Juan Chi, Dani Debuto (guitar / vocals / percussion), Chino Sandoval (drums), and Antonio Pereira (bass) make up Zeta, a do-it-yourself experimental post-punk band from Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. They just released their latest album, “Was It Medicine To You?”
Formed in 2003 while its members were in middle and high school, Zeta aims to foster community while using its music as a positive force to change the world.
Juan Chi, one of the band’s founding members and multi-instrumentalists said the DIY music scene in Venezuela is pretty small. They couldn’t find a lot of people who were into the music Zeta was interested in.
Their first exposure to a larger scene came in 2008. They traveled to Costa Rica for their first show outside of Venezuela. They opened for Comeback Kid, a Canadian band and they had never seen anything like it.
“Going there was so incredible, so impressive,” Juan Chi said. “Seeing the circle of people and soaking in all that culture of DIY like touring, selling merch, all of these things that are now part of our beliefs … after that, we didn’t want to stop.”
They wanted to take Zeta to the next level. They learned screen printing so they could make their own shirts and started booking all-ages shows outside of the typical bars and nightclubs.
In 2016, Zeta moved to Miami. Political upheaval and turmoil following Nicolas Maduro’s rise to power in 2013 led the band to leave Venezuela. It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay together as a band there.
They felt the growing pressure whenever they tried to travel through South and Central America.
“ Sometimes they would close the borders and we were outside, in another country and we couldn't come back … and that happened to us a couple of times,” Juan Chi said. “It was either not being able to come back the day that we were supposed to, or not being able to go out of the country.”
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With new roots in South Florida and over 1500 shows under their belt spanning over 20 years, Zeta recently released a new album, “Was It Medicine To You?”
The inspiration behind the album comes from an experience Zeta had while touring in West Texas in 2023. They were pulled over and detained for about 24 hours.
They were put on probation, had to attend N.A. meetings and take psychological assessments. Juan Chi said they met many incredible people during this process inspired them and this record.
“ We wanted to first talk about these people that nobody talks about, at least not the way that we see them and honor them and give them a little space,” he said.” Many of the phrases in the lyrics I heard from people communicating and telling their stories in the NA groups.”
How people manage these difficult periods leads to one of the main ideas of the album: the void.
Juan Chi described it as a place where you try to fill it with whatever you can to feel a sense of comfort. And if you’re able to organize what you have stored in there, you can develop a lot of strength after a difficult situation.
It is Zeta’s first release in English. Juan Chi wanted it in English to better honor and represent the many individuals they met. The individuals that “live in the shadows.”
IF YOU GO:
What: Zeta "Was It Medicine To You?" album show
When: January 25, 2025
Where: Gramps in Wynwood, Miami