La Santa Cecilia

Mexican-American band based in Los Angeles

La Santa Cecilia

Background information
Labels| Rebeleon, Inc./ Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Members| Marisol "La Marisoul" Hernandez: Lead Singer

* Jose "Pepe" Carlos: Accordionist and Requinto
* Miguel "Oso" Ramirez: Percussionist
* Alex Bendaña: Bassist

Website| lasantacecilia.com

La Santa Cecilia is an American band based in Los Angeles, California[1] that plays a blend of cumbia, bossa nova,[2] and boleros, among other styles.[3] The group is named after Santa Cecilia, who is the patron saint of musicians.[2] The band seeks to represent a US bicultural identity, both immersed in modern music but still close to their Latin American influences and Mexican heritage.

For their full-length studio album, Treinta Días, the group won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album in 2014. They were nominated in the same category for their album Buenaventura (Universal Music) in 2017 and for Y Vivir (Universal Music) in 2018. With 6 albums under their belt, La Santa Cecilia released their 7th album, self-titled La Santa Cecilia, on October 18, 2019.

La Santa Cecilia have performed at just about every type of venue from rock clubs to festivals in the US and Mexico, including Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl in LA.

## Influences

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La Santa Cecilia's influence ranges from cumbia, Afro-Cuban, bossa nova, folk,[2] mariachi, rock, blues,[4] bolero, rancheras, norteño and jazz.[3] Influential artists include Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Mercedes Sosa, and Ramon Ayala.[2][4][5]

## Members

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The members of the band include:[2][4]

* Marisol "La Marisoul" Hernandez: Lead Singer
* Jose "Pepe" Carlos: Accordionist and Requinto
* Miguel "Oso" Ramirez: Percussionist
* Alex Bendaña: Bassist

Additional Members:

* Andres Torres: Drummer
* Marco Sandoval: Guitarist

## Discography

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### Studio albums

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* Noche y Citas (2010)
* El Valor (2012)
* Treinta Días (2013)
* Someday New (2014)
* Buenaventura (2016)
* Amar y Vivir (2017)
* La Santa Cecilia (2019)
* Quiero Verte Feliz (2021)

## Videos and documentaries

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The group's first video was for "La Negra".[3] The band released a video for "Ice El Hielo," in collaboration with filmmaker Alex Rivera and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. It "portrays the problem of illegal immigration from the perspective of undocumented immigrants."[6][7]

La Santa Cecilia, in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy, urge their fans to conserve water and other natural resources in a video that is part of the Conservancy's All Hands On Earth campaign.[8]

## Television and film

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Television and film producers have used their music, such as on Weeds[2] and The Bridge (1-8). They recorded the song "Tu Vida Es Un Escenario" for the award-winning film Cantinflas and collaborated with two-time Grammy winner Gustavo Santaolalla on "The Apology Song" for the animated hit film The Book of Life, directed by the well-known and famous Mexican animator Jorge Gutierrez. They also have a covered the classic song "Un Mundo Raro" by José Alfredo Jiménez for the Disney Pixar Oscar Award winning film Coco (2017 animated film) soundtrack.

## References

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1. ^ Contreras, Felix (May 2, 2012). "The Truth About Cinco De Mayo". NPR. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
2. ^ a b c d e f "La Santa Cecilia Are LA's Next Big Genre-Bending Latino - Music - Orange County". OC Weekly. December 3, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
3. ^ a b c Torres, Vicglamar (January 13, 2011). "La Santa Cecilia busca quien le rece". People En Espanol. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
4. ^ a b c Johnson, Reed (August 30, 2011). "Los Angeles band La Santa Cecilia is gaining popularity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
5. ^ "La Santa Cecilia". SXSW Inc. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
6. ^ Marisol Clark-Ibáñez and Richelle S. Swan, Unauthorized Portraits of Latino Immigrants (London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), 261. ISBN 9781442273832
7. ^ "'Ice El Hielo' Brings Deportation Protest To Song (VIDEO)". April 10, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
8. ^ "La Santa Cecila te insta a cuidar de la naturaleza". People En Espanol. December 18, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2013.

### Articles

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* "La Santa Cecilia: 'We Are As American As Apple Pie And Tacos' – NPR – October 2019" – "https://www.npr.org/2019/10/12/769045615/la-santa-cecilia-we-are-as-american-as-apple-pie-and-tacos"
* "La Santa Cecilia continues to foster melting pot of music genres, cultures" – Chicago Sun Times – Sept. 2019" -"https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/9/19/20870780/la-santa-cecilia-concord-music-hall-chicago-melting-pot-of-music-genres-cultures"
* "How La Santa Cecilia Turned Life's Tragedies Into Triumphant New Album – Billboard – Oct. 2019" - "https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/8533658/la-santa-cecilia-self-titled-album-stream"
* "La Santa Cecilia On Its New Album Sung In English" - Felix Contreras - OPB - Oct 2019" - "https://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/npr-la-santa-cecilia-on-its-new-album-sung-in-english"

## External links

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* La Santa Cecilia La Santa Cecilia (official website)

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz
* Grammy Awards

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