Mariachi El Bronx Show at La Cita Bar in Los Angeles, California

Hello!

I had the good fortune of scoring tix to the Mariachi El Bronx record release party at La Cita last Wednesday, and it was a hoot. I don’t write a concert review very often, but I will give it a shot.

La Cita Bar is not a huge place, and the event was sold out, so they closed the bar down, and started letting ticket holders in around 10:00. The bartenders did an impressive job of keeping up with the crowd, and there was a real positive vibe in the place.

There was not a big wait before the opening act, which was the duo of Zander Schloss and Sean Wheeler. This was an acoustic set with Schloss on guitar and vocals and Wheeler on lead vocals, and my god they were awesome. I will have to buy their album, Walk Thee Invisible and write a review.

As I said, it is a small venue, and once the show started everybody from the patio moved inside so it got a little crowded. The stage is also small, and it was packed too but despite the closed spaces it was a great show.

Matt Caughthran is a great frontman, and kept the show moving, and all of the performers seemed comfortable in their roles, which are a bit of a departure from their punk rock roots. BTW, I love the way Matt phrases the English lyrics so they fit in perfectly with the traditional mariachi (norteno, maybe?) sound. One noticeable difference from the usual mariachi performance was the intense drumming of Jorna Vik. He kicked ass and brought the music to a whole new level. Me gusta!

I apologize that I have not included any live pics. It was pretty crowded, and there was no way I was going to stand there like a jackass trying to snap photos with my phone when there was a good show going on. I am not a professional…

If you get the chance to see Mariachi El Bronx (or The Bronx) live, you have to do it. They are on a European tour now, and the next leg of their US tour kicks off in the middle of September. Go to mariachielbronx.com/live for tour dates and ticket info.

Mahalo!

Mariachi El Bronx

Hi there!

I will be writing a concert review later this week for the Mariachi El Bronx show, so I thought I should lay some groundwork and introduce this band to you in case you have not heard of them.

Mariachi El Bronx is the alter ego of the Los Angeles-based punk / rock band, The Bronx. They have been prolific and successful, producing three albums as The Bronx and two more as Mariachi El Bronx, as well as participating in the Warped Tour and Coachella.

Their mariachi stylings are authentic (though the lyrics are in English), and it is obvious that the boys did their homework when writing and rehearing their mariachi musings. Here is some info from the band about how this iteration of The Bronx came about:

“ It all started as a way to flip the electric goes acoustic performance garbage, because that's never good. We were invited to play live on television but decided that a cheesy acoustic version of our song was not what we wanted to do.

The original El Bronx line up, featured guest appearances from Zander Schloss (Wierdos, circle jerks) and Keith Douglas (Mad Caddies). The project triggered something inside all of us that was unexpected. It's almost impossible to explain, but it felt like discovering a second soul within you. We instantly started writing new songs.

Mariachi El Bronx touches on many facets of mariachi music, the most well know being norteno as well as jorocho, wasteka, bolero and corridos. It may seem strange for a band that blasts the audience into outer space every night to take this direction, but mariachi music is every bit as much of a soundtrack to southern California as punk. They are seamlessly intertwined.”

They released their latest album yesterday, and it is very good. Perhaps a full review will works its way onto my blog soon. I am looking forward to their show at La Cita Bar in downtown Los Angeles tonight, and will let you know how it turns out.

Mahalo!