Mariachi El Bronx

Mariachi El Bronx is a Los Angeles-based mariachi project launched by members of punk band The Bronx, who began performing the set in the late 2000s as a full-band alter ego rather than a one-off side experiment. Built around Matt Caughthran (lead vocals), Joby J. Ford (string instruments and guitar), Ken Horne (guitar/jarana-style parts), Brad Magers (trumpet/percussion), Vincent Hidalgo (guitarrón), Keith Douglas (trumpet), Jared Shavelson (drums/percussion), and violinist Laena Myers, the group leaned into traditional mariachi instrumentation while keeping the writing direct and punchy. Their debut album Mariachi El Bronx arrived in 2009, followed by Mariachi El Bronx (II) in 2011 and Mariachi El Bronx (III) in 2014, establishing a catalog that treated mariachi forms with genuine study rather than parody. Along the way they took on high-profile side work, including a theme collaboration with Schoolly D for Adult Swim’s Aqua Something You Know Whatever (2012), and they also became known for switching between rock and mariachi sets depending on the show. After a long gap between full studio albums, they resurfaced with the compilation-style releases Música Muerta, Vol. 1 and Música Muerta, Vol. 2 (both 2020), then returned to new material with “Forgive Or Forget” and “RIP Romeo” in 2025 ahead of Mariachi El Bronx IV, released in early 2026.