Nacha Mendez has been around. Born in Chicago, raised in the tiny border town La Union, New Mexico, years spent in New York City, now settled back in the Santa Fe area. Her musical history is just as varied: she grew up singing Mexican rancheras, played in alternative rock bands, made dance records for the club crowd, and sang in composer Robert Ashley's avant-garde operas. Finally it was time to forge her own sound. She has been playing music since she was 5. Her mother is Afro-Mexican/Tarahumara and father is New Mexican Spanish/Chihene (Warm Springs Apache.) As a teen she formed a garage band with her cousins Gary and Darrell Black, sons of Jimmy Carl Black (drummer in Mothers of Invention). The youngest sibling, Geronimo, is one of several guitarists featured on Nacha's latest recording Volando. She lived in New York City, where she studied Flamenco guitar with Manuel Granados of Barcelona, Spain. She is learning to play the Tres Cubano which will be featured on her next recording. She traveled with Robert Ashley's Opera Company as a principal singer in three of his operas performing trouser roles in all of Japan, at the Avignon Music Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Strasbourg, Graz and Berlin. Nacha has also collaborated with composer Steve Peters who produced Bodega de Amor and Volando. "My Burning Skin to Sleep" on the 2004 CD release Shelter by Steve Peters distributed by the Cold Blue Label features the voice of Marghreta Cordero aka Nacha Mendez. Her recordings include: Fashion Dancing for Extreme People,Dueto Le Momo, Blue Silence, Bodega de Amor and Volando. For more information please contact:
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