MUSIC

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There’s a harmony within The Chimies that extends past their music.

From their eight original pieces like the crowd favor-ite “Brand New” to any of the covers they do, the seven-member Chimies perform as one.

� eir chemistry is impeccable.At a recent practice, lead guitarist Omar Guajardo

broke into a rendition of � e Beatles’ � ey Say It’s Your Birthday. Drummer Mike Ortega o� ered some beats and the two shared a moment. � e rest of the gang quickly joined in the fun. � e band was taking a break when the impromptu jam session broke out.

Singer Vikki Camacho announced that it was Omar’s 22nd birthday that summer day. � e band joked that Omar would have to play Happy Birthday to himself. So he did. � e energetic guitarist grabbed his Fender Tele-caster and commenced to serenade himself.

Mike, or Mikey as he’s known to the band, started banging his snares to enhance the moment.

Vikki and conga-man Stephen Munoz joined in on the mic. Frontman Eric Paul Zapata took a seat behind the congas and started slapping the tumbadoras.

It was but a mere moment in the life of � e Chimies that might not have much signi� cance when it’s all said and done. But it’s a moment that clearly illustrated why this band of musicians and artists have enjoyed a good amount of success in only a few months of playing to-gether.

“When people see us at shows, they get that there’s a sense of unity with the band,” Camacho said. “� ey don’t see someone taking the lead over another. We’ve all come together as one band to create a positive atmosphere for everyone.”

� e Chimies started with Eric and Stephen jamming at college parties. When Vikki and Eric began dating, it didn’t take long before her amazing vocals joined the group.

� e band started taking shape as they added Chris Bartnesky on rhythm guitar, Fernie Martinez on bass and Mikey on the drums. Super Tree bassist John Justice � lls in for Martinez regularly.

“We all share the same passion and love of music,” Eric Paul said. “I don’t think some people realize how deep our love is for music. We enjoy playing with every ounce of energy in our being.”

� e Chimies got their � rst break playing in front of a scarce crowd at local restaurant/bar Papa Joes in Harlin-gen. � eir crowds grew every time the band put on an-other show.

� e small venue can’t hold � e Chimies faithful any-more as the band’s following seems to grow with every performance.

The Chimies bring an eclec-tic mix of sounds to every show from rock to folk to pop and reggae. They play what they like to call “acoustic groove,” which

brings all the genres they know and love to make a sound that is truly unique to the Harlingen-based band.

“We want to bring people together through music,” Eric Paul said.

At the same practice that produced the birthday mash up, � e Chimies rehearsed another original called “Loui-siana Nights” for the � rst time as a group. In a ma� er of minutes, all members fed o� each other pu� ing together one of their best e� orts to date.

As Eric Paul and Vikki sang, the others closed their eyes as they strummed or banged out a beat. Each in their own world, the group was in sync from the start to create art.

� ere’s something about music that makes us all feel good,” Eric Paul said. “If I could, I would play it forever.”

By the end of July, the group played a couple of shows in McAllen and Edinburg. And as the year comes to an end, the band hopes to make its way to the studio and re-cord their � rst album.

� e band’s dream and vision of reaching out to the masses through their music is becoming more of a reality every day.

Eric possesses a deep-rooted faith in God that he said is shared by the whole band. Each member has a strong spiritual side that he said leads them to believe they’re each put on Earth for a greater purpose.

� e Chimies’ purpose is to spread love. Even as they aspire to play to sellout crowds in giant arenas, their mis-sion is still to play for a cause.

� e Chimies, in all their recent success and with all their talent, remain humble and focused on the purpose that with their music they can change the world.

� e Chimies are doing it one show at a time. One song at a time. One lyric at a time.

“We want to play in front of 50,000 people and raise money to feed hungry children all over the world,” Eric Paul said. “Our goal is to play to sellout crowds but also a� ach good causes to our music and make a di� erence in the world. And I think the whole band feels the same way.”