By 
GRAMMY Award® winning band Quetzal celebrated the release of its seventh studio album The Eternal Getdown at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Special guest performers included Aloe Blacc, Ramón Gutiérrez, Rocío Marrón, César Castro, and Joey De Léon.
For more than 20 years, the East L.A. Chican@ rock group has been fighting oppression with their unique, culturally diverse soundscapes. The Eternal Getdown is Quetzal’s second Tradiciones/Traditions series release under Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Based in artivism (art + activism), feminist ideals, and the relentless belief that making music together has the profound potential for positive social change, The Eternal Getdown is hailing us to make some noise, to speak up, and to stomp forward in a time that is all too critical. Quetzal’s previous Folkways Recordings album titled Imaginaries, was recognized by The Recording Academy® with a GRAMMY Award® for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album in 2012.
Founding band member Quetzal Flores, and partner Martha González, have been creating music that speaks to the responsibility of bearing witness to one’s community and acting as agents of transformation. Having grown up in East L.A., they internalized the unique overlap of diverse cultures, sounds, and struggles, and The Eternal Getdown is a continuation of their artivist efforts. Quetzal’s music incorporates traditional son jarocho, Cuban batá, funk, Chicano rock, soul, and rhythm and blues, which encourages listeners to recognize the fluidity of the varying sounds, and the historical and ancestral relationship between them. “Quetzal has long served as a mirror that reflects back affirmations of belonging and thriving in the face of brutality. This album and concert is a call to humanity to re-member the fabric that binds us and nurtures us, community,” said Martha.
“JACCC was incredibly excited to present the album release concert for Quetzal’s The Eternal Getdown,” said Alison De La Cruz, Director of Performing Arts & Community Engagement. “This album is musical medicine and fortifies our communities for the current struggles to create meaningful human connections and change in a time of growing fear and isolation. We were excited to welcome not only the 9 members of Quetzal to our stage, but the over 16 guest artists who truly made this show a night that will be talked about for years to come.”
