Mariachi Arcoiris has opened doors on various stages, a testament to Samaniego’s success in achieving his goals. They’ve even been invited to Mexico, which he considers incredible.
We can say that Carlos Samaniego, founder of Mariachi Arcoiris, has always been a trailblazer. First, by adopting Mexican music despite being born here in the US, perfecting his Spanish after being mocked by his peers and other mariachis for speaking ‘broken’ Spanish, and by creating the world’s only LGBTQ+ mariachi group.
“Everything fell into place; it wasn’t planned,” says Carlos Samaniego a day before Mariachi Arcoiris is being recognized at Los Angeles City Hall as part of LGBT Heritage Month. “I’m very excited. Ten years ago, we were invited to this event to entertain, but now, we are being recognized for our work,” he adds.
Samaniego was born in Los Angeles; his mother is from Baja California, and his father from Sonora. “My father was a lyrical musician, never played professionally, but I listened to his music. My paternal grandfather played more seriously in Sonora. My dad taught me to sing, and by the age of six, I was singing in public places. I think I learned to read because of music. As a child, I listened to songs like La Bamba, Rocío Durcal, and Estela Nuñez,” he says.
In both elementary and secondary school, he was very busy with his studies and music, particularly playing the guitarrón, which he enjoyed. He didn’t question his sexuality. “Yes, I heard my friends talk about girls, but honestly, I didn’t care. Maybe it was because I was denying my sexuality; it wasn’t the time to come out of the closet.
“The world of mariachi music is very macho, but we had to assert ourselves with class and personality. It’s often a hidden world. Give a very macho mariachi some beers and play Juan Gabriel, and you’ll see what happens,” he says, laughing.
Despite being born in Los Angeles and part of the city’s cultural mix, his attachment to mariachi music was always present. “In college, everything exploded for me. I embraced my sexuality and started joining professional groups. I started living in that world, facing verbal abuse for being gay and for my accent. But I didn’t give up; I tried to perfect it. Mariachi music is a passion; when I hear it, something ignites in me, and I feel I need to be part of it,” he says.
Samaniego is known for his sense of humor. “At that time, you get used to the insults, like when a husband mistreats you, and you get used to the abuse,” he says, laughing.
“We are part of a musical genre, of a planet. Honestly, we’ve always fought these battles. We’re trying to live our lives as we are, sharing what we love. When I formed the group, I set myself one goal: to be as professional as possible, to silence the critics with our quality, and I think we’ve achieved that,” he says.
Around the year 2000, he got tired of it. He couldn’t be that supposed husband used to mistreatment anymore and decided he needed to find people who shared his interests and personality. Coincidentally, a pride week event was organized at the university, and the organizers, knowing Carlos was a mariachi, suggested he form a group and perform that week. “I got excited, of course, it was what I wanted. I started asking my musician friends, and they asked others, and we gathered the band. Word spread, and people came from other places. Among the audience was the owner of a cowboy bar who suggested we perform at his place, but the current project wasn’t born yet,” he comments.
It was some time later when he decided to formalize his group, inviting a woman, Natalia Marie Melendez, the first mariachi transgender woman, and other musicians, officially forming Mariachi Arcoiris. “The world of mariachi music is very macho, but we had to assert ourselves with class and personality. It’s often a hidden world. Give a very macho mariachi some beers and play Juan Gabriel, and you’ll see what happens,” he says, laughing. “I took the example of women. They were the first to break the barriers of machismo.”
Carlos has faced many battles, not only in the music world or society, but he has always had the determination to confront them. “We are part of a musical genre, of a planet. Honestly, we’ve always fought these battles. We’re trying to live our lives as we are, sharing what we love. When I formed the group, I set myself one goal: to be as professional as possible, to silence the critics with our quality, and I think we’ve achieved that,” he says.
Mariachi Arcoiris has opened doors for others on various stages, a testament to Samaniego’s success in achieving his goals. They’ve even been invited to Mexico, which he considers incredible. “We’re going there for some performances and to be part of the Pride parade. It’s amazing that in the country of mariachi, there isn’t one like ours. They have to call us to be represented,” he says.
His commitment to his music and the mariachi genre is unwavering. “We are not a caricature, we are human beings. We sing this music as we are. Nowadays, honestly, we’ve reached a very good professional level; we’ve struggled and grown. I can tell you our latest productions sound amazing,” he says.
Initially, when interacting with other mariachis on different stages, he had his reservations and fears. “I thought, ‘they’re going to beat us up.’ But nothing ever happened,” he adds.
Carlos is convinced that through this mariachi, many people have come to know Mexican music. “They used to think that Mexican music was just La Cucaracha,” he laughs.
Samaniego still has many dreams. He would like to win a Grammy, but it’s not something that keeps him up at night. He also dreams of opening a restaurant with mariachi as the main attraction. What he feels most satisfied with is providing a safe place for his group from day one, offering a safe space for his musicians and audience. “It’s time to celebrate, and we celebrate every day,” he says cheerfully.
And surely, they will celebrate this Friday when they are recognized at the City Hall in the most Mexican city outside of Mexico, Los Angeles.
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