Banda Cuisillos

• Genre: Norteno

About

This long-running banda group bucked the trends and came out of Jalisco, a state not known for its bandas. In 1987, local impresario Arturo Macias put out a call to audition young musicians -- and more than 70 kids showed up. After Macias had assembled his group, Banda Cuisillos Musical de Arturo Macias began playing at local festivals and accompanying religious events. In 1993 the group signed to Polygram Records and released two albums that brought them modest success; they moved to Musart in 1995, dropped the "Musical" from their name, and found the formula that would work for them: alternating ballads with cumbias and rancheros. They also started wearing Apache costumes -- a cheap ploy that helped distinguish them from the competition. By the end of the '90s, the group's success in Mexico had translated to the United States, and they continued to rack up hits, thanks to releases like 2002's Homenaje a Joan Sebastian. The band's fortunes have waxed and waned, recently resurging with 2007's Mil Heridas and 2008's Vive y Dejame Vivir.

- Sarah Bardeen