Condors and Chaos – The Jitney Interview

You know the caramel and cheddar mix of popcorn that just seems to work so well? The type with the shiny tin can it comes in? That’s the sound of Condors and Chaos. When you open the lid you get that little crunch and crumble, the thunk of the tin.

Make sure to catch their last show for 2023 on November 11 at Magic 13 and keep an ear out for the new album. The members of Condors and Chaos, Alex De Renzis, Natasha De Renzis, and Garundt hopped on to the Jitney to discuss their band.

Why the name Condors and Chaos?

Garundt: Growing up the Andean Condor was an animal that captured my imagination, so I thought we could have the word Condor in it. Then we agreed that another word we liked is chaos.

Alex: Our music is fed by chaos. Everything we experience, events happening around the world, challenges we are faced with. All of which influence what we write and compose. Both musically and lyrically. Chaos is a powerful force that can’t be made sense of, and we feed off that.

Natasha: To me, metaphorically it means “feed off chaos” which explains our music perfectly.

What is your practice situation? How do you write your songs?

Natasha: We practice in our garage and thankfully there’s AC in there or we would melt in the Miami heat. Most of our ideas start with a riff by Garundt. Then we jam it, and usually lyrics come with the melody for me, in unison. I don’t like to overthink it. I tweak the story from there.

If you can have a guest musician play with you who would it be?

Natasha: if I could bring back the dead: Kurt Cobain, David Bowie – Alive: Josh Homme, Jack White, Dave Grohl, Karen O, Trent Reznor, Iggy Pop, Stevie Nicks.

Alex: Jeff Buckley, Kurt Cobain and I’d love to set up two kits and jam out with Dave Grohl.

Garundt: perhaps in an alternate universe where I was a good musician and wasn’t so self conscious: Trent Reznor, Zeta and Charly from Soda Stereo, Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, Jimmy Chamberlin from the Smashing Pumpkins and like 100 others.

Tell us about your next album. When can we expect it?

Natasha: We just finished recording a couple songs with Ryan Haft that will be released as singles in the next couple months. We are aiming for a full length by next summer.

Share with us something that you wouldn’t usually tell other people.

Natasha: I was nominated for three Latin Grammys. Though I am very proud, it’s not something I wear on my sleeve because I don’t want to be “judged” by it. I chose to step away from that career path because I was feeling lost and unhappy with the direction the label wanted the next record to go in. I was in a very dark place, very young and rebellious. I guess I’m still a little rebellious. Music business is hard, and I’m much more content playing what I love rather than heading in the direction I was being taken in. I hope people enjoy our music as much as I do!

Alex: Messi>Ronaldo. Oh wait, I tell everyone that.

Garundt: I don’t like to sleep with my arms hanging off the edge of the bed.

Where do you come from?

Natasha: Argentina and Peru

Do you have a video coming out?

Garundt: I already started working on one. Probably recording a second one early next year.

What was the first album you each bought?

Natasha: Nirvana, Nevermind (that’s a lot of N’s).

Garundt: Can’t remember my first cassette… but my first CD was Pearl Jam’s Ten.

Alex: First cassettes were Nirvana’s Nevermind, Offspring’s Smash and Green Day’s Dookie. First CD: Guns n Roses – Use Your Illusion I.

Anything else you want to tell me or provide to include into this?

Natasha: November 11th at Magic 13-  last show of the year for us. New single coming this December! Follow us on Insta for updates on that

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Maitejosune Urrechaga

Visual artist Maitejosune Urrechaga is a South Florida artist who works with music, installations, comic books and film. She is perhaps best known as the "better half" of Miami's Pocket Of Lollipops where she plays bass and shares vocal duties with her husband drummer.