Remember when Garth Brooks had that alt-rawker alter-ego Chris Gaines and everybody was really embarrassed for him? L.A. punks The Bronx also have a seemingly dubious musical alter-ego, but unlike Gaines, it’s not totally embarrassing. The band are set to release an album under the guise of El Bronx (how secretive and sneaky!) on August 25th. El Bronx, true to Mariachi tradition, features horns, acoustic guitars, Charro costumes and the help of someone of actual Mexican descent, Vincent Hidalgo (son of Los Lobos‘ David Hidalgo) on guitarrón. Listen to the surprisingly serene “Quinceañera” at SPIN , watch the video above and expect an extensive tour on which El Bronx will hopefully encourage some real Mariachi collaboration onstage.

The former makes sense, but the latter? How many people out there have been clamoring to shred their way through “Between The Bars” or “Waltz #2″? “Needle In The Hay”?
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SXSW is just a few short weeks away, and the performance schedule has finally been officially released via the event’s website. Yes, it is only the “official” line-up, and there are sure to be tons of “unofficial” parties announced in the next few weeks, but it’s nice to get a few confirmations to add to our schedule.
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