The Marías at Paradise Rock Club 2/19
When my best friend texted me last summer with uncontrollable excitement, “The Marías are playing in Boston!!” I knew immediately we were going to be there. Both of us are from Texas and knew we would be at college in the Northeast in the fall. Although I was already certain I was attending the concert, I joined Melisma Magazine because I craved an outlet to feed my passion for music. I had no idea joining would lead me to one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life: doing press for The Marías.
The Marías formed in Los Angeles, CA, rising to prominence with Superclean Volumes I and II, and establishing their place as a crucial contributor to the contemporary psychedelic-jazz/soul and indie scenes. Their long-awaited debut album, CINEMA, is dreamy and transcendent, including songs “Heavy,” “Fog as a Bullet,” and “All I Really Want Is You.” María Zardoya’s soft yet immense vocals shine over the powerful instrumentals rising from Josh Conway’s drums, Eddie James’ keys, Doron Zounes’ bass, and Gabe Steiner’s euphonious trumpet.
The Marías’ openers introduced me to unfamiliar sounds and performances that instantly expanded my musical horizons. It was a privilege and a pleasure witnessing Ogi and Josh Galdes’ on-stage chemistry and Evann McIntosh’s contagious energy. Their vocals and stage presence helped feed a crowd longing to hear The Marías. I even got the chance to speak briefly with McIntosh after the show. They were so genuine—their personality just as contagious as their performance. I absolutely cannot wait for another opportunity to see them, Ogi, and Galdes perform not just as openers, but headlining their own shows, too.
Zardoya made every interaction with the audience personal. To her, we weren’t just another crowd of people she was performing for, but instead, individuals that she was connecting with through her music. This was a completely new experience for me, something I’d never encountered at any concert before. I left feeling connected to her in the same way I might if we met and had a heartfelt conversation.
Our shared Latina identity gave me an immediate sense of closeness to the band when I first heard Cariño, a song that made the most challenging parts of quarantine so much easier. I often found myself playing their music to calm myself down––and it always worked. Cariño, a combination of alluring instrumentals, Zardoya’s honey-like vocals, and Spanish lyrics, was like a lullaby soothing my inner child. Their music became a long-lasting respite that stretched beyond quarantine and an important musical outlet through which I could appreciate my heritage.
Watching them perform CINEMA alongside songs from their earlier EPs like “I Don’t Know You,” “Déjate Llevar,” and “Over the Moon” filled a musical desire rooted deep in my soul. While it’s saddening that what I experienced was once-in-a-lifetime, I am eternally grateful it happened in this one.
I will never forget Zardoya grabbing my best friend’s hand and singing Cariño to her—she left us both crying tears of joy. I extended my own hand as María danced around the stage to Steiner’s trumpet solo in “Basta Ya.” As our hands interlocked, the emotional and cultural connections I felt became physical, ultimately, creating a musical documentation in my memory of this moment. During a brief intermission, she spoke to the crowd in Spanish, revealing her mother was in the audience with us, further stretching Zardoya’s connections to her Latinx audience. Witnessing this interaction was another piece of our shared identity that made me feel even closer to Zardoya, her performance, and her music. At the end of the set, I was handed a setlist and ended up getting it signed by every member of the band. It is now on display in my dorm with the promise of shared ownership with my best friend.
Coming from an underserved community, opportunities and experiences like this were only in my dreams, but it’s now an eternal reality, a memory I will carry as long as I live. For now, though, I’ll continue to live in the memory of my favorite moments from the show while I wait impatiently for another tour.
