“I felt like it was really magical,” multi-instrumentalist and Zeta co-founder Juan Chi tells Orlando Weekly. “I think I discovered a different Venezuela that I had never seen before — I think the newer generations are really taking over and it seems like they’re thriving.”
Juan Chi, alongside fellow founding member and “chosen family” Dani Debuto (guitar, vocals), left Venezuela in 2015, with drummer Chino Sandoval soon following suit. Juan Chi says despite there still being some political turmoil, the country has a fierce resilience and livelihood — from the impressive art and thriving musica urbana to the accepting culture, active communities and lush green wildlife of Caracas.
The band’s visit also marked the first time they were able to reconnect with Debuto following his own move back to Venezuela in February — a difficult decision made following the termination of Temporary Protection Status for Venezuelans by the Trump administration earlier that month, his own pending papers and personal family matters back home.
“It’s definitely sad seeing all the things that are happening,” Juan Chi says. “I think you know life is very complex and layered. Humans are very complex. I know that Dani is in a personal exploration and I think it’s very fair to say that he wasn’t really finding himself in everything that’s happening, but I know that he still has a lot of love for the communities here.”
Zeta bassist Antonio Pereira, who joined the band six years ago, was unable to go with Sandoval and Juan Chi to Venezuela due to the visa requirement for entry. The Doral-based Brazilian-American (Venezolano by association) supported them fully in spirit. “I felt nothing but happiness for them. I feel like this was a huge win for Juan Chi and Dani specifically. It was a very important full circle thing and honestly I’m glad it happened at all.”
The band tells Orlando Weekly that Debuto would be involved in touring with the band everywhere but the United States going forward, including his own work with Codefendants in Europe later this summer. Though it’s a sad commentary on the state of the States, the band are hopeful and looking to build up more connections for future European treks.
Back in the now, Zeta kicked off their latest 15-date Post Everything Tour at Will’s Pub last week. This latest live campaign follows the release of the band’s latest album, for Born Losers Records, Was It Medicine to You? Out in January, this was Zeta’s first ever English language-only album.
Inspired by the people Juan Chi and Debuto met while attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings in 2023, Juan Chi says he chose to make the album in English — to their label’s surprise — to better connect with the subjects of the album: mental health, addiction, privilege and a broken system that keeps marginalized groups in the shadows.
When asked about the overlapping experience of addiction and oppression conveyed on the track “Shadows,” Juan Chi is hopeful in spite of it all. “I wanted to share with everybody that the people that are in the margins — the people that are in the dark sometimes — have so much light. I think it’s not just with with immigrants, but also any minority and I think it’s important to voice people that are not being heard.”
Juan Chi explains further that his experience in N.A. served as another, abstract form of “homecoming,” in the process helping develop a deeper appreciation for his upbringing.
“I felt like something was missing, but I realized nothing was missing and I’ve had everything that I’ve need and more and that’s a real blessing,” he says. “I think it’s easy to be numb, and it’s been a whole journey to reconnect with ourselves, and I think that’s coming back home — not to a physical place, but kind of like reconnecting with our true essence.”
Juan Chi says there is currently a new Zeta album in the works, with some songs even rolling out later this year. He teases a recording with a children’s choir from his own middle school, which Pereira says felt reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2.”
Pereira says the creative and recording processes for the band won’t be any different due to Debuto’s physical absence stateside, as the band had previously adjusted to working apart during the pandemic.
As for touring, the members of Zeta have no intention to have anyone fill in for Debuto, who they refer to as “a jack of all trades in every sense.” Pereira proposed the idea of performing a more deconstructed, heavier and raw set to embody and honor Debuto during his absence going forward.
“It felt like there’s no point in trying to pretend like this is business as usual and kind of focus on the theme of absence: What does it feel like to have that elephant in the room actually be there?” Pereira says.
“I think it’s important for people to see that. Like everyone loves to talk about politics, but there’s so little talk about the real human cost of it. And there’s a lot of political posturing right now, more than ever, about immigration. So the set is very pissed off, in my opinion. It’s pissed off, it’s loud, it’s making a scene. It’s a tantrum.”
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
Venezuelan band Zeta return to Orlando yet again, this time playing Conduit
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2025.