Updated as of 10:57 a.m. on Sept. 17 to include video of the Hispanic Heritage Month kick-off event.
Mexican folk, reggae, rock and roll and cumbia are some of the genres Jarabe Mexicano plans to play at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 in McCrary Theatre. At the heart of the performance, Jarabe Mexicano sings about their experiences of living at the border.
Gustavo Alcoser, the lead singer, said there is a lot that goes on in their show, but at the core, it is their experiences at the border.
“We in our shows are all about talking history, and where these songs come from and what they mean to our community,” Alcoser said.
Jarabe Mexicano visiting Elon’s campus is one of many events hosted for Hispanic Heritage Month which lasts from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Jarabe Mexicano was formed at San Diego University in 2015 by five members, one of them being Alcoser. He said they were hired at the last minute to fill a gig that then professor and now booking agent Marian Liebowitz needed to get quickly filled at the San Diego Symphony to perform in front of the Mexican Consulate.
Border life is a mix of global cultures that occur near the border of both neighboring countries. This is the heart of every performance Jarabe Mexicano puts on.
Alcoser said his professor saw the crowd’s positive reaction and started booking conferences for them after their initial performance.
Ever since then, Jarabe Mexicano has been on the road. Now, almost 10 years later, there have been some changes to the band’s membership. Alcoser said this was mainly due to members not wanting to constantly be on the road. Now, Alcoser said he has three members who reside in Arizona. But whether it is from California or Arizona, he said they are all able to tell a shared story.
“Their experience being from the border is very different than ours here in San Diego, but at the same time we share similarities,” Alcoser said.
The band plays September through November before picking back up again to play from January to May. Alcoser said they’ll also play the occasional Christmas show in December.
Alcoser further emphasized the importance of educating the audience through their music and borderlife stories.
“We tell to people, ‘OK for the next one or two hours, this is our living room,’” Alcoser said. “This is our backyard, and y'all are welcome to our party. We're going to tell you a little bit about who we are and where we're from, and by the end of this, we hope that you feel like family.”
Jeffrey Clark, Elon University’s executive director of cultural and special programs, said he discovered the band at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference in January. Clark said he wanted to bring a Mexican band onto campus that was more than just a mariachi band.
“I was mostly looking for good music and a wide spectrum of music and the authenticity of it,” Clark said.
Clark said he will be attending the event and hopes those in attendance will find themselves stomping their feet and clapping their hands without realizing it.
The band has been able to travel all over the country and even into Mexico, Alcoser said. But Jarabe Mexicano’s next stop is Sept. 18 at Elon University. The band will share their story through music in McCrary. Tickets are available online and are $15 or free with an Elon ID.