Concert Review: Flor De Toloache Te Dan Besos De Mezcal
As the first, all female fronted mariachi band, Flor De Toloache have gotten so much attention for their “difference”. In a particularly male-dominated genre, they are often spoken about as a novelty, especially because they have fused the mariachi sound with everything from pop-rock to bolero. Whom are these women that have changed the game? Well, at Highline Ballroom, they showed they were friends, wives, mothers, sisters, aunts, bosses, and daughters. In fact, they are everything.
The focus on a women’s breaking of gender barriers is not simply that she is a “woman,” but that she has revealed something new to others that solely saw her according to her female gender: her humanity. “Ruiseñor,” “Dulces Recuerdos,“ and the covers/ medleys of both English and Spanish classics, humanity spumes through songs like a an eternal fountain of life. These ladies align like a row of varying personalities, thoughts, and dreams that all speak to the same importance: love. Love for our Latin community and culture. Love for our families and friends. Love for ourselves and our choices: both good and bad.
Beyond their precise, crisp musicianship, I believe what makes Flor De Toloache one of the best mariachi groups is how they contemplate verses. Mariachi music is enrapturing because of its emotionality, of which they take its high sentiments and waltz through them with tenderness and thoughtfulness. Emotions do not outwardly burst unless they are simmered. Tracks like, “Let Down” and “No Hay Vuelta Atras” proved that you emote a verse like you do a virtue; by processing the lessons you have learned. As they all laugh and sing, Shae Fiol and Mireya Ramos take center stage as vocalists and leaders in spear-heading a group of persons that sparkle with grace and ease.
I always highlight artists that have an accessible sophistication. In essence, they make you feel like you could find Heaven in your local coffee shop; as if the greatest things in life are tangible when you simply process and sift life as they do their music. Altogether, they have voices, both in song and personality, that could, literally, be turned into healing crystals. Moreover, these ladies’ love and respect for each other, themselves, their fans and their moments on stage sets a standard on how to hold a concert like a spiritual candle; light it up, let your rhythms burn, and use your music a guide through darkness. For More Information On Flor De Toloache Click Here.
