Meet Mariana Grahl | Singer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mariana Grahl and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mariana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
El Chanclazo was born in 2019 when Pepe Valdez and I were invited for a residency at Revelers Hall in Dallas. After we met, we discovered that, although we are from different countries (Pepe is Peruvian, I’m Mexican) our musical traditions worked around beautiful compositions, groups of friends, spirituous beverages, food, and a genuine love for each one’s own music, and culture. Bringing the best of each one’s background, we started working on developing a repertoire that is varied and significant to each one and comprised of music that we love and care for. We are committed to rescuing a specific repertoire that we consider important and enjoy playing. We like to describe our style as “Bohemian Latin Music” since we’re not the typical Latin band but we play primarily traditional music in a more bohemian setting. We wanted to share who we are, our essence and culture, through music.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Starting El Chanclazo was easy for this is a repertoire that both Pepe and I love and know from the heart. Our biggest challenge has been to explain that Latin Music is not only salsa or reggaeton but much more than that. We play boleros, rancheras, valses peruanos, sones cubanos, cumbia, pop, folk, and all those styles that aren’t usually associated when you hear “Latin Music”. Today, we get to play these styles in different festivals around the DFW Metroplex and we’re very proud to bring our music to others. The easiest part is to play this music because basically, we’re describing who we are through music.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For starters, I would take them to Bishop Arts, to the Revelers Hall to enjoy the different artists and musicians that perform there daily. I would also take a trip to Krootz Brewery in Gainesville and maybe go to get dinner at the Bartonville Store (in Bartonville, TX). if they come in March or October, I would definitely go the German Fest or Oktober Fest in Muenster, TX and if they come during summer, would go to the Little Elm Sandy Beach to spend the afternoon on the lake.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
El Chanclazo is a representation of our Latin culture. Our families, our roots, our people; everyone in our lives is part of El Chanclazo. Our music selection represents our parents, our teachers, and our neighbors. We talk about our history and culture and perform various styles that speak about our home countries. Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Argentina, and every country where the excellent composers that we sing from were born, are our inspiration and so we want to dedicate this shoutout to our countries and our people.

Website: www.elchanclazodfw.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/elchanclazodfw

Facebook: www.facebook.com/elchanclazodfw

Youtube: ElChanclazoDFW