Hear and Now: Quetzal
Welcome to Artbound's new music series Hear and Now, where we explore songs with a sense of place. The idea is simple: put Southern California musicians in the locations that inspired a song, and document a performance of the song, in that place. Through this juxtaposition, Hear and Now aims to paint a rich, multidimensional portrait of the creative process and draw connections between musical inspiration and the environment that nurtures it. Look closer. Listen in.
To kick off Hear and Now, we wanted to pick a musical group that was quintessentially Los Angeles; a band who could represent the cross-cultural collisions of this sprawling city. We immediately thought of Quetzal, the East Los Angeles Chicano rockers.
Fronted by Quetzal Flores and Martha Gonzalez, the troupe performs a hybridized version of son jarocho, a form of effervescent folk music from the Mexican state of Veracruz. But Quetzal's music doesn't stop there. They explore ranchera, salsa, and good ol' fashioned rock and roll too.
