November 08, 2024
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Masked men will take stage at Grand

The most immediately noticeable thing about Los Straitjackets is, naturally, the Mexican wrestling masks they wear at every show. It adds an air of mystery. Who are those masked men?

“We can’t take those off,” said Danny Amis, aka Daddy-o Grande, co-guitar slinger for the band. “They’re stuck permanently to our faces.”

But then, of course, you’d hear the music, an imminently danceable blend of surf and garage with a distinctly Mexican flavor. And then, if you’re smart, you’d go see them play at Grand Theatre in Ellsworth next Friday, June 8, in a show with local funkmasters the Climactics.

On their new album, “Rock en Espanol, Vol. 1,” Los Straitjackets put together some of the classic rock ‘n’ roll songs they’ve been reinterpreting in a Mexican rock style, like the Kinks’ “All Day and All of the Night” as “De Dia y de Noche” and the McCoys’ “Hang on, Sloopy” as “Hang on, Lupe.” Produced by Los Lobos guitarist Cesar Rosas, it’s a total party album, as are most of Los Straitjackets’ albums, beginning with 1995’s “The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets,” up until the present.

“It’s something we’ve been planning on doing for a long time” said Amis of the new album. “We recorded a couple of Mexican rock ‘n’ roll songs with [vocalist] Big Sandy a while back. We’ve known all along we wanted to make a whole album of Mexican rock. And Cesar understands this genre of music better than anyone else we could have worked with.”

In the 1960s, Mexican bands would record Spanish-language covers of popular songs of the day. “Rock en Espanol” carries on that tradition some four decades later, and is the band’s first album featuring vocals on nearly all the tracks. Big Sandy provided those vocals, and will perform with the band at the Ellsworth show.

“He’s a wild man,” said Amis. “We never know what to expect with him. He brings out the best in us.”

Los Straitjackets, who are based in Nashville and are comprised of Amis, guitarist Eddie Angel, Pete Curry on bass and drummer Jason “Teen Beat” Smay, has played in nearly every state in the United States and all over the world, but counts some of their best shows as the ones they’ve played in Mexico.

“It’s fantastic. They sing along and know our songs. Half of them are wearing masks,” said Amis. “The last time we played there we played in Zocalo, a big square in Mexico City, and 70,000 people came to see us. We’re very, very popular in Mexico.”

They also have their masks custom-made in Mexico City, by the same people who make masks for the wrestlers.

“There’s a little guy in a little house outside of the city,” said Amis. “I travel to his house whenever I’m there and I’ll pick up another order.”

Though you could consider the masks and the dancers and the surfer-rockabilly aesthetic to be a kind of gimmick, it’s a gimmick that works. And it’s a gimmick that’s backed up by some serious chops, and a lot of genuine affection for the styles in which Los Straitjackets work.

“It’s a lot of fun for us, and it’s fun for the audience too,” said Amis. “It’s a blast.”

Los Straitjackets starring Big Sandy, featuring the Climactics, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 8, at the Grand Theatre in Ellsworth. Tickets are $20 at The Grand box office, or at www.grandonline.org. For more information, visit www.straitjackets.com. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.


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