The traditional and invigorating sounds of cumbia are alive and strong today as it has ever been, with many of the bands experimenting with those traditional sounds and expanding the genre. Bands like Money Chicha from Austin, TX and Dos Santos from Chicago, IL were a couple of modern based cumbia bands with a psychedelic touch that came to town and connected with the audience instantaneously. Younger generations are rediscovering the sounds of the past and honoring them, putting their own twist to the mix and tying together the past, present and future. Making waves in the modern cumbia music scene is Orkesta Mendoza (from Tucson, AZ) updating the genre with their own brand of up-beat modern sounds mixed with the traditional groove.
No stranger to the bicultural living as we do here in El Paso, band leader (singer/guitarist) Sergio Mendoza grew up in Nogales, AZ which borders Nogales, Sonora. Formed in 2009 by Mendoza, Orkesta Mendoza incorporates different styles aside from cumbia including rock, mambo, ranchera and indie creating lush arrangements with some heavy reverb filled with horns, to the backbeat sound of that hypnotic cumbia style. Vocals weave in and out of English and Spanish (mostly Spanish) soothingly and often with multiple harmonies. The upbeat grooves makes for good vibes and an enjoyable experience with the amalgamation of the instrumentation and the bicultural experiences that help create it.
With several releases to their name including Mambo Mexicano (2012) co-produced by Mendoza and Joey Burns of Calexico and !Vamos A Guarachar! (2016) which you can jam out to on Spotify, the band have kept busy adding to their discography increasing their artistic expressive output. The duality experienced in a border town interweaving culture, language and music fusing together the push and pull of 2 cities and also 2 countries, are grouped together through Mendoza’s lyrics and the bands music, uniting a unique experience that border peeps can relate to, and everyone can enjoy.
Dancing might be an option when watching Orkesta Mendoza live, but it’s definitely undeniable. The music starts, comes out of the speakers and into your ears, wraps itself around your sub-conscience and shakes your bones—like that one scene in Beetlejuice.
Now is your chance to experience the sounds of Orkesta Mendoza as they will be performing this year at the El Paso Museum of Art for their first El Paso appearance at the Dia De Los Muertos event on November 3rd, for free! Show starts at 7:30 and the event festivities start at 2pm.
