Photo credit: Mariachi Los Dorados

There’s something magical about being serenaded by a mariachi band. Perhaps it’s the new-world charm that draws you in. Or maybe it’s their dapper looks: matching oft blinged-out charro outfits complete with sparkly belts and bright cumber bunds.

For me the enchantment of mariachi exists in the music itself. The deep baritone of the lead mariachi singer, the shrill accompanying yips and hollers plus the combination of horns and strings endeared themselves to me since my first mariachi encounter in the warm lands south of the Rio Grande. Mariachi classics such as Volver Volver and Cielito Lindo have been some of my best meal time soundtracks. 

Mariachi music can be somber but it can also be jubilant and theatrical depending on the group and event. I like to think of mariachi bands as small, wandering orchestras ready to make you cry one moment and dance the next. A mariachi crew usually consists of three violin players, two trumpet players, one Mexican guitar player, a Vihuela, and a Guitarron plus the occasional harp. The art form started in the State of Jalisco of Mexico to serenade and impress members of the opposite sex (usually women).

Thanks to the efforts of local mariachi enthusiast and Mariachi Los Dorados band member Alex Alegria, Vancouver aficionados and newbies alike will   experience the magic of mariachi first hand this month. No, you don’t have to book a charter flight to ol’Mexico to get your fix of grandiose anthems like Guadalajara, instead stick around for the fifth annual Mariachi Festival Canada kicking off on May 15. Continue reading:
Mariachis gather in Vancouver for May festival