Naturally Nic
Salvador frontman Nic Gonzalez talks about their new album, So Natural, the band's growth, and the state of being single.
by Andree Farias | posted 12/13/2004
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If you've ever seen Salvador live, you've probably wondered how they do it. How does a local worship band from a small Spanish church become a Latin powerhouse of eight skilled musicians who can bring crowds to their feet at more than 200 shows a year? The musicianship wasn't always there; early albums contained a lot of outside input, both production-wise and instrumentally. But life on the road and a redefining sense of togetherness shaped the band into what it is today, a change that's palpable in their latest, the flavorful So Natural (Word/Warner Bros.), which we recently named one of 2004's Best Christian Albums. Nic Gonzalez recently sat down with us to discuss this ownership, as well as his reasons as to why he simply loves being single.
So Natural is a triumph; you've come so far since your early CDs. How do you feel about those first albums?
Nic Gonzalez The first record we did, we enjoyed the process of making it. We had been singing those songs for years, but to be honest, Into Motion (their second CD) was a bit of a studio disaster because they were trying to make us into something we're not. A lot of people that bought our self-titled album were like, "What in the world is this?" Which is understandable, and we don't blame anybody for that.
When we started making So Natural, we borrowed elements from the first record, which is more Latin, has a lot of drumming, world percussion, rock solos, stuff like that. We're Texas boys, and guitar-swinging is a big deal down here. At the same time, we didn't want it to be just rock stuff, so we made sure to add enough minor chords to give it a Latin flavor to the solos.
Did you feel more involved this time?
Gonzalez With So Natural, we felt like we all had a little more to do with it, both in the writing and production process. My manager told the label, "We want Nic to write everything and produce everything. But if you have other guys that want to work on it, that's fine." That's when we went with Chris Rodriguez to help us produce, to keep us in check and keep the integrity of the band. The records feels good. Everybody had fun making it.
But didn't Chris produce on the unlistenable Into Motion as well?
Gonzalez On Into Motion, he was producing by himself. On this record, he and I produced everything together. When people work on their own and have their own agenda, things turn out different. I have an agenda for my band, and my band knows that I'm going to stand up for what we think it's creatively good, and that's what happened on this album. We worked together with Chris, instead of him telling me how to do it.
So, why'd you feel the need to record a cover of Los Lonely Boys' "Heaven"?
Gonzalez We kinda kicked around the idea. The label said, "Man, there isn't a band better to do this song than Salvador, so let's see how it comes out." I was very reluctant in the beginning, first because it's a mainstream song, and second because, obviously, the question would arise, "Oh, are you guys just trying to get a radio hit?" The truth of the matter is, without radio, we're dead in the water anyway. Media is one of those things that has always evaded Salvador. I don't know what it is. Maybe we don't have the right looks, or the right style.
What did the rest of the guys think about covering "Heaven"?
Gonzalez They said, "They're from Texas, they wrote a great song, it's a good representation of our culture and who we are, and it connects with the country." So it was done for those reasons, but also to get into places that to this day we haven't been able to get into. Radio stations that never played us before are finally playing us. It's definitely good, 'cause we never get any love. We're at a critical part of our career, where people are either going to take notice, or we're going to start dying away.
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