Staff Editor on July 12th, 2019

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Portland might be known as the City of Roses or its slogan, “Keep Portland Weird,” but it also has a wonderful and thriving local music scene. On Thursday night, one of those bands that makes the scene so vibrant, Y La Bamba, played to a sold-out show at the Echo. The band has been rather prolific over the last decade, with six album releases. “Mujeres” is their latest and their 13-song set mined that album.

The crowd was primed for the band’s Latin folk/dance tunes as they danced between sets. When Luz Elena Mendoza took the stage to set up her gear, cheers erupted from the crowd. Appreciative of the response, she touched her heart. The band primed the crowd with some tunes to get the blood flowing to the legs with songs like “Boca Llena” and “Paloma Negra.” If one couldn’t keep the proper beat, Mendoza showed the way with feet tapping at the proper speed. Yet there were also moments of storytelling and ethereal bliss highlighted by “Cuatro Crazy.”

The band concluded their set after 10 songs, but none in the packed crowd budged. They wanted their encores. The band returned on stage with a three-song encore. And as the clock ticked just a touch past midnight, the crowd was sent off to their beds with a lullaby, “Una Letra.”

Amusing moment from the side of the stage: A fan exclaimed after Luz expressed some thoughts to the audience, “I can’t understand a thing she said.” Then as soon as the music started, there was a bright smile and some dancing with a loved one.

For those who would like to catch Y La Bamba in the Los Angeles area again, the band will be playing Viva Pomona on Aug. 24.

Opening up the night was Vanessa Zamora from Tijuana, Mexico. The crowd was loud and talkative prior to her set. As soon as she walked on stage, the crowd went silent. A drop of a pin would have startled the crowd. This songwriter had their undivided attention. At one point, she asked the crowd if they were good or bad friends. Many raised their hands to say they were good friends while a few jokingly pointed to their friends as bad friends. She then said, “This song is about bad friends, motherf*ckers!”

Rituals of Mine came on next with their Gothic, industrial rock. Was their pulsating sound even expected by the crowd that was there for the quieter tunes of Y La Bamba? The band converted the crowd with hair flings and a T-shirt that screamed: Dismantle Colonial Borders. To end the set, an inquiry was made, “When we’re on tour, I usually ask the crowd for their favorite bookstores or coffee shops. We’re a band from Los Angeles, but if you want to come over to the merch table, I’ll be glad for any suggestions.”

Y La Bamba’s setlist: Conocidos, Boca Ilena, Bruja de Brujas, Paloma Negra, Perder, Cuatro Crazy, (Entre Los Dos, Gabriel, Rio Sueltos, Soñadora, Los Gritos), De Lejos, Una Letra

Photos and recap by Notes From Vivace