Mohawk Place was the scene of truly inspired music this past Saturday. Two bands from California made the trip across the country and shared their unique brands of music with a very lively and appreciative crowd. Both Mariachi El Bronx from Los Angeles and Two Gallants from San Francisco performed sincere and energetic sets filled with genre-bending tact.
Two Gallants were in the middle of their second song by the time I got into the venue and, even from the bar, I could hear the natural rapport that guitarist/vocalist Adam Stephens had with drummer Tyson Vogel (something that is quintessential to performing as a two-piece band) after close to two decades of making music with one another. The final product of all their time spent working on their craft came across something like if an emo/indie rock band had a child with a country rock band and that child rebelled against it's markedly uncool parents and basked in a life of pounding drums and finger-picking insanity.
I made my way up close to the stage and bore witness to the power of Stephens vocals prowess, as he stomped his feet and belted out heartfelt lyrics into the microphone. He wasn't the only one singing, either... I noticed plenty of concert-goers joining in the singing on many of the songs. The vocal projection and syncopation of the drums really made up for the lack of any other instruments and convincingly filled up the sound to the point where you wouldn't even realize no bass or keys were present.
Two Gallants finished their set and spent the duration of their equipment breakdown listening to the capacity crowd shout repeatedly for "one more song". The stage was cleared, for a moment or two, before it was then filled with the most people I have ever seen on that stage at one time. The seven members of Mariachi El Bronx took the stage in their signature charro suits and proceed to play a set that Buffalo has not played host to in a long, long time... if ever before.
The band didn't need to play long to convince people that they had practiced long and hard to learn the traditional style of mariachi music.
"Are you ready to pay for what you've done Buffalo?" was the question singer Matt Caughthran asked of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of onlookers as Mariachi El Bronx began their song "Holy", a spicy number (that you can listen to below) about an outlaw on the run, looking for redemption.
The set was filled with all the romance of nylon stringed guitars and trumpets while still maintaining a good dose of the energy that comes with a punk/hardcore show (which is the kind of show Mariachi El Bronx puts on when they are performing as The Bronx).
Being from Buffalo, leaving the country usually means driving up to Canada for an afternoon in Niagara-On-The-Lake or spending a weekend in Toronto. I can easily see myself, however, putting Mariachi El Bronx on steady repeat for any south of the border adventures I would ever find myself on. The seamless blend of mariachi with thematic lyrics is a powerful and unique blend.
Me gustó mucho.
"Are you ready to pay for what you've done Buffalo?" was the question singer Matt Caughthran asked of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of onlookers as Mariachi El Bronx began their song "Holy", a spicy number (that you can listen to below) about an outlaw on the run, looking for redemption.
The set was filled with all the romance of nylon stringed guitars and trumpets while still maintaining a good dose of the energy that comes with a punk/hardcore show (which is the kind of show Mariachi El Bronx puts on when they are performing as The Bronx).
Being from Buffalo, leaving the country usually means driving up to Canada for an afternoon in Niagara-On-The-Lake or spending a weekend in Toronto. I can easily see myself, however, putting Mariachi El Bronx on steady repeat for any south of the border adventures I would ever find myself on. The seamless blend of mariachi with thematic lyrics is a powerful and unique blend.
Me gustó mucho.
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