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  Quetzal - Migra
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Die Cowboy Die


East Los Angeles� Quetzal has cut a wide swath of musical tapestries that are varied and rich in it�s sounds, colors, and messages. Spearheaded by a fiercely independent spirit and D.I.Y. ethic, the group releases it�s 4th album Die Cowboy Die (QuetzalMusic) on September 5th, 2006.

Eschewing the old school record label model, Quetzal has taken charge of their musical voyage at hand. At once reminiscent of the historical recordings of musicos mexicanos, which Nonesuch and Corazon Records documented years before and with the current sound-scapes of Ozomatli, Manu Chao, and Los Lobos.

Die Cowboy Die contains 11 tracks (along with several musical interludes) that has the band in fighting form. The opening track �Migra� cuts to the chase in the immigration debate. Noted rock critic Dave Marsh has called the track �a bold and beautiful discourse in today�s music�.

Migra was inspired by the US/Mexican border and all that it represents. It speaks of people who cross borders in search of a better life or perhaps simply fulfilling indigenous prophecy. For over a century the INS (now homeland security) has brutalized Mexicans attempting to cross the border that crossed them. Throughout this time, the U.S. Government has developed many racist campaigns to deal with the problem of immigration. Campaigns such as the �Repatriation Act� of 1933, �Operation Wetback� in 1954, and �Operation Gatekeeper� in 2001 have claimed the lives and dignity of many poor people in seach of life. Currently, attempts at �immigration reform� and vigilante groups are threatening to esculate the situation to unimaginable heights.�- Martha Gonzalez & Quetzal Flores
Quetzal brings a fresh new lineup for their fourth opus: Juan Perez on bass guitar; Cesar Castro, lead and backing vocals, requinto, jarocho, jarana, tarima; Quincy McCrary, lead and backing vocals, fender rhodes, Hammond b3 organ; Andy Mendoza, drums, cajon, backing vocals; and of course mainstays: Quetzal Flores, jarana, bajo sexton, requinto, leona, electric guitar and Martha Gonzalez, lead and backing vocals, tarima, and chekere. They also enlist the help of some old friends, most notable producer/engineer John Avila (Oingo Boingo) and Robert Carranza (Mars Volta, Jack Johnson, Los Lobos), and Raul Pacheco from Ozomatli.
LA Times writer Agustin Gurza calls their �Afro-Latin, Jarocho� fusion the future sound of East Los Angeles and beyond. Other tracks such as �Voces� and �Canto Liso� offer up that delicious caldo (stew) of musical tastes along with lyrical meditations on spiritual well-being and political awareness. One might think that the album title DIE COWBOY DIE is a simple barb at the institutional machine, but it�s not. In the same traditions that The Smith�s had an album called THE QUEEN IS DEAD, Quetzal uses that same tone against U.S. colonization and the �cowboy mentality� and asks the rhetorical question: �when will you die?� Embrace one another.
Quetzal Flores & Martha Gonzalez not only talk the talk but they walk the walk. Traveling around the world teaching varied communities and countries their brand of music along with the musical traditions in the Latin-Mexican-African lexicon, in turn showing the love and respect that their mentors left behind. The band does not just hit the concert arena trail like most groups do these days, but they bring it to the children and to the folks who want to learn something rich and new- this is not just some album they are promoting- it�s their way of life and their way of contributing to this still-great world.
For More Information and Music:

Cosmica Artists
Gil Gastelum
323.605.7626 PH
626.356.2430 FAX
gil@cosmica-artists.com