With powerful melodies and harmonies, Kansas City natives Maria & Tess Cuevas will be showcasing their talent during several performances in November to kick off the release of their debut album, “Moon Colored Jade.” Described as a mix of Americana Soul/Mexicana Groove, Maria the Mexican (MtM) has the combination of talent and looks. With current national attention, Maria the Mexican hopes to be the next relevant act out of Kansas City.
Maria the Mexican began in 2011 when long-time mariachi musicians Maria and Tess Cuevas approached blues/funk musician Garrett Nordstrom to play mariachi guitar in a Chicago nightclub. All lifelong musicians from the Midwest, Nordstrom and the Cuevas sisters worked with guitarist Jason Riley to provide strong riffs backing their smooth vocals.
The Cuevas sisters have a strong traditional Mexican family heritage. Half Hispanic and half Irish, they are the granddaughters of legendary Mariachi pioneer Teresa Cuevas — a well-known presence in the Hispanic musical community. Teresa Cuevas formed one of the earliest all-female mariachi bands and is honored at the Topeka History Museum. Her band flourished in the ‘80s but was struck by tragedy when four of the seven members were killed in the Hyatt Skywalk collapse in 1981. Once Teresa recovered, she began teaching her grandchildren mariachi music.
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