Punk rock. Mariachi. Two great tastes that go great together – er, right? Well, anyway, the two joined regardless one fateful August day in 2006, when The Bronx showed up to play on a television show. At the time, the Los Angeles-based punks were infamous for scabrous rifferama that suggested a return to L.A.’s golden age of hardcore (it’s not coincidence that the band portrayed Black Flag in the Darby Crash biopic What We Do Is Secret, or went on their first tour with the Circle Jerks). The show requested the band play an acoustic version of “Dirty Leaves” off the band’s second, self-titled album – a request that didn’t sit well. “Going ‘unplugged’ was a ‘90s fad that I had a knee-jerk reaction to dislike,” notes guitarist Joby J. Ford. “We wanted to do something a little bit different.” Indeed, The Bronx took it one irreverent step further, donning uncharacteristic sombreros and arranging the song as a mariachi lament.
And thus Mariachi El Bronx was born. Between tour stops, Caughthran, Ford and their bandmates – Jorma Vik (drums) Brad Magers (trumpet), Ken Horne (jarana/guitar), and Vincent Hidalgo (guitarrón) – relentlessly studied instructional videos on YouTube to master the various mariachi styles: norteno, jorocho, juasteka, bolero, and corridos. “Mariachi has rules,” Caughthran explains. “We learned everything we could out of respect, especially as we’re a bunch of white guys – well, except for Ken, who’s Japanese.” (Mariachi El Bronx would eventually come to include Ray Suen on violin, as well as satellite members Alfredo Ortiz – known for his percussion styles with the likes of Beastie Boys and Money Mark – and acclaimed guitarrón player Karla Tovar.) The sonic merger of the two cultures wasn’t so surprising considering the band’s evolution out of California’s ethnic melting pot. Caughthran grew up in Pico Riviera, on the outskirts of East L.A., where he was definitely in the gringo minority. Caughthran was actually junior high schoolmates with Vincent Hidalgo, whose father David is a key member of both Los Lobos and the Latin Playboys. Vincent would eventually join Mariachi El Bronx in 2007, while el padre Hidalgo played accordion on “My Love” off of Mariachi El Bronx’s eponymous 2009 debut album.
Mariachi El Bronx has always defied expectations: they were first revealed to the public via an unexpectedly stirring cover of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U,” recorded for a SPIN tribute 25th anniversary of Purple Rain (find it on YouTube; it’s awesome, trust.). “People were surprised that our embrace of mariachi wasn’t a joke,” Ford says. “Instead, being able to bounce back and forth between two musical styles we love and respect has proven the key to our longevity.” In fact, Mariachi El Bronx (II) finds The Bronx on the verge of celebrating their tenth anniversary – a landmark that most likely will lead to some unexpected path yet again. “If you had told me when we started this that I’d find be playing mariachi ten years later, I’d tell you to go fuck yourself,” says Caughthran. “The greatest thing about our band, and the most torturous, is that it’s unpredictable for us too! We don’t know where the chaos will take us, but that’s a good thing – it’s always exciting. Honesty, heart and the will to do things no one else is doing remain the driving force: I’m not saying we’re the best band on the planet, but we’re pretty fuckin’ good. When we put the charro suits on, we feel invincible.”