The Real Sound Machine

Band: Nuclear Valdez.

Personnel: Froilan Sosa, lead vocals, guitar; Jorge Barcala, lead guitar; Juan Diaz, bass, vocals; Robert Slade LeMont, drums, vocals.

History: In 1983, teen-age Miami friends Sosa and Diaz grew tired of playing, respectively, in a Top 40 cover band that got lots of gigs and playing in a new-wave type band that got no gigs. They decided to team up. After experimenting with styles and lineups, Nuclear Valdez coalesced after Barcala joined in 1984 and LeMont in 1985. With a straight-ahead rock approach, the Nukes--as the band came to be known in South Florida--stood out in a scene dominated by cover bands and Latin-flavored dance acts. However, it was the latter style, in such acts as Gloria Estefan and Expose, that Miami was known for, and Nuclear Valdez was often overlooked by talent scouts. But after several years as a top South Florida club band and opening act, the group was signed be Epic last year. A debut album, “I Am I,” produced by Richard Gottehrer (who produced the Go-Go’s) and Thom Panunzio, was released in the fall.

Sound: About all Nuclear Valdez shares with most other Miami-based pop acts is the Latin cultural heritage--Sosa is Dominican, the other three all were born in Cuba. Sosa is even on record in a Rolling Stone interview as saying, “We don’t even like Latin music.” The influences he cites are the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, though the sound of the album is a rock style sometimes reminiscent of such pre-metal hard-rock bands as Ten Years After and Blue Oyster Cult. The dominant characteristics come from Sosa’s deft, unshowy guitar playing and LeMont’s spare, snare-heavy drumming in the mode of Police-man Stewart Copeland. As such, it’s tempting to assign Nuclear Valdez the tag as the Latin Living Colour, but that would be more a move of convenience than accuracy.

Shows: Monday at the Roxy, Wednesday at the Bacchanal in San Diego, Friday at the Ventura Theatre, Saturday and next Sunday at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.