As Smithsonian Folkways artists, Chicano rock band Quetzal has appeared at the Folklife Festival multiple times, this year representing the Sounds of California. They headlined the evening concert on July 3, bringing the sounds of East Los Angeles to the National Mall.

For this performance, Martha González (voice, jarana), Tylana Enomoto (violin), Quetzal Flores (guitar), Juan Pérez (bass), Alberto López (congas), and Evan Greer (drums) were joined by Ramón Gutiérrez on requinto jarocho. At the end of this song, Martha and Ramón jump on the tarima for a dance percussion duet. “Toro Ayotzinapa” will appear on Quetzal’s upcoming Smithsonian Folkways album The Eternal Getdown.

Videography: David Barnes, Charlie Weber, Helen Lehrer, W.N. McNair, Gary Francis, Andrea Curran, Caleb Hamilton
Sound Recordist: David Walker
Editing: Alexis Ligon

The 2016 Sounds of California Smithsonian Folklife Festival program was co-produced with the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Radio Bilingüe, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and the Smithsonian Latino Center.