mariachi

Mariachi Vargas
Sunday, Aug 3, 2008, at 8:30 p.m.
Budweiser Variety Free Stage
Hosted by Radio LOBO 98.7

I think it is so important to know about your heritage and as much as I like change I think traditions should be respected and not forgotten. The band Mariachi Vargas started over 110 years ago and is still going strong. They have appeared in over 200 movies in their career! You can guess that the members have changed over the years, but their big brass sound withstands the test of time. I think it all goes back to staying true to your roots. Despite the changing times Mariachi Vargas has not drastically altered their sound and that is what makes them unique.

Mariachi Vargas Sunday, Aug 3, 2008, at 8:30 p.m. Budweiser Variety Free Stage Hosted by Radio LOBO 98.7 Mariachi Vargas started over 110 years ago in Tecalitlan, Mexico and has since continued the tradition of great music and brotherhood. The group has appeared in more than 200 motion pictures and was featured on Linda Ronstadt’s Grammy winning Spanish album in 1987. Since its foundation, the group has reorganized many times, changing members, changing instruments, but one thing that has not changed is their ability to entertain audiences without the abandonment of roots and tradition. This is clearly heard in their latest recordings: “5ta Generacion�, “Sinfonico I�, “Sinfonico II�, and “Penas, Desenganos…Y Amores.� Mariachi Vargas has withstood the test of time and proved itself to be an ever changing-yet traditional musical group.

Got this one from El Concilio downtown

Based at the Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center in San Pablo, acclaimed conjunto Los Cenzontles (the Mockingbirds) celebrate the endless variety and imagination of Mexican music. Straight from the heart of the East Bay, this young group of singers, musicians and dancers are the most exciting and refreshing sound to come along in both traditional and contemporary Mexican music. Cenzontle is the Nahuatl word for mockingbird, and like the mockingbird, Los Cenzontles sing, play and dance the music of many regions of Mexico. Los Cenzontles celebrates the innovation and imagination of Mexican music, weaving together centuries-old musical traditions with the contemporary sounds of the world stage. Under the direction of Grammy-nominated producer Eugene Rodriguez, this group of young musicians presents authentic and gutsy interpretations of traditional, vernacular and original music. Los Cenzontles presents beautiful and emotional rancheras, Michoacan pirecuas, and sones jarochos (a type of traditional rural mariachi), as well as original compositions. The group performs with male and female vocalists and dancers and original instruments such a vihuela, jarana, guitarra de son, guitarron and tololoche. From its beginnings over a decade ago as a youth program in San Pablo, California, Los Cenzontles has grown into what has been called "one of the [San Francisco] region's cultural treasures." In addition to releasing ten CDs, the group has worked with Los Lobos and Los Tigres del Norte, and has toured extensively throughout the US and Mexico.