Aztec Zodiac started four years ago in El Paso, Texas, as an experiment in funk rhythm. Designed as an outlet for funk creativity in it's purest form, the straight dope. A typical Aztec Zodiac show starts with the core rhythm section of Bencomo, Castillo, and Esparza and becomes a mélange of groove with special guest musicians spanning the spectrum of sounds. On any given night guests might utilize anything from horns, tuntables, harps, and latin percussion to slam poetry and free-form rap. Anything goes.
Martin Bencomo, Mike Castillo, and Adrian Esparza are Texas music veterans who, together and separately, have shared stages and played sessions with many forms of musical talent including The Fabulous Thunderbirds, LosLobos, The Drifters, The Stylistics, Martha and the Vandellas, Charanga Cakewalk, Lila Downs, El Vez, RichHopkins/Luminarios, Lysa Flores, Exene Cervenka, DJ Bonebrake and Viggo Mortensen, Del Castillo, Starship, Archangels, Grammy Award winning Holly Dunn, John Kay's Steppenwolf, Loverboy, Patrice Pike, Storyville, and many others.
Their latest release, Flores, Dolores, y Colores, is simply a small slice of the AZ experience. A day in the life of a groove.
Mark Czacki was added in 2008 on guitar.
Aztec Zodiac is:
Martin Bencomo- Bass
Mike Castillo- Drums
Mark Czacki- Guitar
Adrian Esparza- Guitars
©2009 AZTECZODIAC