Behind The Music: Pocket of Lollipops

By Valy Echeverry & Nick Hansen Photo By Dan Gorostiaga

Miami is home to some of the most creative, inspiring, and unique forms of art any city has to offer. If you have been living in Miami for the past four years, its no doubt you’ve heard of the musical wizard duo Pocket Of Lollipops.

Both members of Pocket of Lollipops have been into art since a very early age and have been a part of Miami’s local music and art scene since their teens.

Bassist Maite Urrechaga explains that she thought something was wrong with her when she was starting to realize she was going to pick up the bass because she could not stop moving her fingers as if she was pressing notes on a string instrument. Drummer, Tony Kapel tells us he first picked up the drums when his brother borrowed a drum kit from a local church.

“We’re not just going to play a show because we’re getting paid, we genuinely do enjoy playing. We do have other jobs; somehow we manage to do everything we’re doing. The fact that we have another income and don’t rely on our music’s income allows us to do whatever we want. No one can really control us, you can’t tell me what type of music I have to play because you’re paying me. We both have a full-time job and we are full-time artists and musicians. We’re good at managing our time and being able to balance it all, we don’t sleep all the time but we separate days and times where we say Okay, we should get some sleep. “

Together they create a sound that is their own. They have toured throughout Florida and played in New York, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Rhode Island and North Carolina and plan to take the tour to LA and California next. The passion that comes from the two is obvious through their music, films, books, art and involvement in support of developing the outlet of the two.

“I love what other people are doing but I do know that we do our own thing; I’ve always known that. I think it’s the only thing I know how to do.”

Tony began writing when he was influenced through documentaries like La Bamba and the Buddy Holly Story. Maite has always had a drive to create and was given the space to do so at an early age, which eventually became her sick dog’s space. Having the advantage of living together in their Chatteau de Lollipop now, they can always collaborate at any given time.