be because concert tickets are so damn expensive.”
THE LAST WORD: “A bar is an interesting place, and we have fun with that – we like the chemistry of a bar, it has a lot of stories of a lot of different people,” says Fred. “Our mission and our set list is to get everyone dancing. Those are the best moments ever. I like that feeling,” says Lucio.
CATCH THEM LIVE: In March, every Wednesday at Max’s Grille, Boca Raton; Thursday, March 7, Igot’s Martiki Bar, Lake Worth; Thursday, March 14 and 28, Friday, March 22, Original Fat Cat’s, Fort Lauderdale; Saturday, March 16 and 30, Briny Irish Pub, Pompano Beach.
FOLLOW: Instagram @myweekendtherapy
