Chingon is a band from Austin,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Their sound is heavily influenced by

Mexican rock Mexican rock music, often referred to in Mexico as ''rock nacional'' ("national rock"), originated in the 1950s. Standards by The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Nancy Sinatra, and Chuck Berry were soon covered by bands such as Los ...

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...

ranchera Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk mus ...

, and Texan rock 'n roll music.

History

Chingon was formed by

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...

to record songs for his 2003 film ''

Once Upon a Time in Mexico ''Once Upon a Time in Mexico'' (also known as ''Desperado 2'') is a 2003 American neo-Western action film written, directed, produced, photographed, scored, and edited by Robert Rodriguez. It is the third and final film in Rodriguez's '' Mexic ...

''. They contributed to ''Mexico and Mariachis'', a compilation album from Rodriguez' ''

Mariachi Trilogy The ''Mexico Trilogy'' (also known as the ''Desperado Trilogy'' on some released DVD products) is a series of American/Mexican contemporary western action films written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The series' plot tells the continuing story ...

'', and released their debut album, ''

Mexican Spaghetti Western ''Mexican Spaghetti Western'' is a studio album by Robert Rodriguez's band, Chingon. Originally released in 2004 exclusively on the band's website, it became available in stores on April 10, 2007. The original non-digi-pak release of the album di ...

'', in 2007. The band's name comes from a Mexican slang term, '' chingón'', loosely but closely enough meaning "badass" and/or "the shit". Chingon also contributed the song "

Malagueña Salerosa — also known as — is a well-known Son Huasteco or Huapango song from Mexico, which has been covered more than 200 times by recording artists. The song is that of a man telling a woman (from Málaga, Spain) how beautiful she is, and how he ...

" to

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensemb ...

's '' Kill Bill Volume 2'' — which Rodriguez scored — and a live performance by the band was included on the film's DVD release. They also contributed to the soundtrack for his next film, a collaboration with Tarantino, ''

Grindhouse A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a fi ...

'', doing a cover of the film's opening theme, re-titling it "Cherry's Dance of Death". Rodríguez plays guitar in the band. The band has also made an appearance on "George Buys a Vow", an episode of the US sitcom ''

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...

''. On December 12, 2015, Chingon performed as the house band for

Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...

during a Season Two taping. Rodriguez is an Executive Producer for the series and it airs on his network,

El Rey Network El Rey Network (Spanish for ''The King'') is a media brand founded by Robert Rodriguez on December 15, 2013, that is currently owned in a joint venture with FactoryMade Ventures. Until December 31, 2020, El Rey was a cable and satellite network ...

Band members

– guitar * Alex Ruiz – vocals *

Mark del Castillo Mark del Castillo is a guitarist, vocalist, composer and songwriter. Early life and education Mark del Castillo was born in Brownsville, Texas, United States. Raised in a family with many musical influences, he started learning guitar at age 14, ...

– guitar, vocals * Rick del Castillo – guitar, vocals * Albert Besteiro – bass guitar * Carmelo Torres – percussion * Mike Zeoli –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

When playing without Robert Rodriguez, the band is known as Del Castillo. Guest artists include: *

Patricia Vonne Patricia Vonne (; born December 19, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, activist and filmmaker. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Vonne is the sister of filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and moved to New York City in 1990-2001 to pursue her ...

(Rodriguez's sister co-wrote and performed on "Severina") *

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as th ...

(performed "Siente Mi Amor") *

Tito Larriva Humberto "Tito" Larriva (born 1953) is a Mexican/American songwriter, singer, musician, and actor. He came to prominence leading The Plugz, one of the earliest Los Angeles punk rock groups. Since the 1990s, his main musical outlet has been the ...

(wrote and performed "Alacran y Pistolero") * Nataly Pena

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (2004)

Soundtrack appearances

*''

'' (2003) *''Mexico and Mariachis'' (2004) *'' Kill Bill Volume 2'' (2004) *'' Grindhouse: Planet Terror'' (2007) *''

Hell Ride ''Hell Ride'' is a 2008 American action/neo-outlaw biker film written and directed by Larry Bishop and starring Bishop, Michael Madsen, Dennis Hopper, Eric Balfour, Vinnie Jones, Leonor Varela and David Carradine. It was released under the "Quent ...

'' (2008) *''

Machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca uses a machete to carve wood. ...

'' (2010)

References

External links

Official website
Mexican rock music groups Robert Rodriguez {{US-rock-band-stub