What a weekend  Joco Loco and Mayahuel Coro Femenino

Joco Loco Music /Art Festival, and the Mayahuel Coro Feminino concert at the Casa Musica recording studio and venue. Great weekend.

What a weekend. Just when I thought things were calming down as the snowbirds went back to Canada and the summer heat and rains approached, music is popping out all over. I went to two events this weekend, the Joco Loco Music and Art Festival, and the Mayahuel Coro Femenino (women’s chorus) concert at the Casa Musica recording studio and venue. Both were fabulous.

Joco Loco is an all-day music festival in the town of Jocotepec, the next town down the lakeshore from me. It is produced by singer Rebecca Nelson Loveland and world class guitarist Kenji Matsui. They bought a rancho with a huge house, pool, various casitas, and a lawn the size of a Walmart parking lot – perfect for music. There is a stage in the veranda (which is almost as big as my house), tents, art displays around the lawn, and tents for workshops including ariel dance, macrame, mask making, and a slackline.

The music lineup was local and Guadalajara-based bands including one of my favorites Mary’s Island who I have written about here and whose first posted original song Bloom broke 50,000 streams and whose newest original song, 23, pulled in over 18,000 in its first two weeks. They treated us to both, and many more.

Others on the stage included haunting guitarist and singer Inamic, the versatile Bluegrass and Beyond duo, Cuban crooner and dance master Tito Gonzales, the jazz group Black Safire relaxing us with standards, and the unusual rap/band La Sopa. Plus, Kenji brought out his band Yakitorio and rocked the whole neighborhood.  

I was especially impressed with La Sopa. I had seen them at a local club a year or so in the past was not moved by them. But they have added horns, congas and really tightened up. Plus, they brought in rapper Christo PG who is amazing. High-powered incredibly fast rap backed by trumpets and trombones and moved along with a 3-piece rhythm section (congas, drum kit, base) really, really works. 

Sunday night was Mayahuel at the Casa Musica Recording Studio, which I have written about in the past. Mesmerizing, funny, hugely talent, joyful – I could run out of positive adjectives for this group. Their singing ranges from angelic to just plain fun (with a little rhythmic pounding on the floor). their director Wilmia Verrier Quiñones never stops moving, directing, grimacing, grinning, a bit of dancing  – an all-around character s she directs the women on stage to make the music magic. And they do, heavenly singing, beautiful harmony, and so much fun.

Rather than describe them, we will posting YouTube videos of the Mayhuel concert all week, so you can see for yourself.

Patrick O’Heffernan