"One of LA’s most important bands” — Los Angeles Times

“Batalla tells an engaging story with each song she sings” — Los Angeles Times

Two essential voices of Los Angeles–spellbinding singer-songwriter Perla Batalla and wildly innovative East L.A. Chicano rock group Quetzal — share the stage in a rare collaboration, celebrating multiethnic LatinX culture through the unifying power of art and music.

Grammy-nominated Batalla was born in Los Angeles to a family immersed in music. Batalla’s Mexican father was a mariachi singer and D.J. while her Argentine mother ran the family’s bustling record shop, “Discoteca Batalla,” where she was exposed to a non-stop musical education. Classically and operatically trained, Batalla gained international recognition as a back-up singer for Leonard Cohen, emerging as a powerful solo performer in her own right, known for her distinctive voice, emotional honesty and culture-merging compositions.

Called “one of LA’s most important bands,” by the Los Angeles Times, Grammy Award winning ensemble Quetzal was founded by Chicano rock guitarist Quetzal Flores and joined by lead singer, percussionist and songwriter Martha Gonzalez. Forging a distinctive, multi-ethnic sound that blends Mexican, Afro-Cuban, rock, and jazz influences, Quetzal creates songs that tell musical stories rooted in the complex cultural currents of life in the barrio, social activism, and a strong feminist stance. Quetzal will be performing songs from their latest album, Puentes Sonoros, an ode to their Jarocho music roots. 

Come prepared to sing, dance and join a pluri-ethnic artistic community dedicated to using music as a powerful force for social change.

Be sure to join us before the show for an Art in Action event: Poetry Bureau and Pop-Up Bookstore! 

The Poetry Bureau is back, with a poet at every typewriter ready to compose a completely original, custom-made poem. The themes for the night are community, home and familia. Joining us are our friends from Re/Arte Centro Literario, a fantastic bookstore and gathering space dedicated to bringing literature, cultural gatherings, and contemporary art to the Black & Brown communities of  East L.A. Discover their eclectic selection of books, curated especially for this event, and gather round the mic to hear local writers and poets read original work from the literary journal, sin cesar.

Doors open at 6:30, grab a drink from the bar or a complimentary coffee and snack from our mesa de postres. Join us as the sun sets for music, poetry and literature.  A typewriter is waiting…

Funds provided by the José Luis Nazar Endowment for the Performing Arts and the Sally & William A. Rutter Endowment for the Performing Arts.