Santa Cecilia (named after the patron saint of musicians) was formed in 2007 as asextet. Its founding members were guitarist Gloria Estrada, accordionist and requintista Pepe Carlos, bassist Alex Bendaña, percussionist Miguel “Oso” Ramírez, drummer Hugo Vargas and lead vocalist Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernández. The band members were born or came to the United States when they were very young. While they all grew up with traditional forms of Latin music at home, they were also exposed to the sounds of American pop culture: rock, soul, blues, jazz, jazz, funk, punk, ska, reggae, and other sounds of the world that were playing on the airwaves and in the neighborhoods. They performed at block parties, bars, coffee shops and, from time to time, as opening acts for out-of-town artists and at festivals. Los Angeles-based Santa Cecilia is a Latin rock band that draws inspiration from music around the world, using Pan-American rhythms from Colombian and Mexican cumbia, bossa nova, rumba, bolero and tango, and combining them with rock, soul, R&B, ska, jazz and even klezmer.
Children of Immigrants, their acclaimed 2013 debut album, Treinta Días, offered an upbeat yet intensely personal take on Latin life, and released the hit single “Ice el Hielo,” which became an anthem for the 14 million undocumented inhabitants of the United States and paved the way for the band to win a Grammy for Best Latin Rock Album. In 2017, La Santa Cecilia released Amar y Vivir, an audiovisual album composed of cover versions. The set was recorded live in the streets, plazas, cantinas and theaters of Mexico City. The eponymous 2019 mini album was recorded as a tribute to the parents of three of the band members, who had passed away in the previous 18 months. Its closing track is a cover of the Bessie Smith blues standard “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” Two years later, La Santa Cecilia released “Quiero Verte Feliz”. The title track was recorded in collaboration with singer-songwriter Lila Downs.
La Santa Cecilia continues with its harvest of successes, new music and presentations. They have managed to expand their music to more and more corners, performing at large scale festivals in Latin America such as Vive Latino on March 18th and 19th in Mexico City and the Tecate Pa’l Norte festival on March 31st in Monterrey, Mexico. In addition to achieving an important step in their career by arriving for the first time in Europe, specifically in Spain, where they will participate in the Rio Babel Festival in Madrid and the Pirineos Sur Festival in Lanuza on July 1st and 8th respectively. In addition to two individual dates such as O grove at the Nautico on July 2nd and Sala Sidecar in Barcelona on July 7th.
