Erick Medel’s “Mariachi” @ Rusha & Co, Los Angeles

The lives of many of Mexican heritage are punctuated by performances; an ensemble of mariachi musicians celebrates a birth, performs for a first communion, plays for the crowds gathered at weddings and birthdays, and is hired for the commemorative rites of the funeral. Their tune is a traditional genre of music dating back hundreds of years to the rural communities of western Mexico, now as proud and bold of a sound as the musicians that troupe from location to location to perform for their listeners. As boisterous as their ballads are the performers’ outfits: their tightly-fitting ornamented pants, short jackets, embroidered belts, boots, wide bow ties, and sombreros. Their attire, known as the charro suit, has become a universally recognized…