Girl at the Rock Shows

The indoor stage area was empty when I got to The Hook and Ladder on Thursday night. I was a bit surprised. To me, this was a huge show. I hadn’t seen Piñata Protest since 2016 at The Cabooze and had been impatiently waiting for a chance to see them again. This was my chance. I’m sure they have been to town since then, but somehow, I had missed it, so I was not about to miss this. Maybe I was the only one in town excited to see this unique “Tex-Mex punk” band, but it felt weird to be in an empty room mere minutes before a show was about to take place. That’s when I heard it. A mixture of applause and laughter coming from outside in the beautiful courtyard space for this venue. My curiosity got the best of me, and I wandered outside and found myself in a completely different world.

Before I talk about the music of Thursday night, let’s talk about the amazing event that surrounded it. Presented by Tlalnepantla Arts and Festival De Las Calaveras, this was so much more than a show. It was a flea market of sorts, complete with amazing and creative food and art vendors. As if that wasn’t enough, there was a giant wrestling ring situated in the middle of the courtyard, which featured Rudos Lucha Libre. That’s right, those sounds I was hearing from inside were the cheers of fans celebrating the Lucha Libre wrestling happening, but with a little twist. It ends up, anytime a wrestler was ejected or ejected themselves from the ring and landed on the concrete ground, kids with foam flipflops were allowed to smack the crap out of them until they got back onto the matt. It was hilarious to watch these grown men getting beaten up by little kids and their foam flipflops, and although not my biggest takeaway from the night, it definitely set the tone for the sense of community, family, and love that reigned supreme throughout the night.

After a couple of minutes of wrestling and wandering around to the various tables set up by different vendors surrounding the wrestling event, it was time to head inside to experience America y Los Sentimientos. America y Los Sentimientos’ felt very traditional to me which left me feeling a bit lost in the crowd. Although I know a good amount of Spanish, I am far from fluent, so I struggled to connect with the words coming from America, the super-talented and gorgeous vocalist of this band. Although some of the messages behind the originals and covers that this band played may have been lost on me, the feeling of passion and joy that radiated from the stage was not. I loved that I was hearing unique rhythms and styles (their sound is very Cumbia heavy but with a true fusion aspect to it), and couldn’t understand much of anything lyrically, yet I was in love. Their set moved fast and, before I knew it, I found myself wandering back outside to catch more wrestling.

The next musical act to grace the stage inside was Xawaro. This local band was more heavy-hitting than America y Los Sentimientos. Their sound was high-octane rock. It felt a bit 80s hair metal at times and, at other times, more straight-up metal. Again, I could not understand the lyrics as they were primarily in Spanish, but that didn’t stop me from getting wholly lost in their set. There was a flair for the dramatic when it came to this band that I appreciated. I wish I could expand on that, but I really can’t. Maybe it was because of the vocalist’s long pirate-like jacket that he had on for the first half of the set, or just the hair that was flying all over from said vocalist, but there was just something perfectly dark and dramatic that caught me about this band. Another thing that caught me (albeit a bit off guard) was how heavy their music was. This was an all-ages event, and there were definitely some children in attendance, but that didn’t stop Xawaro from giving the audience the heavy metal edge that comes with their music.

There was more wrestling after Xawaro’s time on stage, and although I went out to watch it in all of its glory, my heart stayed inside waiting for Piñata Protest. As mentioned, the last time I saw this group was in 2016. They were opening for Cattle Decapitation and Brujeria. It was a stacked bill, and I will also be a huge Cattle Decapitation fan, but I distinctly remember Piñata Protest stealing that show.

I don’t know all of the right words to say here. I mean, I’m just a Gringa who found herself in a completely different world on Thursday night, and I don’t want to be crucified for saying the wrong things or using the wrong words to describe something, so I’ll tread carefully. Hailing from San Antonio, TX, Piñata Protest plays what they call, and what can only be called, “Tex-Mex Punk”. They take traditional sounds and instruments and blend them with classic punk tones, creating a culture-clashing cacophony of intensity and fun. I know that they are not the only band that does this unique blend, but there’s something genuine and a bit more DIY styled to Piñata Protest that has made them the leaders of this pack for me.

Alvaro Del Norte leads Piñata Protest, and although the entire band is great, it was all eyes on Alvaro for most of their set on Thursday night. It wasn’t just because of the accordion he had strapped to his chest or the trumpet that would often hang at his side; it was more just his charisma that shone brighter than the spotlights on the stage. He was fun to watch and made you relate to the music and the vibe, even if you couldn’t understand a word they were singing. I know I keep bringing that up, but it’s important to remember that, even when there’s a language barrier, there is nothing to keep you from feeling joy and passion that comes from music. I watched in awe and with a spark of joy in my eyes as this band got the entire audience dancing and smiling until the end of the night.

As Alvaro pointed out, events like these scare certain people. Events where minorities use space to celebrate their heritage and traditions. Places where a gringa like me can get lost in a whole new-to-me world and celebrate diversity without the fear of, well, anything. The only drama that happened on Thursday night was when Piñata Protest split the crowd depending on their salsa preference. It ended with a wall of death to prove what we all already know– salsa verde is better than salsa roja.

I want to thank all of the fantastic organizations and organizers who had a hand in making this event happen. The list is super long, and I know I’ll miss some names if I try to list them, so I’ll leave it at this: support your local community. Go out and experience a world that is not your own. Open your eyes and hearts to their struggles and their traditions that, at the end of the night, will leave you excited and joyous in a way that just a standard night will not give you. Thursday night was such an honor to be part of.