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Artist
Los Mocosos
12+ albums
latinskasan franciscofunkmusica latina
about
Imagine for a moment that you're a music critic. You're checking out the new CD by Los Mocosos, and you're thinking, "okay, this is fun. Some good old barrio-style rock." Then suddenly you're hearing reggae and funk and rap. Before you know it you're reaching for the hyphen key way too much: "a triumph of Latino-ska-funk-rock" just sounds silly, even if it's true. That's Los Mocosos. If America still prides itself on being a melting pot, then this just might be the ultimate American band. Born in San Francisco's Mission District, Los Mocosos comes from the tradition that brought us Santana, Malo, and War classic bands that crossed cultural borders as well as musical ones, and whose lyrics had something to say beyond the shaking of one's booty. Los MocososTheir first record on Six Degrees, Shades of Brown, had the critics excited - and trying mightily to avoid the dreaded Multiple Hyphen Syndrome. "Get ready to be swept up in Soulatino," was the Dayton Daily News' attempt; "a West Coast hybrid that mixes Latin pop with ska, swing and rock." Popmatters.com called Los Mocosos "a searing Latin ska, rockero swing, R&B funk and Spanglish hip-hop blend." Their new CD, American Us, is even harder to pin down. Almost every track has a musical surprise: the Latino barbershop ending on the album's leadoff track "Bandolera Era," for example; or the witty insertion of an almost doo-wop style vocal bridge in the middle of the reggae-driven party tune "Hey Mama." And if you ever wondere
