MEXICO CITY – Mexican alternative and psychedelic rock band Zoe will give a series of concerts in Spain before returning to the studio, bringing its “emotional and universal” brand of music to the other side of the Atlantic, drummer Rodrigo Guardiola told Efe.

“Our audience keeps getting bigger. We’re seeing on the social networking sites that there are already a lot of people buying tickets. Things are looking better all the time and it’s great that local bands like Vetusta Morla are opening doors for us because that opens up more venues,” Guardiola said.

It will mark the fifth visit to Spain by the band, whose other members are Leon Larregui (lead vocalist), Sergio Acosta (guitar), Jesus Baez (keyboards) and Angel Mosqueda (bass).

The first concert will take place on July 11 in Madrid, followed by performances in Bilbao on July 13, Barcelona on July 14, Valencia on July 19, Alcala de Henares on July 20 and Nigran on July 21.

Even though it is “expensive” to go to other countries and a lot of money must be spent on the initial tours, bands gradually reap the benefits of this investment, Mosqueda said.

“More people are coming to our shows on each visit and we’re hoping for big success there. It’s flattering to see they understand your music in another country,” he said.

Although the band members say they are not afraid to live in Mexico, they acknowledge that they have stopped giving concerts in some cities racked by drug-related violence such as Ciudad Juarez.

“It’s not so much fear as that the promoters don’t even want to do shows, or when someone wants to do them they may be contacted, asked for protection money mafia-style,” Mosqueda said. EFE