On the air with The Baka Boyz

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On the air with The Baka Boyz
Bakersfield brothers / DJ team, Eric & Nick Vidal, never gave up on radio dreams. Appearing in Bakersfield 2/2-3!

(The Baka Boyz, l to t: Nick & Eric Vidal)

By Matt Muñoz, Mas Magazine Staff

Life for the Baka Boyz has always been a freestyle family affair.

Bakersfield born and raised, the world-renowned DJ duo of Eric and Nick Vidal has been breaking new ground in the nightclub, radio, and music world since 1984.

Highly respected players in a music game crowded with one-hit wonders, the brothers have grown up in a parallel universe as innovative music tastemakers and talented mi’jos to loving parents Frank and Terry Vidal.

(Back In The Day: The Baka Boyz)

“They never forced us to do anything,” said Eric Vidal, 38, of their parents, who granted the boys a license to spin at a very young age. “They kind of just let us thrive and do what we wanted to do.”

Like any normal teen, Eric at 15, and pre-teen Nick at 12 knew exactly what they wanted to do — have fun.

On weekends, the Vidal residence transformed into a virtual nightclub courtesy of their older brother Frank Jr., who hosted regular parties in the neighborhood.

Fun was easy to find.

“My brother Frank was a partier,” remembered Nick, who turns 35 on Jan. 3. “My parents would call over DJ Moses A and allow all of Frank’s friends over for house parties.”

As Frank Jr.’s parties grew in popularity, their parents’ status soon rose.

“My parents would become friends with Frank friends, and sometimes they would just come to visit with them, even if Frank wasn’t there,” said Eric.

Still too young to grasp the concept of what was about to become the blueprint to their future, Eric and Nick, the rest of the family, which also included sister Zina — were about to take the house party concept to the next level and open their own nightclub.

“My father’s business (San Joaquin Construction,) was not doing well at that moment, but we had a chunk of money saved,” said Nick. “He wanted to put his money into a 21 & over club.”

Fittingly named “Vidal’s,” the club opened its doors in 1984 on the corner of Union Avenue and California, former site of the Bakersfield Inn.

“My parents used to hang out there in the ’70s when it was poppin’,” said Nick of the legendary location, which originally housed the famous “Bakersfield” street sign before it relocated off Buck Owens Boulevard.

The venue came with an upstairs and downstairs room — upstairs was to be for 21 & over, while downstairs was meant for 16 & over dancing.

(Vidal's 1986 concert flier)

“It was all family run,” said Nick. “My mom was at the door and at the concession stand selling cokes and hot dogs, and my dad was everywhere, doing the sound and lights.”

The club light show and décor consisted of pure homemade ingenuity, courtesy of their father, who visited DJ equipment shops for building ideas.

“We’d go to shops in L.A., he’d see these lights and say, “Well, I could make that!,” and sure enough he would,” said Eric. “He’d take PVC pipe, punch holes in them and place Christmas lights in them to make his own fixtures, and even made a spinning light ball out of a salad bowl.”

Let’s not forget the famous Vidal “fog machine.”

“The light truss also doubled as the fog machine, and looked like a spider on the roof,” laughed Eric. “People got excited when we used it, but the only problem was the (fog) residue. It would make the floor slippery, and people would dance the paint off. My dad definitely had the vigor to do all that.”

(Old School: Vidal's co-sponsored numerous events in Bakersfield, 1986)

Nick immediately became drawn to the excitement and temptation of the club’s atmosphere, courtesy of resident DJs Moses A and Frankie Perez.

“Everywhere they DJ’d it was crazy,” remembered Nick of his early introduction to DJ culture. “Moses had the girls, the cigarette, the drink, and I was really attracted to that. At 2am, Moses would leave his DJ equipment at the club, and it would be just me, security and my father. I would experiment with hooking it up.”

His father soon began to nurture young Nick’s interest, during his sixth grade year at Leo G. Pauley elementary school in Bakersfield. It wasn’t long before he took over DJ duties on Friday and Saturday nights at the club.

“My dad bought me some Radio Shack turntables first, but those weren’t going to work,” remembered Nick. “Moses and Frankie recommended some Technics turntables, so we got those, some BOSE speakers, and $300 worth of records. Frankie taught me how to mix, and I started spinning.”

When news spread of a young wonderkid DJ from Bakersfield, the dance club became more popular than ever, even booking rock bands during the week like then unknowns — Red Hot Chili Peppers and L.A. punkers Black Flag.

Brother Eric, who also began to take turns on the turntables, remembers the ethnic audience make-up and music of the mid-‘80s Vidal’s soundtrack.

“The people were mainly white and Latin,” he said. “We were playing Depeche Mode, Madonna, Divine, Frankie Goes To Hollywood. We started out with that, but then got introduced to the high-energy, disco / Florentine Gardens scene sound from L.A. — Dead or Alive, Tapps, L.A. Dream Team, songs like “Mandolay” and “Sussudio.”

The success of the all-ages club on a roll, the progress upstairs began to slow, and make way for problems with the landlord who wanted a bigger piece of the action.

“The landlord kept raising the rent,” recalled Nick. “My dad refused to pay, so we started looking for a new club. I don’t think anyone even made it upstairs to see the bar my dad had designed.”

Their investment gone, Eric and Nick continued performing anywhere they were welcome.

“My father took us to swap meets, my mom would spearhead shows at the Armory halls, and the Delano winery getting them all set-up,” said Nick. “We had to be completely mobile, so my dad did this thing where he transformed a trailer into a stage.”

Eventually finding a location off Easton Drive (behind Circuit City) to start their club anew, the Vidal’s proceeded with caution, feeling the financial and emotional strain.

“I remember staying at my aunt’s house, so we could work and get our stuff together,” said Eric. “We persevered and made it through that time.”

(1986 flier, for Vidal's Easton Dr. location)

DJ Sid Perry from Bakersfield who also began spinning alongside the Vidal’s during that time became a creative force within the operation. Now a trio, they dubbed themselves, “Sly, Slick and Wicked.” Complete with two-floors, including a balcony for patrons to look down on the dance floor, the venue was ahead of its time.

The club closed a year later in ’88, but the memories were plentiful.

“We booked Expose, Flock of Seagulls and Connie,” fondly remembered Nick of the high-caliber acts of the time that entertained onstage. “And I remember the crowd – some dressed like the party kids in New York with make-up and high-heeled boots. They could go express themselves openly and nobody was trippin’ on them.”

While the popularity of the freestyle, dance sounds of the ’80s began to wane, rap and hip-hop music began to become the music of choice for young, urban crowds.

Enter the age of hip-hop culture.

Back to mobile DJng as ‘ENV’ Productions, the Vidal’s decided to end their nightclub days and turn to the airwaves to further enhance their reputations in the city.

(Baka Boyz with Juelz Santana (left,) and Black Eyed Peas (right)

Now attending South High School in Bakersfield, the boys were given a chance at their own mix show on former KYLD 1350 AM in Bakersfield, Friday and Saturday nights, 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. The show was an instant hit with fans of the clubs and cruisers who packed Chester Avenue downtown every weekend.

“Me and Eric would ditch school to pass out fliers at other schools, the grind didn’t stop,” said Nick. “They told us we had to sell our own ads to get the show, so one day my dad took Eric to Budweiser, who were also distributing New York Seltzer and they bought the whole summer.”

The show lasted five months, but you would think they could get another shot, because of the combined experience — no chance. KKXX and Q94 FM, the popular pop stations of the day were not about to let a couple of young Mexican kids take jobs from the seasoned pros.

“We weren’t the guys who went to broadcasting school for years,” explained Eric. “We were the new breed of kids with talent, who just happened to be doing radio.”

By this time, the brothers were on their own in the DJ world, selling records, and bringing income back to help the family. Dad went back to construction.

(Mom - Terry Vidal)

Taking a cue from friend and peer Tony G, who also owned a record store in LA, they decided to forge into unknown territory.

A part-time producer and beat maker, Tony G, introduced the Vidal’s to the art of music making. Not by playing other people’s records, but making their own.

“We figured, if they weren’t going to let us DJ on the radio, we’re going to create our own music, so they have to play us,” explained Nick. “Eric bought an SB12 drum machine, and once we had some cool tracks to show off, we started getting gigs.”

In 1991, KKXX FM in Bakersfield decided to give the Vidal’s their own Saturday night mix show, eventually making them the station’s music directors. That didn’t keep them from making original beats in their off-time.

(KKXX FM studio, 1991 - Nick, father Frank Sr., and Eric Vidal)

Working with rappers Ice Cube and The Pharcyde, their reputation grew.

“We were managed by Buzz Tone Management who was putting out records by Cypress Hill, House of Pain, and Rage Against The Machine,” said Eric. “Then we started working at Power 106 FM in L.A.”

Looking to break into the L.A. market, the two took the 12 to 2 a.m. shift with their first show “Friday Night Flavas,” as The Baker Boyz, a name play on their hometown of Bakersfield, courtesy of Latin rapper, ALT.

(Welcome to Miami: The Baka Boyz take over Miami, FL's WMIB)

“We were staying at ALT’s house in El Monte,” remembered Nick. “We walk into a room where he’s with some buddies drinking and playing cards, and ALT goes, ‘Hey guys, it’s the Baker Boys!’ Me and Eric look at each other with our eyes wide open, and go ‘Word!’”

Picking up on the lingo of hip-hop, they soon changed the “Baker” to “Baka,” and “Boys” to “Boyz.”

“Friday Night Flavas,” was the DNA for the success of Power 106 and 150 other stations that play hip-hop,” explained Nick. “A two-hour time slot, two kids from Bakersfield, so you can imagine how exciting that was.”

(Flava: Baka Boyz with Busta Rhymes and DJ C-minus (left,) and Chuck D of Public Enemy (right)

The popularity of the “Flavas” show, made appearances by up and coming stars an essential part of making it in business. Artists like P. Diddy, Biggie Smalls, and a then unknown rapper by the name of Marshall Mathers aka Eminem, all made a point to stop by.

“Dr. Dre heard Eminem freestyle live on our show, and ended up calling the station to get ahold of him right away,” remembers Nick. “We also introduced Biggie’s song — “Juicy” in L.A.”

After eight months of buzzing in late-night with live, on-air mixing, their biggest and best opportunity came in 1993, when the Power 106 FM Morning Show with The Baka Boyz hit the air.

(Baka Boyz with Missy Elliot)

Power 106, who was evolving from a dance station to hip-hop powerhouse, gave the Vidal’s a platform that would solidified them as industry stars, and make their show a top-ratings getter in Los Angeles for 8 strong years. In addition to a respectable amount of money, they were also the subject of a TV show pilot, aptly titled, “The Baka Boyz.” It never went beyond pilot, but makes for a good story.

“The success we had at Power 106 was because we didn’t sound like anyone else on that station,” said Eric. “A lot of people thought we were black, which was hilarious, because I thought, “How do you sound black?”

(Damn!: Baka Boyz with model Vida Guerra (center)

Funny, fast, and full of improv comedy skills, the yin and yang balance of the Vidal brothers kept listeners on their toes during the traffic jammed L.A. mornings.

“If we laugh, we knew somebody else would be laughing,” added Eric.

Now a force to be dealt with, their rise to the top of the hip-hop radio pantheon hit a crack in the groove, when the station ran a controversial billboard campaign featuring the two DJs sitting on toilets, pizza boxes on their laps, and the phrase - “Two Phat Mexicans” emblazoned across the top of the signs.

Another comedic play on words – the term “phat” in the hip-hop vernacular signifies approval. The duo came under fire by L.A. Latino leaders, and some in Hollywood who didn’t get the joke.

“People picketed us, and caused a fuss for awhile, but the promotion was great,” laughed Nick. “Even the actor who played ‘Little Puppet’ from ‘American Me’ was angry.”

From 1999 to 2001, it was back to work and breaking new ground in different cities like San Francisco (KMEL,) Miami (WMIB,) even opening a Bakersfield record store for DJs (Cali Kings.) With more experience than many of their contemporaries, and at the top their craft, the Vidal’s were reminded of the fragility of life away from the spotlight.

(At Power 103.5 The Beat)

At the tail end of ’01, the people responsible for teaching them the most important lessons in life — their parents — became suddenly ill. Taking a break from radio, the brothers returned home to Bakersfield to tend to their parents care.

Father Frank was suffering from chronic heart disease, and mother Terry became stricken with terminal cancer.

In a sad series of events, both parents passed away within three months of each other in 2002, leaving the brothers without their mother and father’s ever-present guidance.

“We were very lucky to have them as parents,” said Eric. “They always liked being around us.”

Nick fondly remembered his mother Terry’s protective attitude growing up.

“She was always worried about us,” he said. “But always kept it together even when things were not going well for the Vidal family — always smiling, that was her big thing.”

Today The Baka Boyz name continues to expand its musical reach through throughout the country with more radio stations adding their highly successful “Hip-Hop Master Mix” radio show to programming schedules in 2008.

Nick is now married with four children, and owns residences in both Florida and Los Angeles. Eric meanwhile resides in Sherman Oaks, Calif. with his dogs, and a vast library of video games designed for self-prescribed “stress relief.”

(Mas Magazine, issue 1 - 2 - 08)

Currently broadcasting their morning show to San Diego’s Blazin’ 98 FM, seven days a week out of Burbank, Calif., it’s been a long trip since their mobile DJ beginnings.

“Throughout the tough times and leaps of faith, our success is what came out of it,” said Nick.

“To us, it’s always been about two kids in there having a goodtime,” said Eric.