This time of year has many of us dreaming about shoving a lime wedge down the neck of a Corona while soaking up the rays under the Mexican sun.
But for those of us in the Okanagan unable to get away to any exotic locales, don’t worry, the annual arrival of Mariachi Los Dorados to these parts is a warm respite.
The band, which plays shows in Tappen, Armstrong, Summerland, Lake Country and Vernon from March 15 to 19, features a familiar face behind the guitarrón, the large bass played in mariachi bands.
Diego Kohl is used to the heat, whether it be his surroundings or in the music he creates.
Born in Ajijic on Lake Chapala south of Guadalajara, Mexico, Kohl moved to Armstrong when he was a boy and here learned to play guitar and piano.
Now a top-drawer Latin musician in Vancouver, Kohl returns regularly to the North Okanagan, where his parents, Ken Smedley and Dorianne Kohl, live.
From his home in New Westminster, which he shares with his Colombian-born wife and two daughters, Kohl teaches guitar, bass and piano and leads and performs in the Orquesta Tabasko, a big band which performs salsa and tropical dance music.
“Canadians are really becoming more attuned to Latin music and dance,” said Kohl.
“The music we play is similar to mariachi with its styles and rhythms. These are fast rhythms from Colombia and Puerto Rico.”
Kohl has also been performing in the Tabasko Trio with two members from the Cuban-Canadian music scene: Brian Medina, a percussionist with Brisas del Palmar, and vocalist Hamilton Feraud.
However, it’s with Los Dorados where he can explore Mexican history and tradition: It’s not only in the music and clothes, but the theatrics of the mariachi.
The equivalent of travelling minstrels, the mariachi were known to entertain the masses by travelling to rural communities, said Kohl.
“In mariachi, you need at least five instruments. There are no backing tracks. You can play completely acoustic. We are a portable group in that you don’t need to be plugged in. We follow the history of the mariachi when they travelled from town to town to the rancheros,” he said.
This year, Los Dorados is paying tribute to the golden era of Mexican film, the late-1950s when mariachi bands were a presence, performing rancheros-style or rural folk music in the movies.
“These were love stories, with guys on horses and the mariachi band singing to the girl he loves,” said Kohl. “We are not just musicians, we’re performers. The entertainment is not just in the music.”
That is evident at the annual Mariachi Festival Canada in Vancouver.
Held in May, the festival was founded and is produced by Los Dorados’ lead singer and guitarist Alex Alegria, who has a background in the theatre.
For the past two years, the festival’s music director has been Armando Cervantes Tinoco, a musician, composer, arranger, and a scholar when it comes to the history of mariachi. He is also one of the directors of the International Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara, the largest of its kind in the world.
“We have played for him before at that festival. His presence can be a bit intimidating. He knows everything about mariachi and puts the books together for all the groups from around the world,” said Kohl.
Last year, Tinoco did an arrangement of Alegria’s song El Mexicano, which Los Dorados played at the festival’s grand finale at The Orpheum theatre.
“The arrangement has been well received in Mexico and is going to be used at the festival in Guadalajara,” said Kohl. “We also went into the studio with him and recorded two tracks.”
Along with the recordings with Tinoco, Los Dorados released a full album last spring and is set to perform some of those new songs on its upcoming tour.
Los Dorados’ Okanagan dates include:
• Tues. Mar. 15 – Carlin Hall, Tappen. Tickets are at Acorn Music in Salmon Arm, 250-832-8669. Special guests: Blu & Kelly Hopkins.
• Wed. Mar. 16 – Zion United Church Hall, Armstrong. Tickets are at Chocoliro in Armstrong, 250-546-2886.
• Thurs. Mar. 17 – Centre Stage Theatre in Summerland. Tickets are at Martin’s Flowers (Summerland), 250-494-5432 and The Dragon’s Den (Penticton),250-492-3011
• Fri. Mar. 18 – Creekside Theatre, Lake Country. Tickets can be reserved at 250-766-9309 or purchased at the Lake Country Municipal Hall.
• Sat. Mar. 19 – Okanagan College Vernon Campus Theatre. Tickets are at The Bean Scene in Vernon, 250-558-1817.
Produced by Ken Smedley, all shows start at 7:30 p.m.
Visit www.losdorados.ca for more information.
