METALACHI – Hollywood, CA
I know that my column is supposed to highlight North Jersey bands, but this week, I am choosing to feature a band from Juarez, Mexico and Hollywood, Calif., who will be taking the stage tonight (4/18) at the Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, NJ, which in case you didn’t know, is in North Jersey. So, I’m talking about Metalachi! They are the world’s first and only heavy metal mariachi band, and they are amazing! They don’t play original music, but they play mariachi versions of the classics like “Crazy Train” from Ozzy, “Sweet Child of Mine” from Guns ‘N’ Roses, “Man In A Box” from Alice In Chains, “The Immigrant Song” from Led Zeppelin, and “Cemetery Gates” from Pantera, and the versions of these songs couldn’t sound any more original.
Hailing from Hollywood by way of Juarez, Mexico, Metalachi is a musical and comedy stage show that somehow seamlessly blends the world of Spinal Tap and Cheech and Chong into an over-the-top stage spectacle. The band is made up of a five-piece ensemble of classically trained mariachi musician siblings, singer Vega De La Rockha, violinist Queen Kyla Vera, guitarists Kiko Cane and Paco Halen, trumpeter El Cucuy and mysterious impresario Warren Moscow, and they’ve been fused together by the power of heavy metal. Fans can expect an unlikely meshing of metal classics from bands like Metallica, Slayer, Ozzy Osbourne and more with traditional mariachi standards from the likes of Vicente Fernandez and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan. Metalachi plays their sets with traditional mariachi instrumentation but it’s their stage show that strays far from the traditional stage shows, as they take their cues from outrageous stage shows like Kiss, Gwar and Rob Zombie with outrageous costumes, stage production, personas and onstage antics. Singer Vega De LaRockha says, “Metalachi always loves any opportunity to come rock the east coast. It’s a crazy place with the toilets flushing backwards and everyone driving on the left-hand side, but the energy that the fans bring more than make up for the confounding use of the metric system! Also…geography has never been our strong suit.” I can see why geography was not their strong suit!
Metalachi has garnered worldwide acclaim for their unique brand of raucous humor and innovative musical mastery, quickly accumulating a loyal and diverse fan base of music lovers in addition to gaining praise from music royalty like Dave Lombardo from Slayer, Vinnie Paul from Pantera and HellYeah, Eric Wilson from Sublime, M. Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold, Billy Idol, and Howard Stern. You can catch this one-of-a-kind performance tonight at the Debonair Music Hall in Teaneck, NJ. For more info on Metalachi, visit Metalachi.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My brothers in Panzie* finally released their long-awaited new CD, The Joke’s On You, and guitarist Jonnie Rockit emailed me a link to give it a listen. If you ask me, these songs are everything I expected to hear from Panzie*, and that’s guitar-driven rock with Marilyn Manson-type of vocals from singer Jasin Cadic. Knowing Panzie* for as long as I have, I think it’s interesting that they found a singer who has a similar singing style to their former singer Johnny Hawaiian. At any rate, Jasin brings more of a horror-rock theme to the band, which I find myself really digging! Some standouts on The Joke’s On You include the songs “Clown,” “Take Off Your Mask,” “Shape Shifter” and my favorite track live and on the CD, “Say Something.” For more info on the new Panzie* CD, The Joke’s On You, visit Panzie.com.
Speaking of new CDs, I mentioned a few weeks ago that my old pal, Nolenz Volenz, was finally going to release a new CD after all these years. Well, that new CD was released a couple of weeks ago and it’s called Hiraeth Forever, and I love it! The songs on this CD are so laid back! Just light a candle, grab a bottle of wine and sit back and listen to songs like “Can You Feel It,” “These Walls,” “Song For Nobody’s” and “All We Need.” I really love this CD so much that it might even make my Top 10 for 2018. I’m so happy that Nolenz finally put something new out. For more on Nolenz Volenz or to check out Hiraeth Forever, visit Myspace.com/NolenzVolenzMusic.
And finally, my old Smoke Star singer Ivo Branko sent me some new music from his band Mercury Morning. I ran into Ivo at my Dingbatz show last month and he was telling me about the new tunes he was writing. A couple of weeks ago, Ivo sent me a song called “Deadly Ways,” and I always loved his knack for writing a great melody and hook. “Deadly Ways” is a great example of that. This song has a great Alt-Rock feel to it and I have to be honest, I’d love to hear more. “Deadly Ways” drops this Friday. For more info on Ivo’s band Mercury Morning, visit Facebook.com/MercuryMorning.
That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140, Little Falls, NJ 07424, or you can email me at tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!
Just remember…We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is the Author of S**t Happens.
NJN Concert Calendar:
4/18—Life Of Agony/Borgo Pass—Saint Vitus, NYC
4/18—Midnight Hellion/Morbid Angel—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
4/19—Life of Agony/Pain Method—Saint Vitus, NYC
4/19—Jason Richardson and Luke Holland/Cryptodira/Sentinels/Divinex/Planetary Alignment/Who I Once Was—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/20—Queen V’s Spring Fling—The Cutting Room, NYC
4/20—Don Jamieson/Shiwan Khan/Bionic Monkey/Tilted/Ripped/Johnny Zostant/Second Sin—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
4/20—Punchline/The Stolen/Tell Me Tell You/Automatic 253/Owl Kill—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/21—Janet Gardner of VIXEN/SINERTIA/Loaded Gun/Sunday Brave/Knightlife/Alden—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/21—Lieder—The Parkside Lounge, NYC
4/26—This Curse/Call It Home/A Boy Named John/Indighxst/Hollow Bones/The View From Here/Concrete Dream Music—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/27—Psychoprism/Sunless Sky/Legion/Imperial Crypt—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/28—Missi Fieretag’s Birthday Bash featuring KILLCODE/Arc’d Angel/Baelfire/Resurge/COMMON WEALTH—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
4/28—Blind Revision/Deadly Nights/Lunatic Fringe/The Nectars—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/28—The Return of No Mercy Metal/Sun and Flesh/Robots and Monsters/Throwdown Syndicate/Behind The Bullet/Jaws-NJ—Lucky 13 Saloon, Brooklyn, NY
4/29—Powerman 5000/Lullwater/Deadtide/Riverside Odds/Under Blood Red Skies—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/4—Last In Line—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
5/4—Symetria/Arc’d Angel/Obsidion/Voidless/Shutter/Call of Sirens/Conquer At Will—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/4—Ace Frehley—Sony Hall, NYC
5/5—Hodera—Montclair Center Stage, Montclair, NJ
5/12—Out of Bounds CD Release Party/Metal Life Crisis/Don Jamieson—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
