From Pistolera, a danceable beat with a political edge

Listening to Pistolera’s self-released debut, “Siempre Hay Salida” (”There’s Always a Way Out”), or watching lead singer and guitarist Sandra Lilia Velásquez stamp out a beat in her boots to bandmate Maria Elena’s accordion melodies, you inevitably feel as though you’ve landed in the heart of Mexico.

The blend of soulful ranchera, peppy cumbia, and Spanish lyrics evokes a feeling that’s distinctly south of the border, yet not too far south. But Velásquez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants who was born and raised in San Diego, 10 minutes from the border, says that it took living in New York to bring Pistolera into being.

“If I hadn’t left California, I might not be playing the music I play with Pistolera,” the 31-year-old says over chai at the cozy Tea Lounge in Park Slope. “It wasn’t until I moved to New York that I realized I missed the sounds of my childhood, and wanted to re-create them.”"*

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