Pickathon 2012: Y La Bamba

Y La Bamba at Pickathon 2012. Photo by Aaron Sharpsteen

Portland’s Y La Bamba brought an eclectic mix of percussion, classical guitar, and Spanish-language vocals to the stage at Pickathon’s indoor venue, The Galaxy Barn, on Saturday afternoon. Festival goers were starting to feel the heat, a lot of them chose to remain seated on the cold concrete floor for the set, an understandable choice, as the temperatures were climbing into the 90s. Y La Bamba got a lot of them on their feet, however, playing upbeat music that could easily be danced to. Vocalist Luz Elena Mendoza’s enrapturing voice sailed over the crowd while the band backed her up with a mixture of rock and folk with some more traditional Mexican folk elements flawlessly blended in.