MUSIC

Allá, Chebaka, and London pop maestro Nayfo. It included two tracks that also appear on Hard Working Mexican

But before Jorge, Angel, and Lupe could start the label together, they needed to make some big changes in their lives. For one thing, Jorge couldn’t keep working nights at Whole Foods while Lupe worked mornings in retail. The situation reached a breaking point in late 2020.

“Basically, during the pandemic, we were there, all working,” Jorge says. “It just became a quality-of-life thing. It was a good-paying job and all that stuff, so we had to do soulsearching. We had not made music in a long time, so it was tough.”

At that point, Jorge had held down one job or another at Whole Foods for 27 years, but he wanted to be there for his family and also have time for music. “I remember thinking, ‘This is my last holiday at this company.’ It became impossible, and it felt like we were living in a weird lockdown of retail nonsense,” he says. “I snapped and thought, I can’t do this.” at home, but Jorge knew Matt DeWine at Pieholden Suite Sound through Angel, and he helped Chebaka book studio time. With Jorge on electronics and Angel on drums (among other musicians), they recorded on and off throughout 2018 and 2019, piecing together Chebaka’s album Hard Working Mexican. It’s finally coming out May 1, and it’s one of three releases No Sé Discos is celebrating at the Bottle.

“It was awesome being back in the studio,” Jorge says. “Chebaka was so prepared. He embodies what we’re into—respecting the process and enjoying the process of writing music. He’s the past, present, and future. He’s willing to experiment and work hard.”

After Chebaka finished his album in 2019, he and Allá discussed their options for releasing it. The band had withdrawn from performing and studio work, and because their network in the music community was all but gone, they decided that a DIY approach would be the best way to maintain the control they wanted. “That’s when the concept began about creating a label so we could put music out ourselves,” Jorge says.

The pandemic ended up delaying Hard Working Mexican , and then other projects inter vened. In early 2021, the National Museum of Mexican Art invited Chebaka to do a presentation as part of its streaming series. He asked Allá for help, and they came up with the idea of using his older recordings to create a video album. Titled Everything Will Be Streamed, it ended up nearly an hour long, and it debuted on the museum’s YouTube channel on February 13, 2021.

“It’s DIY, shot all over Pilsen, Little Village, Brighton Park, my backyard, my house and basement, the laundromat, even Discount Mall,” Jorge says. “We really wanted to give it flavor.”

The first formal No Sé Discos release ended up being an October 2021 compilation called You Are Essential, which featured musicians who were working risky jobs during COVID:

With support from Angel and Lupe, Jorge quit Whole Foods and used what would’ve been his retirement funds to buy a two-flat that would serve as the family’s home, studio, and rehearsal space. They call their enclave Allálandia. Lupe committed to keeping the job she had, and Angel agreed to help them a ord the building by renting the basement. Everyone knew they were taking a risk, but they also wanted to get their music—and the music of other working-class musicians—out into the world.

That transition also made No Sé Discos a reality. “It’s been a huge adjustment but also made us stronger, for us and for other people,” says Jorge. “I regret not leaving sooner. You don’t just do it for yourself—you do it for your family.”

Jorge didn’t stop working, of course—he got a new job as a support sta er at Brighton Park Elementary. Because his hours are similar to the hours Oona spends in school, he gets to see a lot more of her—the four of them can even have family dinners. “Next thing you know,” he says, “I’m doing after-school art and music programs, supervising all recess and fun activities, and even doing some student outreach. It’s fun!”

Jorge and Angel Ledezma were both born in Chicago in the late 70s and grew up in Rogers Park. Their first exposure to music was through their father’s love of the Beatles, especially Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club