Though their fame is recent, the story of how Mexican Ostrich came about dates back to the year 2005, when Yuma High School band/jazz band members Brandon Smith, Lyda Evers, Robert Fletcher, Ernie Ortega, Edward Jahnke IV, and Felipe Herrera conjured the idea of forming a ska band for the upcoming 2006 Yuma High Battle of the Bands. All of the musicians had honed their crafts since the 6th grade (except for Edward, who was originally a trumpet/tuba player/piano/kazoo/fiddle/didgeridoo player). Though they had the skill, they didn’t have a guitarist or vocalist. Enter Sid Flint. Though Sid was not a member of the Yuma High Band, he was friends with everyone in the band. The only problem was that Sid was a drummer, but that problem was fixed when he decided to pick up the guitar specifically for Mexican Ostrich. Because Sid’s veins flow with music, he also became the bands vocalist as well. With the band finally assembled, they decided to play Streetlight Manifesto’s “Here’s to Life,†and Troy’s Bucket’s “â€Pseudo Girl,†and their first original song “Mustache,†for the YHBTOB. Though the band was originally formed only for that one competition, when they won 2nd place, (losing to Sid and Edward’s band The Yetti) they knew that they had to stick together. After all, maybe they could actually resurrect Yuma Arizona’s ska scene after all. When the summer of 2006 ended, Edward went up to Arizona State University for college, Sid Flint went to Northern Arizona University, and the horns, along with Brandon, attended Arizona Western College in their home town of Yuma, AZ. Though they were far apart and living different lives, Sid and Edward came down to Yuma on some weekends to play shows. Come November 2006, they competed in the Yuma County Battle of the Bands and won 1st place in the Judges Pick category. From that point on, they have added Colton Cook (also a Yuma High Band/jazz band member) to the ensemble as a primary member of the horn line. Since November of 2006, they have not been known as Mexican Ostrich, but rather as The Mexican Ostrich due to a typo in the Yuma Daily Sun. With their shiny new name, they have continued to write and record their music, releasing their first 7 song demo in May of 2008, under Flint Records. This summer they have begun to get finger hold in the Phoenix area, hoping to gain popularity in a city that actually has a ska scene.
