The history of Son Rompe Pera has its origin in Naucalpan, in the state of Mexico. On Ramos Millán street, to be precise.
In that area there were many marimba groups, and that’s where the father of the founders of Son Rompe Pera came to ask for a job as a percussionist and drummer . After a while he learned to play the marimba, an instrument that he later taught two of his three children to play.
“What we did back then [does years] was playing in the street, at weddings and birthdays,” said Raúl Gama, the eldest of the three brothers who founded the combo. “It was different from what we do now”.
Back then, the Gama brothers did not have great pretensions, but destiny did have great plans for them.
One day, almost six years ago, the members of this psychedelic cumbia and folklore group went with some friends to La Lagunilla, a popular market in Mexico City. Over there they found someone else’s marimba and began to play it. In a matter of minutes they already had many people around, among them the promoter of a Chilean cumbia, rock, ska and reggae band. the band Chico Trujillo and that’s where it all started”, said Raúl.
This person invited Son Rompe Pera to play in Chile and from there the group’s fame began to grow until it became the benchmark for popular music Mexican that she is now. Today, Thursday, he will be in charge of closing the Sunset Concerts series at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and in September they will visit the 20 and 21, respectively, the Tv Eye and Sob’s clubs, both in New York.
“It was luck and a lot of help from our Chilean brothers,” said Raúl, who along with his brother Alfredo plays the marimba; the other members perform percussion, bass, and drums. “Because they took us to realize what we could do […] And so that in Mexico they would realize what we do in Mexico.”
At first the group only played versions of well-known cumbias , but now he has his own songs and is already preparing his second album, which could be on the market at the end of this year or the beginning of next.
To date, the group has visited the United States five times and has already toured Europe extensively. He also toured various cities in Canada for the first time this summer.
The advantage of the marimba, Raúl said, is that it is a very versatile instrument for playing various rhythms, such as rock, a style that He loves Son Rompe Pera.
“We are a fusion rock band that brought in a folkloric instrument from Mexico”, said Raúl, “and that also does experimental cumbia”.
In detail
What: Son Rompe Pera
When: today Thursday, 8 pm
Where: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles
How: free tickets
Reports: skirball.org