New Music: Mariachi El Bronx

Riddle me this sample SAT question:

Punk Rock : The Bronx

Mariachi : The Bronx

Does it compute?  Actually, it does.  You might know The Bronx as a gritty, crass punk rock band.  I love them; “Heart Attack American” from their first record has a permanent residency on my playlist.  So, how did they go from Warped Tour punks to La Fonda mariachi?  The story goes that they were asked to perform acoustic for Fuel TV and they thought that punk bands unplugged was really lame.  So, rather than sucking it up they decided to infuse mariachi, and voila! Mariachi El Bronx was born.  I’m told that they really dove deep and studied several different kinds of mariachi, taking the new challenge very seriously.  What resulted is a truly amazing record that is just as punk rock as it is mariachi and is truly amazing.

Their second release, Mariachi El Bronx (II), opens with “48 Roses ” – a love song about having a cauldron of women to choose from.  Despite being very Bachelor-esque, it really encapsulates the romantic nature of mariachi.  You can almost hear “Revolution Girls” blaring from bars and restaurants along Avenida Revolucion in Tijuana, the perfect song about losing your innocence south of the border.  The sweetest love song on the record is “Fallen,” which is almost doo wop and could easily be a staple at weddings.  Not what you'd expect from a bunch of gringo punkers.  “Norteno Lights” actually incorporates Spanish and is muy magnifico: 

“Como te llamas

Como te llamas

That’s where I see you in my dreams

Now on the street by chance we meet

This twist of fate is crueler than it seems

Como te llamas

Como te llamas

Are you too beautiful to speak?

Just give me one single word

Before you turn and walk away from me”

Singer Matt Caughthran’s raspy voice makes you feel as though he’s been singing in cantinas his whole life.  Despite the fact that the lyrics are in English, I find myself almost saying that I could hear any of these songs being played by “real” mariachi bands.  But, Mariachi El Bronx are as real as it gets and deserve to be treated as such.  Mariachi El Bronx (II) brings me back to my days of vacationing in Mexico (pre-beheadings) and makes me yearn for all my old stomping grounds.  I feel as though I am sitting on the deck of Calafia enjoying margaritas or eating brunch at La Fonda with an amazing ocean view and settling in on Mexico time.

I LOVE this record!!  And, I got to see them perform last night at La Cita in Los Angeles and it was a fun, sweaty mess of a show.  They were incredible live and may want to keep up this mariachi moonlighting full time.  I highly recommend checking them out when they open for Foo Fighters this fall.  It’s worth getting there early!  In the meantime, get "48 Roses" below: