'It unifies people': Regina’s first mariachi band makes debut performance

A group of musicians from five different countries, dubbing themselves as Saskatchewan’s first mariachi band, made their debut on Sept. 10 with a performance celebrating Latin independence.

“Music is something that runs in our blood and it’s part of our everyday life,” said Ana Hernandez, lead vocalist and guitarist of Mariachi Latino.

“It unifies people. It doesn’t care about colour; it doesn’t care about your age or about how you look or about anything. Our hearts beat at the same rhythm.”

Hernandez moved to Canada from Mexico in 2005. She decided to start the band a year ago when she discovered the need for Latin music on the prairies.

She put out an ad and recruited 10 other musicians. All of them have been practicing in Hernandez’s garage for the past year.

“We rehearsed a lot—three, four, sometimes even five days a week in here,” she said.

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Mariachi is a genre of Mexican music that is traditionally played at weddings and special events, Hernandez said.

We do dance with the mariachi. There are a few songs that are very happy,” Hernandez said.

“But it’s mostly for performing and watching.”

Mariachi Latino stretches the cultural boundaries with 11 musicians from Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile and Canada. The youngest band member is 11-years-old.

“Every person, you learn. It doesn’t matter what is your age, your culture or what you believe,” said Sandra Zapata, guitarist and vocalist.

Zapata, originally from Colombia, joined the band to grow as a musician and meet new people.

“The mariachi band is a family,” she said.

The band plays five different types of instruments: trumpet, flute, violin, saxophone and guitar. Two of the guitars are so unique that they can only be found in Mexico, Hernandez said.

On stage, the musicians dress in the same traditional outfits that represent cowboys, or charros in Mexico. Each musician wears a jacket, ribbon and sombrero. The women wear skirts and the men wear pants.

Hernandez said everything should be sewn by hand.

“This would be the representation of nice clothing for a cowboy guy in Mexico,” she said.

The band has a couple of performances under its belt, Hernandez said. She hopes as time goes on, the band can grow in numbers and shows, while creating a welcoming space for everyone.

“You make people unified, sing together, dance, forget about your problems and have a better view of your life just by putting music together,” she said.