Behind closed doors…
A belated Happy New Year to everyone! After a much needed internet-free holiday break, the creative juices are flowing again. It might seem like there’s nothing going on (where are all the shows?) but in reality so much is happening. New songs with new sounds and beats are taking shape in our cold basement Chinatown [...]
Village Voice 2011 Poll
Very humbled by having our album, El Desierto Y La Ciudad, put in the Top Ten albums of 2011 by two writers for the Village Voice. We are in some great company in Tad Hendrickson’ s list We are joined by some of our finest fellow Brooklyn musicians in Marty Lipp’s list.
Gratitude Attitude
It was an eventful year. The release of our third studio album, El Desierto Y La Ciudad, (as well as that of our side project for families, Moona Luna), lots of shows and happy audiences, new friends in new cities and familiar supportive faces singing the words. There are cities we didn’t get to in [...]
Sandra Lilia Velasquez helping to redefine Mexican-American music, says Huffington Post.
Two other Mexican artists based in the U.S. have also been creating their own hybrids. New York-based Pistolera’s latest album, El Desierto y La Ciudad, takes the group’s sound in a new direction. Where they had been spunky rockers imbuing their music with Mexican rhythms and the folksy huffs of an accordion, El Desierto is [...]
Holiday Sale until 12/20
From now until December 20 we are having a Holiday Sale on our web store. All CD’s are just $8, include free shipping in the USA, are signed by the band, and a link to download the album digitally. Thank you everyone for your continued support this year. It means everything. We can’t wait to [...]
Thank you Milwaukee & Chicago!
We are so grateful to all of you who came out to our concerts in Milwaukee at Latino Arts and Mayne Stage in Chicago. Both venues were fantastic in their own way as were the people than ran them. It was great to see familiar faces as well as new ones. We are back in [...]
Midwest dates this week!
We are performing a special Day of the Dead concert at Latino Arts in Milwaukee on Nov. 4th at 7:30pm, and at Mayne Stage in Chicago on Nov 7 at 7:3pm. We are excited to get back to that part of the country and perform the music from our recent album.
Rolling Stone Mexico
We are thrilled and grateful for the continued press our new album, El Desierto Y La Ciudad, is receiving. Click on the link to read the nice review. We have included a rough English Translation alongside it. We hope to return to Mexico on tour again soon!
National Geographic Feature Interview
It was a thrill being invited to the New York Offices of National Geographic for an in depth interview about our new album, El Desierto Y La Ciudad. As a kid I dreamed of growing up and working for them one day. Being able to travel the world and report on various cultures sounded just [...]
In The Huffington Post
World music journalist Michal Shapiro stopped by our concert at DROM in New York City on July 29. She filmed and edited a song from the concert and wrote a flattering editorial for the Huffington Post. Check it out and pass it along! Pistolera -Taking Life by the Teeth from Michal Shapiro on Vimeo.
New Music Video
Filmed entirely in the Mojave Desert outside of Joshua Tree, California, Pistolera’s new video for the title track from their third album, El Desierto Y La Ciudad, shows the band arriving to a private desert cabin after a long night of performing. Against a stunning backdrop of desolate landscapes and open skies, the band decompresses [...]
EL DESIERTO Y LA CIUDAD OUT TODAY
El Desierto y La Ciudad [The Desert and the City] is a musical journey contrasting the peaceful spaces of the wide open West with the urban streetscape of New York City. The third studio album by the highly regarded New York City–based Pistolera, represents a daring departure from the band’s previous releases—conceptually, musically, lyrically, and [...]
NPR: First Listen “El Desierto Y La Ciudad”
Exciting News! Our new album, El Desierto Y La Ciudad, has been chosen by NPR’s “First Listen”. The album will stream live for one week starting today, 7/4. The editorial, written by Felix Contreras, is wonderful too. Listen and read it here
New Album “El Desierto Y La Ciudad” out July 12, 2011
El Desierto y La Ciudad, the third studio album by the highly regarded New York City–based Pistolera, represents a daring departure from the band’s previous releases—conceptually, musically, lyrically, and spiritually. Mexican-American band leader and songwriter Sandra Velasquez, whose previous two albums have slyly hinted at her full artistic vision, now displays the wide scope of [...]
New Album and Tour coming summer 2011!
We are in the final stages of completing our third studio album “El Desierto Y La Ciudad”. It is an ambitious and eclectic album and acts as a soundtrack for a journey between the fast-track life of urban New York City and the quiet spacious deserts of the west. Musically, it is a departure for [...]
Live Video From Joe’s Pub in New York City (2/4/11)
If you don’t live in NYC or were unable to attend the special performance at Joe’s Pub on Feb 4., you can now watch the video footage of the entire concert. We debuted material from our forthcoming album, “El Deiserto Y La Ciudad”, plus played some old favorites. Even a song from our first demo! [...]
New material, new sound to debut at Joe’s Pub on Feb. 4
We have been working for almost a year now on our third studio album, “El Desierto Y La Ciudad,” (The Desert and the City). We were hoping for a 2010 release but as the year is coming to a close, we find ourselves…still working. The songs for this album, especially from the Desert side, are [...]
They reminded me why I play music
We have been back in NYC for a week now since we completed our VIva El Arte Residency in Santa Barbara, CA. Thirteen shows in four days. Wow. Most people who are familiar with Santa Barbara know it for is affluence and beautiful landscapes. However, the whole point of Viva El Arte (a grant funded [...]