An El Vez Sighting’s in the Works for Day of Dead
“You Ain’t Nothin’ but a Chihuahua†singer El Vez--the Mexican Elvis--headlines a Dia de los Muertos music, spoken-word and art celebration Saturday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana.
El Vez tops a lineup that features Orange-based punk band Manic Hispanic, Mexican psychobilly group Calavera and Long Beach lounge punks Los Verdicts.
The singer, who has built a cult following for his Presley parodies, recently released “G.I. Ay Ay! Blues.†Carrying the theme through a recent concert in Long Beach, El Vez, his Memphis Mariachi band and chorus girls, the Elvettes, had traded their usual Vegas-style garb for military fatigues.
The Elvettes twirled mock AK-47s while El Vez sang his version of Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business.†(“We are takin’ care of business, every day, vacuuming L.A. and gettin’ underpaid.â€)
El Vez has said the album is both a response to anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. and a salute to the Zapatista peasant revolt in Chiapas, Mexico.
Manic Hispanic, which blends punk classics with barrio politics, recently released a single “Mommy’s Little Choloâ€--a takeoff on Social Distortion’s 1983 album, “Mommy’s Little Monster.â€
More flavorings will be stirred into the Day of the Dead event with Mexican wrestlers in colorful masks and costumes and a group of area Chicano poets, comedians and artists, who will perform between the musical acts. An exhibit of ornate ofrendas, the traditional Day of the Dead altars, will be on display throughout the club.
* El Vez, Manic Hispanic, Calavera and Los Verdicts are part of Dia de Los Muertos activities Saturday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. $16-$18. (714) 957-0600.
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