CALAVERA BAR & GRILL
“You guys look like somebody sold you a sandwich withoutany meat,” the dude behind the Fox Rental Car counter at the Phoenix airportsaid to us. My brother Brian shook his head and laughed: “Yep, you nailed it.Exactly.” It had been that kind of day.
The start of our epic Southwestern road trip had gottendelayed by 4-5 hours because our hotel had decided to stop running its freeairport shuttle due to the COVID pandemic, but had not bothered to update itsblurb on Hotels.com to let the world know they were no longer running theshuttle, and so we got stranded in the hotel lobby because no taxi cabs wouldcome and pick us up, despite the fact our hotel was only 10 mins away from theairport.[1]
After the most expensive Lyft ride in history, we finallyarrived at the airport but it took us forever to find the rental car counter;we mistakenly boarded a bus headed back to the terminals and if a kindpassenger had not warned us to jump off, we might have just said “Screw it,”and hopped on a plane to Mexico.
Maybe because he had only been at the job for 2 weeks andhad not become jaded and cynical yet, or maybe just because he was just arighteous dude (his main job was running sound systems for raves, this was justhis side gig), the rental car guy totally hooked us up by waiving theadditional driver fee, and our luck started to change.
After brief pitstops in Apache Junction (Goldfield GhostTown and Superstition Mountain Museum) and Arcosanti, we headed north on I-17and made a left onto AZ-260, entering the Verde Valley. Although we had booked aSedona Vortex tour[2] for9:00 am the next morning, if you’ve ever travelled to Sedona, you’ll know thatreasonably priced hotels are a rare find, so we had decided to stay inCottonwood for the night.
Upon checking into the Lux Verde Hotel[3] ataround 9:00 pm, the front desk lady informed us that restaurants in downtownCottonwood had already closed at 8:00 pm. On a Saturday night. My brother and Ijust stood there staring at each other in shocked disbelief. If she would havetold us a UFO just landed in the parking lot, we would have been like, “ok,cool, thanks for letting us know,” but we could not wrap our heads around theconcept of restaurants closing their doors at 8:00 pm on a Saturday night.Inconceivable! But true! Maybe it was a residual of the pandemic wreaking havocon the restaurant industry or maybe it was just the way they did things inCottonwood, AZ, but whatever it was, we had just gotten slapped in the face by hardcold reality for what seemed like the millionth time today. “What do we donow?” I asked, trying not to sound as dismal as I felt.
Fortunately, while I had been driving, Brian had glimpsedout the passenger door window a roadside bar called the Calavera Bar &Grill. “Maybe the kitchen will still be open,” I said, with a glimmer of hope, “becauseit’s a REAL bar, which would naturally respect the commandment that bars shaltnot chase away hungry customers on a Saturday night.” Silently praying to thegods of weary travelers, I called (928) 634-9618, took a deep breath and askedthe nice lady who answered the phone if the kitchen was still open and to my delightshe said “YES!!” And it was going to remain open until the wee hour of 10:00 pm!!My prayers had been answered.
When we walked through the door, we saw hundreds ofskeletons and very few living, breathing human beings. True to its name, “LaCalavera” was inundated with Día delos Muertos imagery. Brightly colored smiling skulls were carved into the tall chairs,dancing skeletons swayed from the ceiling, and the walls were covered with paintingsof folks wearing the distinctive sugar skull makeup traditionally worn during Dayof the Dead parades.[4] When our charming hostess appeared, weeschewed the cavernous dining area that had already emptied out except for afew lonely leftover tortilla chips, and asked to sit at a table in the bararea, which still showed signs of life.
We did not ponder the menu for long because we werefamished and we knew the kitchen was closing soon. Within minutes of placingour order, we were sipping on margaritas as big as a baby’s head and wolfingdown chips and salsa like there was no tomorrow. Then our meals arrived piping hot on enormousplatters. We immediately started taking pictures of everything–the drinks, thefood, the décor, ourselves–out of the special kind of gratitude that can onlycome from a day that starts out shitty and appears to be ending on a high note.I wish I could tell you exactly what note that was on the scale, but whateverit was, we were tuned into the Universal frequency and we heard it LOUD and CLEAR!It was coming out of the impressive sound system hooked up to the enormous TVbehind the bar. We stood up in our seats and craned our necks to try to see whowas singing.
He was a mustachioed man wearing a sombrero almost asenormous as the TV. He was wearing the kind of suit and tie and cowboy bootstypically worn by Mariachi musicians, but he wasn’t playing an instrument–notin his hands, anyway–this guy’s instrument was his voice! And what a uniquelygifted voice it was! He wasn’t exactly a spring chicken–he had some years onhim–but he could belt out high notes with the strength and vibrato of a youngoperatic tenor but with the richness of tone that comes from maturity and with thelyric expressiveness of a troubadour. Knowing we were in the presence ofgreatness (albeit televised), we both started talking at once: “Who the hell ISthis guy?” asked Brian. “He’s got to be a superstar,” I said. “Yeah, he isn’tjust anybody.” “Oh no, I said, “He’s somebody alright! Who can sing like that? Andhis age?” “INCREDIBLE!!”
Brian stood up. “I’m going to go find out who this dudeis,” and as he walked over to ask the owner of the restaurant, I munched on thefruit that garnished my margarita and watched the crooning cowboy in stunnedamazement. Brian returned to our table and excitedly informed me the dude’sname is Vicente Fernández and he’s a Mexicancultural icon. “Like the Mexican Frank Sinatra,” I said. “Exactly,” said Brian.Known affectionately as El Ídolo de Mexico and El Rey del MúsicaMexicana, Fernandez has won 3 Grammy awards, 8 Latin Grammy awards, 14 LoNuestra awards, and his records have sold over 50 million copies worldwide,making him one of the most famous Mexican artists ever. And he started out as abusker. Unbelievable! But even more unbelievable was that we had never heard ofhim until now.
Our meals weretasty and satisfying enough, but not nearly as extraordinary as VicenteFernández, who by this point, had become the focal point of our attention–Brianwas literally making a video of the televised concert with his phone. Some ofthe bar patrons must have noticed our new obsession because they would turnaround in their stools every so often and tell us little facts about Fernándezand his music; for example, his genre is known as ranchera, atraditional form of Mexican music originating from rural folk music thatpre-dates the Mexican revolution. The most common themes of ranchera are love,nature, patriotism, and honor and a recognizable feature of many ranchera songsis the grito Mexicano, a shouting cry that punctuates the verses. Mostof Fernandez’s greatest hits evoke sorrowful pining over lost love, which heexpresses with a vocal style that sounds like he’s sobbing while he’s singing.[5]
As we finished eatingthe last morsels of our dinner and waited for the check, we noticed that themusic had changed. El Ídolo de Mexico had been replaced by two youngerartists who had traded in their sombreros for cowboy hats and their mariachisuits for jeans and button-down printed shirts. Their musical style wasdifferent too. Their songs were structured more like pop tunes with versesseparated by musical interludes but this was not rock music; nothing evenclose. This was unapologetically country music sung with a swagger. Sometimes,the musical accompaniment was sparse, consisting of an acoustic guitar, anaccordion and a tuba,[6] and sometimes there was an entire hornsection, but what all these songs had in common were their pared-down simplicity;they lacked electrified instruments, electronic sounds, and elaborate arrangements.Another similarity between these two young cowboy singers is that they bothplayed starring roles in melodramatic music videos with plots like telenovelas,wherein the star got into an argument with a dolled-up sexy woman (presumablyhis wife or girlfriend) that always involved a cell phone as well as plenty of tempertantrums, tears, boozing, and maybe some horses and cattle thrown in for effect.
In terms of sheervocal talent, no one could beat Vicente Fernández, but these tunes were so catchyand the videos were so wildly entertaining, Brian and I remained transfixed tothe TV after we had paid the bill. We looked up the names of the two young cowboys,who both wore full beards to mask their baby faces so they could appear moremacho. The one with the dramatic tenor voice and the roaring lion logo wasCarin Léon, or just “Léon” for short.[7] The one with the booming baritone with a penchant for leatherjackets went by the stage name El Fantasma, or “The Ghost.[8]” Their genre, known as Regional Mexican music,is broader than ranchera, although it is rooted in traditional folkmusic and incorporates ranchera elements, it also includes the corrido–anarrative tale about history, oppression, criminal lifestyles, or other pertinentsocial issues that first became popular during the Mexican Revolution andremain popular today.[9] Both Léon and El Fantasma haveachieved pop star status due to the widespread semination of their music onsocial media outlets.
Begrudgingly, Brianand I started mumbling about how we should really get going so that the servercould clear our table, but neither of us got up. We simply did not want to leave;we were having too damn good of a time. Suddenly, one of the bar patrons swiveledaround on his stool and invited us to sit next to him. “Come on, the party’sjust getting started,” he said as he waved us over. Judging from his shirt, helooked like he worked for a landscaping company. Brian and I looked at eachother incredulously, not just because this random landscaping dude had justread our minds like a psychic, but also because it was well after 11:00 pm. “Whynot?” I shrugged and Brian agreed. We sidled up to the bar and ordered Pacificabeers, curious as hell to see what was going to happen next. A few more guys enteredfrom a side room that I didn’t even know existed, sat down at the bar and ordereda pitcher of beer. I noticed one of them was carrying a microphone. I nudgedBrian. “I think there’s going to be some audience participation here soon.”
Occasionally,instead of videos, song lyrics would appear on the TV screen and the microphonewould get passed around from one brave and/or borracho[10] soul to another, including the adorable girl tending the bar,whom everyone applauded vigorously. Nowherenear as egocentric and annoying as karaoke, this practice felt like it was bondingall of us seated around the circular bar together in our shared appreciation ofthe music, rather than providing a stage for individuals to compete forattention. I felt like a participant in an ancient ritual that pre-datedChristianity, like Native America was rising up from the red earth and embracingus.[11]
If we didn’tbelieve things could possibly get better, they wouldn’t have. Because nobodygot up to leave, our hosts interjected some energetic dance music into the videoshow to keep the fiesta going into the morning. Highlights included Mi MatamorosQuerido by Rigo Tovar, a cumbia with an infectious rhythm and a goodold early-70’s organ sound reminiscent of The Doors,[12] and the dance mix by Banda El Mexicano,the spunkiest old geezers you’ve ever seen wearing sparkly space suits, bustingout riffs that hook you and beats that make it impossible for you to sit still inyour chair.[13]
But the all-time favoritevideo with the Calavera crowd that they played no less than 3 times during ourvisit was the song Yo Ya No Vuelvo Contigo by El Grupo Firme. Set in alarge wooden pavilion, 4 vocalists passed the microphone to one another (notunlike our buddies at the bar) while a large band of musicians (accordion, guitars,horns, woodwinds, and percussion) backed them up and mouthed the lyrics. Whennot singing or playing, they ate tacos and drank copious amounts of beer andtequila straight from the bottle. The guy sitting next to me explained thatthis musical style is called Banda, which means “band” in English. Bandais yet another form of Mexican Regional music characterized by the large sizeof the group (generally 10 to 20 members) and the breadth of the repertoire,which can include dance music such as cumbias, boleros, bachatas, salsas, sambas,polkas, and waltzes, as well as rancheras and corridos. Oftenbandas have more than 1 vocalist and often employ 3-part harmonies as well as theubiquitous grito Mexicano.[14]
Our buddy at thebar explained that El Grupo Firme is not your traditional run of the mill bandagroup. They emerged out of the midst of the COVID pandemic via social mediato become one of the hottest acts out of Mexican acts and are now immensely popularamong Mexicans and Mexican Americans living in the U.S. Upon further research, we learned that El Grupo Firme is smallerthan typical banda groups and as they hail from Tijuana, the instrumentationthey employ and their resulting sound is closer to the norteño genrefrom Northern Mexico, that relies heavily on the accordion and the rhythm ofthe polka.[15]
Perhaps the mostaccurate way to characterize El Grupo Firme’s repertoire is to say that they’reexpertly crafted drinking songs and while they may lack the melodic grace ofIrish drinking songs, El Grupo Firme makes up for it in the raw, unbridledemotion they convey as they pour the tequila into their mouths and they pourtheir hearts out of their mouths, like an inhale and an exhale. This is Zen, Mexicanstyle. And their fans, many of them laborers separated from their loved onesback in Mexico, can relate wholeheartedly. Finally, someone is speakingdirectly to them and creating art out of their everyday experiences and this undoubtedlyhas an empowering effect.
The good timesrolled on until we closed down the place, paid our tab, said our goodbyes toour new friends, and sauntered back to our rental car under the light of the fullWorm Moon.[16]
“What happenedback there? What was THAT?” we asked ourselves, shaking our heads, trying toprocess it all as we drove back to our hotel. THAT was a situation that wouldnot have occurred if things had gone according to plan. THAT was a situationthat occurred organically precisely because things did NOT go according to plan. Instead of letting ourselves get thrownoff course by the bumps in the road, we opened ourselves up to what theUniverse might have in store for us instead of what we had envisioned, whichbrought us to the right place at the right time with the right people.
We learned moreabout Mexican music that Saturday night at the Calavera Bar & Grill than wehad ever learned from multiple visits to Mexico. Had we taken a college courseon Mexican Regional music, we wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun. And wedidn’t have to pass an exam to prove our knowledge. Our only requirements were observantawareness of our surroundings, appreciative engagement with our fellow humans, andactive participation in the present moment that was unfolding. These are theonly essential items you need to bring with you when you travel. You can alwaysbuy water and sunscreen when you get there.
[1] Wethink the reason for the dearth of taxis in Tempe is that they all went toScottsdale because hundreds of tourists had just arrived for MBA spring trainingand the cab drivers figured it would be more lucrative, but this is justspeculation.
[2] Readour Trip Advisor review of Dynamic Journey Tours at https://en.tripadvisor.com.hk/ShowUserReviews-g31352-d21504638-r794278514-Dynamic_Journey_Tours-Sedona_Arizona.html
[3]The Lux Verde was a totally decent play to stay at a good value in a convenientlocation. There are flat screen TVs, microwaves, and refrigerators in everyroom as well as free breakfast and a nice outdoor pool and hot tub that we didnot get a chance to enjoy due to our hectic travel schedule. https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/hotel-w-sr-a-cottonwood.html
[4] Diade los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a 2-day holiday celebrated in Mexicoand many regions of the U.S. with vibrant Mexican American communities, such asSan Francisco, San Antonio, and Alberquerque, on Nov. 1st and 2ndto honor deceased family members by making altars called ofrendas andsharing their favorite foods that they would have enjoyed in life. The ofrendas,typically placed on the gravesites, are decorated with marigolds (Flor deMuerto) that are believed to attract the souls of the departed to join theparty and smiling sugar skulls (calaveras) that not only mock death but remindthe living that death is the great equalizer. Candlelight processions of peopledressed in colorful attire wearing calavera face paint is another traditionalfeature of the holiday that has its roots in Aztec culture. https://dayofthedead.holiday/ For some of the largest Day of the Deadcelebrations in the U.S., see https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-most-spirited-day-of-the-dead-celebrations-in-the-united-states
[5] I hope you take the time to listen tothe songs, but even if don’t, you’ve got to click on this link just to see thepix of Fernandez dressed in red, holding a red rose, with rose petals fallingdown from the sky. VICENTEFERNANDEZ LO MEJOR DE LO MEJOR SUS GRANDES CANCIONES - YouTube For moreabout Vicente Fernandez and the ranchera as a Mexican National symbol, see https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/art-and-culture/ranchera-music-mexican-national-symbol
[6] Yes, that’s right, a tuba. The quintessential instrument thatsupplies the bass in Mexican music. And in New Orleans Second Line musictoo, for that matter. https://www.frenchquarter.com/secondline/ Have you ever heard of a rock bandwith a tuba player in it? If so, please write to us. Seriously.
[7] CarinLéon is the multi-talented singer,songwriter, musician and leader of the charting Mexican Regional band GrupoArranke. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/carin-leon-mn0003902290/biography Here’s our favorite Léon video theyplayed for us at la Calavarera. Carin Leon - ME LA AVENTE(Video Oficial) - YouTube
[8] Knownaffectionately as “The King of the Underground,” the mystery surrounding ElFantasma’s identity is part of his allure. Believe it or not, thischart-topping artist for the Afinarte label is in reality a humble gardenernamed Alexander Garcia. See http://elfantasma.tm-g.org/bio/ Wewatched his video for the song Palabra de Hombre at the Calavera. And weloved it. You absolutely must watch it! You will love it too. But beware – thissong will get stuck in your head! El Fantasma - Palabra DeHombre (Video Oficial) - YouTube
[9] Derived from the romance (a literarygenre popular in medieval Europe), the structure of the corrido consists of thegreeting, the prologue, the plot of the narrative, and then closes with themoral and the farewell. In terms of subject matter and poetic lyricism, it canbe compared with the blues and rap/hip-hop/spoken word in the U.S. although itis altogether different melodically and rhythmically due to its lack of Africanorigins.
[10] Spanish for drunk, inebriated,shit-faced, however you want to call it.
[11] Itwas an unusual feeling to feel so comfortable in a place where I had never setfoot before. While I’ve often felt like a foreigner in the cities where I’velived, worked, and paid taxes, I felt right at home on that barstool with thesmiling skull carved into it, clapping for each singer. While it was the firsttime I felt this way in Arizona, it would not be the last. It has everything todo with how genuinely welcoming and inclusive people are, so that thedistinction between “you” and “me” and “us” and “them” ceases to exist.
[12] The cumbia is a form of popular dancemusic that originated in Colombia and spread to Peru, Mexico, and other LatinAmerican countries. This excellent NPR article includes some wonderful audioselections of cumbia music and explains why it can thought of as the backboneof Latin American culture. https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2013/09/30/227834004/cumbia-the-musical-backbone-of-latin-america Maybe it was Ray Manzarek’s brotherfrom a Mexican mother playing the organ on this track. MATAMOROS QUERIDO - YouTube
[13] After watching this video at theCalavera, Brian and I wanted to catch the next plane to Mazatlan. This ishonestly the happiest music I’ve ever heard and most fun video I’ve everwatched. MIX BANDA EL MEXICANO PARABAILAR 2021 - YouTube You’llnote the young dude who doesn’t play an instrument and doesn’t sing and whosesole purpose is to dance; that’s the band leader’s son. If you’re unhappy afterwatching this video, you need antidepressants. Unless you’re unhappy because you’renot the band leader’s son. Then you’re totally fine.
[14] Banda music started in the middle ofthe 19th century when villagers, trying to imitate military bands,formed their own brass bands to entertain their communities. German and Czechimmigrants to Mexicano had a profound influence on banda music, with polkamusic interlapping with Mexican dance music. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banda_music
[15] For more about the phenomenon that is El GrupoFirme, see https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin/9529898/grupo-firme-strategy-regional-mexican-group/ and for more about the norteño genre,see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norte%C3%B1o_(music). Here’s the video of the Calaveracrowd’s favorite song: Yo Ya No Vuelvo Contigo -(Video Oficial) - Lenin Ramirez ft. Grupo Firme - YouTube. Andhere’s my favorite El Grup Firme video: GrupoFirme - La Estoy Pasando Mal - (Official Music Video) - YouTube Similarin its narrative style to the Léon andEl Fantasma videos, it’s much more polished and culturally refined, including avisit to a beautiful art museum at the center of the melodrama between the bandleader, Eduin Caz, and his mamacita.
[16] The full moon in March was so named byNative Americans because it coincides with the time earthworms come wrigglingout of the ground because the frost has thawed and the earth is softening to makeway for the Spring plants to shoot up. For more about the Worm moon and otherNative American names for the full moons in other months, see Full moon in March 2021: When to seethe 'Worm' moon - CNN
