There will be something old and something new at Carlin Hall next Tuesday. And no, it’s not a wedding.
El Mariachi Los Dorados returns to Carlin with exciting new songs and brand new outfits.
“Folks are always intrigued by the outfits and hats and we’re excited to showcase that,” says Diego Kohl.
“We have a couple of exciting new songs that go in league with the theme of the tour, which is always El Mariachi.
Written by band leader Alex Alegria, El Mexicana was featured in the sixth annual Mariachi Festival the band hosted in Vancouver last May.
This will be El Mariachi’s sixth B.C. Interior tour, which continues to draw appreciative crowds.
“We’ve had people asking about the tour since before Christmas,” Kohl says.
Kohl says the band is adding something new to the repertoire – most of it songs that were written many years ago.
“Mariachi music never gets old; artists are continually changing the songs,” he says. “Our performance will be a combination of some new and some older, some of which were very big in the golden era of film in Mexico.”
El Mariachi features Kohl on bass guitar, the trumpet and vocal stylings of Mark D’Angelo and the lead guitar and vocals of band leader Alex Alegria.
The band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 at Carlin Hall.
Opening for the band are special guests Blu and Kelly Hopkins, who will bring their own Mexican-themed repertoire.
One favourite number is John Riley, a song about an Irishman who left his country’s potato famine.
Like hundreds of others, he was unable to get a job so he enlisted in the Canadian Army before heading south to join the American forces. Some 200 of them were stationed on the border of Mexico when they were fighting Santa Ana.
They were so sickened by the U.S. they switched sides and fought with great distinction, says Blu.
They were defeated and most were hung, with the remainder being branded.
The Mexicans never forgot the Irishmen’s support, naming a coastal town San Patricio, a community that celebrates St. Patrick’s day with fervour.
Tickets for El Mariachi and Blu and Kelly Hopkins are available at Acorn Music.
