Thee Sinseers
Thee Sinseers is an East LA band known for “Chicano soul,” a genre that was created in the City of Angels as a Latin take on Black R&B and soul that also originated here in the 1960s. The sound is defined by dreamy, sunny, and romantic ballads.
A big inspiration for Thee Sinseers lead singer Joey Quiñones is 1960s rocksteady music, as well as Ritchie Valens, Little Richards, and Ray Charles.
“It really fascinated me that these guys were there sitting with these ideas and these concepts in their mind — not just lyrics and guitar playing, but the whole orchestra with a horn section, the vocals and all the layering. That's just how I heard music in my head since being in marching band and loving the whole group orchestra kind of sound and the different layers and the different instruments.”
Today, Quiñones plays more than a dozen instruments, which he credits in part to those marching band days. That includes obscure instruments, such as the conga and vibraphone. Quiñones’ foray into singing started when a friend was performing at a late-night comedy show and wanted a band that would play between his segments. He sang “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding.
