Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos says the title of Y La Bamba‘s seventh LP Lucha has two meanings. “Lucha,” a nickname for Luz, btw, translates into “fight.” But “luz” can also mean “light.” Both apply to the album’s exploration of an existence in multiplicity – love, queerness, la familia, Mexican-American roots and Chicanx identity, confronting a familial history fraught with violence, and of course, the struggle and growth within this journey. It’s a diary of the emotion and solitude in pursuit of deeper relationships for Mendoza Ramos, as both an artist and a human being who simply wants to be.
Following this week’s fantastic Studio 1A set, Y La Bamba performs tonight, Saturday May 13, at The Ballroom, 2906 Fruth St. Doors at 7 p.m., and San Antonio-based artist Andria Rose opens the show.
