THE SCRAPE - ISSUE 1

SONIDO DEAD STEADY - By Salo 

SONIDO DEAD STEADY is spelled with all caps, which only feels appropriate once you get to know his massive artistic background. He's a DJ, a graphic designer, and he's on a very short list of artists bringing the Columbian sounds of Cumbia musical stylings to Portland. For the many folks reading that won't know the rhythmic joys of Cumbia (like most people in the US), heres a brief rundown from Masterclass.com: "Cumbia is a style of Latin music that originated in Colombia and became popular throughout South America, Central America, and the United States.

Traditional cumbia music uses a blend of African, Amerindian, and European styles and uses musical instruments such as drums, flutes, maracas, and accordions." SONIDO DEAD STEADY plays DJ on Cumbia nights at Portland venues like the Alberta St Pub, making rooms of friends and strangers dance throughout the night. Cumbia is an outrageously dancy form of music, and people of all backgrounds come to partake. Videos of these nights on youtube will reveal sultry, passionate dances taking place in every corner, and even on stage alongside SONIDO DEAD STEADY. 

He started his musical journey in Anaheim, CA, where he began playing with punk and metal bands, distinct and far from the many styles of music he would grow to embody. He played around with a variety of bands, eventually heading to LA. When the LA lifestyle finally ran raw, SONIDO DEAD STEADY left SoCal for greener pastures. In 2020 be moved to Portland, and was immediately greeted by a global pandemic. Unable to play live music, he shopped around his graphic design work, making graphics and flyers professionally for such Portland music mainstays as Star Theatre, and the Alberta St Pub. He spoke with interviewer Rainezra about playing non-cumbia related festivals, and Spring Fest 2023 represents a chance to do just that. He brings a completely unique style to the diverse lineup, and will surely be a pleasure for all involved.