When Y La Bamba emerged on the stage as a five-piece band opening for Loch Lomond at Mississippi Studios last month, it had been less than a year since the project was formed as a solo act by Luzelena Mendoza. Word has traveled fast about Mendoza’s music, though, and the momentum has taken her from being a humble open-mic hostess to a name frequently on the lips of Portland musicians and music fans. When you first hear the name Y La Bamba, you might think of the song “La Bamba,” be it Richie Valens’ original or the Los Lobos ’80s cover. The band name actually comes from Mendoza’s relationship to her cat, Bamba (who was actually named after the famous song).
Above All Languages
When Y La Bamba emerged on the stage as a five-piece band opening for Loch Lomond at Mississippi Studios last month, it had been less than a year since the project was formed as a solo act by Luzelena Mendoza.
Word has traveled fast about Mendoza’s music, though, and the momentum has taken her from being a humble open-mic hostess to a name frequently on the lips of Portland musicians and music fans.
When you first hear the name Y La Bamba, you might think of the song “La Bamba,” be it Richie Valens’ original or the Los Lobos ’80s cover. The band name actually comes from Mendoza’s relationship to her cat, Bamba (who was actually named after the famous song).
Mendoza said that she was spending so much time with her cat that her friends starting calling her “Luzelena y la Bamba.” Eventually, she dropped her name from the phrase entirely, using the leftover bits to create her musical moniker. Y La Bamba takes on the air of not just a reference to a pet, but to a nonspecific cherished other.
This unidentified other is ever-present in Mendoza’s songwriting.
She describes herself as “a very spiritual person” without the usual hippie-dippy air-headedness that might normally accompany such a statement. Raised Catholic by her Mexican immigrant parents, she decided to go on a spiritual quest in her early 20s that led her to India and Australia.
Mendoza said that she is “aroused by cultures”–she talks with equal intensity about her appreciation for her Mexican heritage as well as every other culture she’s come in contact with. This sentiment is reflected in her stage (and everyday) appearance, which is usually a collage of tattoos, nontraditional clothing matches and a tilaka on her forehead.
This hasn’t always been the case, however. As a child, Mendoza had to sneak changes of clothing to school in her backpack in order to wear anything other than the plain dresses her mother chose for her, what she described as “Mexican L.A. flea-market wear.”
While she avoided adopting any of her parents’ wardrobe tips, she relished memories of being a young child and singing along with the mariachi bands at their fiestas, citing these as her earliest musical influences.
As with Mendoza, it’s hard to pin Y La Bamba to any one specific cultural influence. Listening to her songs on her MySpace profile, it’s possible to make out a Spanish guitar influence on tracks such as “Isla de la hierva Buena,” but other songs seem to spring more from the American folk genre.
Her live ensemble, which now includes accordion, electric bass, drums and a second guitar (and coming soon: bellydancers!), feels more like gypsy folk. Much like her wardrobe, in the midst of all these influences, her musical style is entirely her own.
Mendoza’s voice is the cornerstone of Y La Bamba, transcending the casual elements of her songs. In it, you can hear expressions far beyond lyrics (especially in those parts which are in Spanish, which, if you’re like me, you’d need to go back to 101 to understand).
You can almost hear her thrusting herself into her songs, diving down deep and refusing to surface until she’s found at least a few pearls to bring back.
This summer, Mendoza has a lot of plans for Y La Bamba. She will be making an appearance at this year’s
PDX Pop Now! Festival, as well as having a solo track on the yearly compilation put together by the festival’s organizers. If you’re waiting to hear the whole ensemble recorded, well, except for an appearance at Backspace, the whole month of June is reserved for recording-so you might just get your wish.
