Family band sparked by son’s love of music

Diario Vivir, translated in English as “daily life,” is not your everyday local band.

Formed in 2001, the band breaks away from the ordinary by playing Latin rock, a genre growing in popularity in the U.S. in recent years, primarily due to a demographic shift in which the Latin population has grown dramatically.

The family band consists of father Orlando Guzman (primary vocalist, musical director, composer, arranger and lead guitarist), mother Rosa Sanchez a.k.a. “Cuqui” (minor percussion and back up vocals), long-time family friend Gerry Rivera (bass and back up vocals), daughter Coraly Guzman, (congas and bongos), and son Christian Guzman, a.k.a. “El Kriky” (drummer and second vocalist).

Although primarily a Latin rock band, the family also mixes in the popular sounds of Latin culture including meringue and reggaeton. The band has other artists play trumpet, saxophone and violin.

Diario Vivir started when Christian’s love of music led him to teach himself the drums and write a song. The rest of the family followed suit, finding an outlet to express the love of music they all shared.

“Our ultimate goal is to make our music relate to people’s everyday lives, spread happiness through our music and to perform on many more stages throughout the world,” Orlando said.

The group decided to focus on Latin rock – a choice made with the goal of standing out and being heard.

“We did not want to do the same rhythms you hear everyday, we wanted to be different,” Christian said.

Since 2001, the band has continually raised its popularity throughout the local community, playing at local events such as World of Nations, Fiesta Playera, free events for hospitals and charities and even at outside festivities during the Florida vs. Georgia weekend and Super Bowl XXXIX.

The Jacksonville-based family band also had the opportunity to share the stage with famous celebrities in Latin culture including Monchy y Alexandra, Michael Stuart, Victor Manuel and La Banda Algarete.

The family’s favorite place to perform is its homeland, Puerto Rico. Diario Vivir has played at yearly festivals in different cities of the island.

With its growing popularity, the band is always promoting online, through local TV and radio.

“We usually always sell our CDs right after our performances, which gives us a chance to meet some of our fans,” Coraly said. “We also always celebrate after a show by just enjoying the event we are at with our fans.”

Diario Vivir, being completely family-run, does occasionally face obstacles such as disagreements on what songs to play at a show because the family is sometimes too honest, Christian said.

“Even though we have our moments, being a family band has its benefits such as giving us the leisure to practice whenever we want,” Sanchez said. “We trust each other completely, we all know each others’ schedules with school and work and we try to have band time around that.”

E-mail Leyla Ramos at features@unfspinnaker.com.