I first encountered Carabeza at a house show in Santa Cruz. I heard a set of original music that got a crowd of college folk to mosh, bop their heads, and shake their hips. This was something I hadn’t seen in this sleepy beach town. From that moment, it became my mission to figure out what the hell was going on.

Carabeza is an art-rock band founded in Santa Cruz consisting of members native to the Bay Area, with their lead singer from Mexico City. Fre (lead singer, lyricist, guitarist) and Reuben (guitarist) met in college and started making music together. While the chemistry was great, a bit of drum and bass were needed for their vision. This was when they began looking for more members for their band, which is where Beau (bassist) and Aidan (drummer) came in. Aidan tried out and caught the vibe. When auditioning for a bassist, the first person in mind didn’t show (was sick, busy, who knows? their loss). Aidan called Beau to get his butt down to the audition, and he stuck the landing, sorta. He brought the wrong amp, but his home in Oakland was close enough for him to grab the right one. The four of them jammed together, and “the rest is history” – (Aidan: “Please don’t put that in”).

Together they wrote their first track, “Donkey Song”. Once they got comfortable with each other’s style, a “Cambrian explosion” of music popped out over the last year. Since then, they have been playing shows in Santa Cruz and other parts of the Bay Area. From Carabeza, you can expect to feel a variety of emotions and ambiance from their setlist. From psychedelic rock to Western melodies to Latin-inspired beats, they bring something to the table that can appeal to almost everyone. Each track has its own personality yet carries the essence of what the band represents.

So, what is Carabeza? Well, obviously, they’re a band. But when speaking to them about their debut album, their members have intentions with what they do on the stage. With Fre’s influence from her Mexican roots and Reuben, Aidan, and Beau being from different parts of the Bay Area, Carabeza wants to give us this harmonious union of different lived experiences. “Bringing people together who wouldn’t usually come together” is their goal in making music and performing. Over the last decade, people are no longer listening to the same four radio stations. Music taste has become so much more niche and richer in variety, and they want to cater to that. “Humans have more in common than they think”; music helps bring people together. Carabeza has a vision for the music scene in Santa Cruz: everyone is welcome. They want people to be able to go to a house show and see different types of music on the setlist. You can go from a shoegaze band to a house DJ to a hardcore band in the future they see for Santa Cruz. Everyone from anywhere should know they have the freedom of expression at a show Carabeza’s at.

KAH-RAH-BĒ-ZA is the name of their upcoming album that’s releasing at the beginning of 2025. They will be releasing their first single “Boxes” on November 27th of this year. You can expect to hear them on, if not all, most streaming platforms. In the meantime, follow Carabeza on Instagram for live shows and updates @carabeza.sc.

Santa Cruz Art-Rock Band Taking Control of the College Music ScenE