Banda Machos, Banda Los Recoditos, et RANCHO BARRIGA

You see the photo of Banda Machos up by the top of this page? Yeah, those uniforms weren’t just for one ill-informed early photo shoot. Everything that the Villa Corona based Banda orchestra does as a band comes with all thirteen members dressed a lot like that, and you know what? They pull it off. Cos Banda Machos are as close as a Banda orchestra are ever going to get to being a heavy metal band. Trust me on this; it’s more than a little awesome. Their show can equal most other Banda concerts in technical ability, being as it is a celebration of traditional Mexican music done almost entirely on brass instruments. However the first sign that Banda Machos are a little less inhibited than most is the presence of a drum kit and a bass guitarist in their line-up. Most have little more than a snare drum for a rhythm section but it means that a Banda Machos show has a much higher emphasis on rhythm and dancing than most, which is always a good thing. The other thing that sets them apart is how much of a show it is, there’s so much life, so much joy in every moment. From the stage set up, to the lights, to the way that every member of the thirteen-piece orchestra is active onstage. It’s as much a spectacle as anything else, and it’s one not equalled by many artists playing at their level. So see it now, and remember it forever. Highly recommended.

For those not in the know, Banda is a kind of traditional Mexican music heavily based around brass instruments and Banda Los Rocoditos are one of the foremost players of it on the world scene, perhaps second only to their parent band Banda los Rocodos. The former was formed by friends and family of the latter in 1989, which says a lot about their popularity as people, as a dozen members formed the original band and it’s only gotten bigger since then, even after the departure of a number of vocalists. No matter which side of the Atlantic Ocean you reside and no matter how familiar one is with traditional Mexican music it’s very, very easy to be impressed by Banda Los Rocoditos. This is a band the size of a small orchestra, with four members in total not playing brass instruments and only one of those playing a percussion instrument, in this case a single snare drum. Yet the music they create and perform is by turns lyrical, evocative, thrilling and deeply moving. They possess the kind of chemistry a band can only gain with twenty five years of experience to their name and it truly must be seen to be believed. This is simultaneously music as heritage, and music as true art, and it comes highly recommended.