Tucson's Xixa traces its heritage from Peruvian Chicha and SW US rock

March 19, 2016 9:15 AM

In 1965, Peru had its first cumbia hit, with Los Demonios de Mantaro's La Chichera, localizing the Columbian music style (Cumbia previously). Los Compadres del Ande added some electric organ, foreshadowing the sounds of Juaneco y su Combo and others who would bring electric guitars, which opened the door for what would become known as Chicha. Decades later, The Roots of Chicha compilation would inspire first Chicha Dust to cover those original songs, and then Xixa to blend Chicha and the Southwest US sounds of Giant Sand and Calexico, as heard in their new album titled Bloodline (video for title track) and Cumbia del Paletero (live).
posted by filthy light thief (16 comments total)

Hahaha! This is great! I fucking adore Calexico and this band sounds right in my wheelhouse. Your tracing their heritage is just the icing on the cake, thanks so much, flt!
posted by barchan at 9:31 AM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Tuscon? Is that in Italy?
posted by dilaudid at 9:43 AM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Tuscon Chicken. Seriously, this is an excellent post - thanks for sharing, FLT!
posted by Atrahasis at 9:59 AM on March 19, 2016

Damnit, Tuc-Son!

[Mods, please help me]
posted by filthy light thief at 10:05 AM on March 19, 2016

Haven't seen xixa yet, but Chicha Dust has made me dance like a fool in several clubs and crowded bars. I don't dance.
posted by nestor_makhno at 10:08 AM on March 19, 2016 [2 favorites]

Mod note: Tuscon is Tucson! Long live Tucson
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:20 AM on March 19, 2016 [3 favorites]

I love the Roots of Chicha album! One of my favorites.
posted by threeants at 12:17 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Your tracing their heritage is just the icing on the cake, thanks so much, flt!

Thanks! You know me, never content to just share a fun band or great song. I heard the title track to Xixa's album and I was hooked. Then I found Barbès Records' write-up on the band:

“Every time we’d play a chicha song, it would steal the show,” exclaims Gabe Sullivan of Tucson’s XIXA, a devotee of the guitar driven, psychedelic sound born in the Peruvian Amazon. “People would mob us after the show, wanting to know the name of that one song. It was always the chicha cover.”

Gabe and his bandmate Brian Lopez worked with Giant Sand and Calexico, and they also had their chica cover band, Chicha Dust, before forming Xixa. And here we are.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:17 PM on March 19, 2016 [2 favorites]

huh. i had no idea cumbia appeared in the 60s. always assumed it have been around forever.
posted by andrewcooke at 2:29 PM on March 19, 2016

I love the Roots of Chicha album! One of my favorites.

Somebody recommended that to me over in Ask when I needed suggestions for albums to play in a coffee shop, and it wound up being one of my favorite new finds of that year. I played it there all the time.
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:13 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

I get that "nunca, pero nunca" hook from Cariñito stuck in my head like every three days.
posted by threeants at 5:00 PM on March 19, 2016

Thanks for the post. My heart lives in Tucson.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 6:01 PM on March 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

Captivating. The Cumbia del Palatero performance, the decor, the yellow eye splash, the music, smoke and cactus yeah. I sent that right on to family music central. I love Calexico, they helped me (figuratively,) paint my garage once.
posted by Oyéah at 11:17 PM on March 19, 2016

I've been blasting these and related through the house for the last 24 hours except for sleeping and my husband just went for a 10 mile run to escape it.

he doesn't deserve me or MeFi is all I'm saying
posted by barchan at 1:12 PM on March 20, 2016

This is really cool, thank you for posting!
posted by capricorn at 6:52 PM on March 20, 2016

Well well! Seems like a buncha great music that'd be stellar for the MEFI MUSIC FPP COVER CHALLENGE

I took up the challenge with a remix in lieu of a cover. And thanks for this post filthy light thief — this music is amazing.
posted by ageispolis at 9:20 PM on March 23, 2016 [2 favorites]