From driving rhythms and soaring melodies to brooding synths and dreamy vocal breaks, The Mariachi Ghost fuses traditional Mexican song, progressive rock, and a flair for the dramatic, to ignite the world of their namesake’s tenuous existence. The band was formed in 2009, based on a graphic novel that lead-singer Jorge Requena was writing
 at the time. In it, the principal character struggles to find purpose in a life that has been torn apart by violence and hardship. He eventually turns his anguish outwards, believing to have been ordained by 
a higher power to punish those that prey on the weak. Their writing explores the mythos of this justice-seeking Charro. Seven musicians interweave diverse genres and rhythms to create a soundscape that is dramatic, haunting, and explosive. They’re joined on stage by dancer and band-mate Alexandra Garrido. She acts as a conduit of the music, expertly assuming its auras of sorrow, reflection and rage.

The result is a rich mixture somewhere between Pink Floyd and a traditional serenata, infused with contemporary dance; a ballet for the dead. The band released their debut album in November 2013, which has reached radio stations in France, the Netherlands, Australia, and Mexico, while also making its way through the college charts in Canada. Most recently, The Mariachi Ghost won the award for “Best World Music Album” at the 2014 Western Canadian Music Awards. The band’s organic success brought them notoriety internationally, having made themselves present on prime time radio shows in the U.S, Japan, Germany, Mexico, El Salvador and Spain. They also received national newspaper coverage in Mexico and El Salvador, where they were hailed as cultural exports.

Watch and Listen to The Mariachi Ghost