Hernandez and Ramirez both have Mexican roots but were born in the U.S. All hail from different parts of the city and, together, cover a range of Latino experience. We all feed off each other’s ideas.”Ĭertainly, the band itself represents a unique fusion of Latin styles - an L.A. “I’ll come by with something, with the beginning of a song, and somebody else will add to it.” “We are a band when it comes to songwriting,” Ramirez says. “For us, it’s, ‘What if we mix cumbia with reggae?’”Īnd it’s a process where no one person dominates. “It’s this natural way of doing a collaboration,” says Ramirez. The girl-power anthem, “I Won’t Cry For You,” from their current album, takes swing and injects it with accordion. “Cumbia Morada,” one of the breakout songs from their 2014 album, “Someday New,” synthesizes cumbia and pop. Since then, they have made a national name for themselves with their stew of Latin-infused sounds, tunes that deftly blend norteño, ska and rock for songs that are greater than the sum of their parts. They officially became La Santa Cecilia roughly eight years ago, when Hernandez and Carlos joined Ramirez and bassist Alex Bendaña. Two of the band’s core members - Hernandez, also known as “La Marisoul,” along with accordionist Jose “Pepe” Carlos - got their start busking on Olvera Street, just a mile from Disney Hall. When Santa Cecilia takes the stage at Disney Hall on Saturday night, it will represent a long journey yet a short distance from its modest beginnings. ![]() As the drummer begins knocking out a few beats on his kit, the members slip into impromptu choruses of “Bule Bule,” the 1965 earworm by Los Rockin Devil’s. The song wraps, Hernandez serves herself a cup of tea and chatter begins about the weekend’s drunken escapades. “ ¡Así está chido!” (That way, it’s cool.) ![]() “Yes, that’s it!” exclaims lead singer Marisol Hernandez, decked out in a bright turquoise 1940s-style house dress and pink huaraches. Trumpet, trombone and accordion players are working on uniting a complex set of fast, fluttering notes.Īfter attempting various combinations, the band nails it. One transition requires a move from a slower-moving chorus to rapid-fire ska. The song, like many of Santa Cecilia’s fusion-y hybrids, flits between musical styles - from Latin pop to ska and back again. The band is working on a piece of the song “Sucede” (It Happens) for their concert Saturday at Disney Hall - their first Los Angeles appearance in more than a year. It’s a blustery Tuesday afternoon and the members of La Santa Cecilia are ensconced in a rehearsal room in Atwater Village.
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