The Smiths and their lead singer, Morrissey, have long had a passionate following, but few are as gonzo as their fans in Mexico and in Southern California’s Mexican-American community.
Now comes Mexrrissey, a cover band with a twist: These guys do Morrissey songs in Spanish and with arrangements drawing from traditional Mexican sounds. So on “No Manchester,” their debut album released earlier this year, Morrissey’s “Everyday Is Like Sunday” becomes “Cada Día es Domingo,” and his “Suedehead” is “Estuvo Bien.”
“I tried to reinvent the songs as if Morrissey lived in Mexico City,” says Camilo Lara, the force behind Mexrrissey who lives in the Mexican capital. “I use all the street rhythms Mexico has.”
Themes of alienation and longing for love figure heavily in both Morrisey’s ouvre and traditional Mexican popular music — and may explain the seemingly unlikely attraction.
“I guess in the ’80s Mexicans saw a lot of similarities between Morrissey and Juan Gabriel, who’s one of our biggest crooners,” says Lara. “They both play with sexuality and they love drama. Morrissey is an immigrant, too — his family came from Ireland to England.”
Now 40, Lara discovered the Smiths as a child, when he raided his cool older brother’s record library.
Finding like-minded fans of Morrissey to work with him was easy. The band’s collaborators include the likes of Mexican indie-pop singer Chetes and Sergio Mendoza, who’s played with Calexico.
As for that album title, Lara explains that “in Mexican slang ‘no manchester’ means ‘Are you kidding me?’ It was just a funny coincidence.”
“And it’s great because we’re not from Manchester,” he adds, laughing.
Mexrrissey plays Central Park’s SummerStage (entrance at Fifth Avenue and 69th Street) on Wednesday. Free.