Afro-Mexican Americana Futurism

With their magnetic, socially conscious performances, Las Cafeteras delivers what the Los Angeles Times calls “a uniquely Angeleno mishmash of punk, hip-hop, beat music, cumbia, and rock.” Their name comes from the community space in East L.A. where band members took classes in son jarocho music and zapateado dance at the Los Angeles Mexican American Cultural Center. Taking folk music to the future, Las Cafeteras has electrified traditional instruments: the 8-string jarana, 4-string requinto, quijada (donkey jawbone), and tarima (wooden platform). These modern-day troubadours are remixing roots music into a fiercely energetic sonic explosion. Members are Denise Carlos, Hector Flores, Daniel Joel Jesus French, Jose Guadalupe Cruz Cano, Leah Rose Gallegos, and David Jesus Flores.