Salucita

A lot of music, a lot of stories, and plenty to catch up on.  David, Manny, and Eric are back at the Salucita table talking about everything that’s been happening lately. We get into the JUANGA concert and what it took to bring nearly 1,000 people together for a celebration of Juan Gabriel’s music, Fuerza Regida pulling up for a pop-up at Manny’s Gente Fina shop, and David’s trip to Texas helping...

From helping his dad butcher pigs to graduating from the University of Michigan and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, Marcos Carbajal of Carnitas Uruapan has lived between two very different worlds. Marcos joins David and Manny on Salucita for a conversation about growing up above the family restaurant, navigating Chicago as a young Mexican-American, and making the most of the opportuni...

This week on Salucita, we’re talking Hispanic Heritage Month — and why everybody suddenly wants a piece of Mexican culture.  Brands are investing. Mexican-Americans are sitting in bigger rooms and making bigger decisions. Our music is packing stadiums. Our food, fashion and culture are everywhere. We love seeing it. But we also have a question: Where is that same energy the other 11 months of the...

Almost 30 years of Montez de Durango, told by the family that lived it. For us, this one is personal. We remember the duranguense era firsthand. The packed dances, the music everywhere, and late nights seeing these guys come through Los Comales in Melrose Park after their gigs. Montez wasn’t just part of the scene. They helped define an era that shaped a lot of our youth. Now Los Hermanos Terrazas...

"Mexicans changed my life." 🇲🇽Martin Amini has been rocking with us for a minute, and we are so happy we were able to catch up with him while he was in town for his four-night sold-out run in Chicago. Hearing how an Iranian-Bolivian kid earned the respect of the culture and built a fanbase that is 99.9% raza is an incredible story. From hearing how the Mexican community literally took hi...

Ramiro Medina has been synonymous with the Chicago regional music scene for the last decade. Starting his journey at just eight years old playing the violin at Mi Tierra, he has become an absolute veteran of the game while still in his mid-twenties. We sit down with the Lemanz frontman to cover the full spectrum of a wild career. We get into the massive hype of joining Dos Banderas and his legenda...

3.5 million views is a lot of eyes. When we sat down with Chuy García from Los Huracanes del Norte, we knew the story was heavy. But watching that conversation explode across Facebook this week was a completely different reality. Welcome to El de Pilón—our new unscripted bonus drop where we just talk about what happens after the cameras cut. Eric, Manny, and I sat back down at La Tequileria to unp...

Stepping onto the stage before 15,000 people at Millennium Park to channel the essence of Selena is a profound undertaking. But for a talent who has been acting, singing, and dancing since the age of four, it is exactly the moment she was built for. Angelina Victoria sings all types of music, seamlessly fusing American pop, Mexican regional, and tumbado pop. She already boasts collaborations with...

Most bands belong to one generation. Los Huracanes del Norte belong to all of them. Their music raised our parents. Then it raised us. While we have been fortunate to call the García family friends since 2018, welcoming Jesús "Chuy" García to the Salucita table is a moment we’ll never take for granted. Few artists have left a mark on Mexican music—and on Mexican-American families—like Lo...

A Wednesday night at V Live in 2011 was the turning point. Régulo was barely four months into his career, playing his very first show right here in Chicago. Somehow, he packed 2,000 people into that room. That night was not just a concert—it was the birth of the Corridos. Progresivos movement in our city. Eric, our friend Eddie, and I were standing right there as it happened. That show is exactly...

Welcome back to another episode of the Salucita Podcast! This time, we're doing something a little different. It's a raw, hosts-only episode with the three of us—David, Eric, and Manny—taking a step back to recap the journey so far. We built this platform to be grounded and for the people, and we want to keep it real with you all. In this episode, we talk about the wild milestone of reachi...

Welcome to Episode 008 of the Salucita Podcast. This week, we sit down with Ruben Ramirez. He is Chicagoland's next great comedian and one of the sharpest voices documenting the Midwest hustle, deconstructing the reality of building a nationwide career in stand up. Overall, this is just a really enjoyable couple of hours spent laughing with the boys. We were also incredibly happy to have Jose...

Welcome to Episode 007 of the Salucita Podcast. This week, we sit down with Grupo Vanguardia. They are the undeniable pioneers of the new wave of Chicago entertainment, dominating everything from massive festival stages to the viral live music workout events taking over the city. We take a deep dive into the true evolution of the band. Through different eras, different lead singers, and changing b...

Welcome to Episode 006 of the Salucita Podcast. This week, we sit down with Angélica Gallegos. She is the massive voice who built an empire from the ground up, dominating YouTube and TikTok while writing the exact emotional reality of her fans. But the road to navigating two worlds was anything but easy. She trusted us with the entire, unfiltered picture of her journey. She opens up about being a...

The hardest fight happens before the lights ever come on. Welcome to Episode 005 of the Salucita podcast. This week, we sit down with professional boxer Gio "El Cabrón" Cabrera (21-2) right in the middle of Fight Week. Fresh off his high-profile, 12-round war with Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz, Gio opens up about the extreme, often dark psychology of combat sports at the highest level. We break down the gr...

At just 12 years old, Jonathan Zaragoza was waking up at dawn to tend the fire in a backyard wood-burning oven, mastering his family's 200-year-old recipe for oven-roasted goat. Now known as the GOATBOY, he’s gone from the South Side of Chicago to becoming a Michelin-recognized chef, a modern torchbearer of Mexican culinary heritage, and a YouTube sensation sharing his culture with millions. I...

At just 16 years old, Gabino Montalvo walked into a dark studio at 3 AM to meet a "God Figure" and sign his first major label deal with Del Records. Now, he’s one of the brightest stars in the Mexican-American music scene, operating completely on his own terms. In Episode 003 of the Salucita Podcast, David and Manny sit down with Gabino to talk about the realities of the modern music ind...

Welcome to Episode 002 of the Salucita Podcast. This week, we sit down with Grammy-nominated powerhouse Jose Esparza. He is the mastermind behind some of the most massive regional Mexican hits of the last five years, penning tracks for industry giants like Christian Nodal and The Aguilar Family. But the road to becoming regional royalty was anything but easy. In this episode, we get into a deep, h...

In the premiere episode of Salucita, we sit down with Hector De La M to discuss the journey from his roots in the legendary group Vanguardia to his rise as a solo artist. Hector opens up about the massive split that fractured Vanguardia years ago and how that pivotal moment forced him to reinvent himself. We talk about the reality of the music business, his experience touring with Christian Nodal,...