Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Riumbau and Mia Rodriguez.
Amy and Mia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We, Amy Riumbau and Mia Rodriguez have always bonded through our love of music. We discovered the local Miami music scene some years ago and we were enamored with the people, the energy, and above all, the bands and their music. We realized that a lot of the bands that we admire generally don’t receive the same amount of support that larger bands in the local scene do. Therefore, we decided that creating a platform where smaller and larger bands alike receive support for their art. Being artists ourselves, we understand how important representation is and how impactful it can be on ones career.
At the beginning of quarantine, we launched our Instagram platform and were inspired by how much support we received during the early stages of The Underground. From there on, we’ve contacted over 100 local bands and have continued to collaborate with them on our platform. Wanting to further introduce ourselves and our mission/vision, we decided it was time to create The Underground website.
On our website, we feature pictures of bands, and most prominently, we began to conduct video interviews that bands can do remotely from home. Our name was inspired by the late 60’s underground artistic movements, and we felt that this directly translated our efforts in shedding light on growing underground artists. Therefore, we are The Underground Miami.
Has it been a smooth road?
So far, within what we can do remotely, it has been a very supportive and loving journey. However, we, at many times, feel restrained by the pandemic. We soon hope to fulfill our ambitious projects once it is safe to do so.
The Underground Miami – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We shed light on local Miami bands that don’t receive as much attention as larger local bands. We specialize in collaborating with all types of local artists in the local scene and representing them on our Instagram page, as well as on our website. We are most proud of creating a platform in which many people can be a part of and feel inspired to support. This makes us unique because we have created a community other than the community that already exists between local artists. Day by day, we feel proud to say that we are successfully growing as a platform and community. In the future, we plan to host multiple events in which we can showcase small and large local bands of all genres. We look forward to working more directly with these artists and helping them grow within our platform. We also intend to host shows in which all proceeds are directed towards different local organizations that we support. Smaller-scale projects that we are currently working on include: personally designed posters and zines in which local artists are represented, including ourselves.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We love the diversity of people, taste, and especially the music since that is what motivated us to create The Underground. We both grew up with diverse music from our family’s cultures, respectively Colombian and Cuban. Being artists, we are also very attracted to the colorful city, along with the art deco architecture that resides in the beautiful scenery that is Miami. Although Miami is hectic in so many ways, there is nothing that overtakes our love for our city.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theundergroundmia.wixsite.com/theunderground
- Phone: 786-608-5506 , 786-521-6966
- Email: theundergroundmia@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underground.mia/
Image Credit:
Humberto “El Gato” Rodriguez, Guitars: Courtesy of Gibson Guitars
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