Gig Alert: Mariachi El Bronx

Mariachi El Bronx
“48 Roses”
Playing Tuesday at Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg)
Get: Tickets (Free with RSVP) | Directions

Mariachi El Bronx sounds like the kind of musical project that might have started as a comedy sketch: hard-edged Los Angeles punks surprise fans by being true to their hearts and releasing a traditional mariachi album. But that’s precisely what The Bronx did.

Sure, there’s something gimmicky about seeing a bunch of SoCal white guys decked out in glittering mariachi suits and singing in English over soaring trumpets and violins. But there’s something about it that actually works. And considering how long regional Mexican music has been thriving in the American West, it's kind of a travesty that this kind of rock-mariachi mash-up hasn’t happened sooner.

On “48 Roses,” Mariachi El Bronx shows they did their homework with an upbeat tune filled with tasty string runs and just the right dose of melodrama.