The sweet sounds of Mexico will be drifting out of Carlin Hall when The sweet sounds of Mexico will be drifting out of Carlin Hall when Vancouver’s favourite mariachi band, El Mariachi Los Dorados, brings their authentic Mexican traditional music Thursday, March 20.
Los Dorados have been sharing the passion, love and respect for this internationally recognized art form since 2003.
“There is something very mystical about Mariachi music” says band leader, vocalist and guitarist Alex Alegria. “It always tells a story, with its great mixture of culture, history, romance and elegance. It’s a musical style that brings people together, no matter who they are”
For nearly a decade, Los Dorados have played at events and festivals across Western Canada, in the US and Mexico with feature performances at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2011 and 2012 Calgary Stampede and a number of times at the Guadalajara International Mariachi Festival.
They have been featured on national TV stations in Canada and Mexico.
There is a local connection in that Diego Kohl, son of well-known writer Ken Smedley and music promoter and artist Dorian Kohl, is a member of the group.
In 1979, a “mariachi,” Diego Kohl, was born in a tiny, 500-year-old fishing village, on a day that began with an earthquake – an event that earned him the nickname “Temblor,” which means little earthquake in Spanish.
At the age of 10, Kohl returned to Canada with his family and became immersed in Canadian culture. He learned to play stand-up bass while attending Pleasant Valley Secondary School in Armstrong.
By the time he graduated, Kohl had become accomplished on guitar and piano and was ready to return to Mexico where he studied traditional “ranchero” country music.
After being steeped in ranchero and Mexican folk music for some two years, Diego returned to Canada where he continued his post-secondary education. While studying in Vancouver, Kohl met Mexican expatriate Alex Alegria, who was in the process of starting a mariachi band.
He was looking for a bass player and welcomed Kohl onboard.
For the past six years, El Mariachi Los Dorados has brought a fiesta of the joy and warmth of Mexican culture to celebrate the change of seasons and the coming of spring
Opening this year’s fiesta are Blu & Kelly Hopkins with a “south of the border” set and are looking forward to playing some songs that their friends and fans have never heard them perform.
Live music, home baked goodies and lots of fun, the fiesta begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at $20 are available at Acorn Music in Salmon Arm.