Melissa Black speacks with members of Mariposas Galácticas, an 8-piece Cumbia Klezmer Punk band who will perform at the Three Rivers Arts Festival on Saturday, June 13th.
The Mariposas Galácticas is an 8-piece Cumbia Klezmer Punk band from Philadelphia, PA. Combining band members’ South American and Jewish ancestries, the band creates a unique diasporic sound that gets audiences everywhere dancing with rebellious joy. By honoring their Indigenous Andean musical roots, blended together with punkified ancient Jewish melodies, the band plays a mixture of original and classic tunes that span different languages, cultures, and genres.
The band plays the Three Rivers Arts Festival on Saturday June 13th at 4pm on the Arts Landing Dollar Bank Stage. WQED-FM's Melissa Black spoke to members Maria Paz Ordoñez (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Gary Galapagos (lead electric guitar), and Ariel Goodman (clarinet, vocals) about the groups musical identity; where they band started; and what Pittsburghers can expect from their show.