December 11, 2023
Art, Lifestyle, Entertainment, culture, Music,
Black Pumas have garnered universal appeal for their unique psychedelic-meets-soul sound, but singer/songwriter/co-producer Eric Burton and guitarist/co-producer Adrian Quesada knew there would be no place like home—more specifically, Austin City Limits Live (ACL Live)—to kick-off their tour. After earning multiple Grammy nominations and performing in sold-out tours worldwide, the duo has been especially eager to get onstage since their second album, Chronicles of a Diamond, launched on October 27. “One of my favorite things about ACL Live, as someone who’s performed there and also seen shows there, is that the energy is similar all throughout the venue,” Quesada says. “There doesn’t really feel like there’s a bad seat in the house.”
Back in 2017, Quesada, a Grammy winner whose background included playing in a Latin-funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma, met Eric Burton, a self-taught musician who used to busk in Austin. Two years later, they earned seven Grammy nominations as Black Pumas, including one for Album of the Year. There is no denying their music, and especially anthems like the gold-certified “Colors,” speaks to the masses.
Guitarist/co-producer Adrian Quesada (left) and singer/songwriter/co-producer Eric Burton are the duo known as Black Pumas. PHOTO BY JODY DOMINGUE
After finding success worldwide, Black Pumas are returned to the place where their story began for a series of live concerts from December 3-6.
The band’s sophomore album cover. PHOTO COURTESY OF BLACK PUMAS
Quesada says they started working on Chronicles of a Diamond almost immediately after the premiere of the first album and then put it aside a few times due to heavy touring. But then, “We picked up the pace and kicked into high gear at the beginning of 2023 and didn’t let up until it was finished,” he recalls. “We really wanted to prove to ourselves that we could top the first one, so it was a challenging effort.”
Critics have begun heaping praise for the beats, guitar riffs, strings and gospel harmonies that permeate the band’s newest songs. One particularly celebrated highlight is “Mrs. Postman,” a track that marks the first time the duo co-wrote with another musician, Jaron Marshall, who also plays keyboard in the song. “I was partly thinking about how much joy the postmen can bring to people’s lives, but I also wanted to encourage the people in my family and anyone else working a blue-collar job,” Burton says of the lyrics. “I know from firsthand experience how arduous it can be, and I wanted to send a message saying, ‘I still see all the beauty and light in you.’”
Fans from all walks of life are responding with lots of love for Black Pumas, especially Texans. And though Quesada says he and Burton are looking forward to this upcoming tour, which will take them around the country, then over to Europe and back to Nashville, he is eager to return to Austin for a cherished ritual: “After a tour, the first thing I do is eat breakfast tacos. My typical spots [are] San Juanitas, Pueblo Viejo, Trippy Tacos and Taqueria Fenix.” Here’s hoping the tour—and the inevitable tacos—are the stuff of dreams
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