The first release Cuchata churns together influences spanning the Latin American diasporas. Taking hints from the musical traditions of Nicaragua, Peru, Cuba, Columbia, and Argentina and fluidly mixing them into one cohesive sound. After several years of travel and exposure to more cultures, Marcelo became disenchanted with the idea of a single culture, and began to embrace multiple cultures for their unique musical influences. Cuchata's second album Sangre Mixto, showed the diversity of the band's style, and Marcelos talent in creating a unique musical flow. It was a departure from the acoustic trio sound of the first release, introducing electric guitar and brass as well as experimenting with English lyrics. Sangre Mixto is gracefully put together and serves as a perfect example of how a band can both fit into a genre and at the same time challenge it. Cuchata's music has been licensed for commercials, television shows, and feature films. Leading to Marcelo taking on new challenges and actively pursuing a career in film and television music as well as lending his talents to produce new artists. Early successes down this path included scoring an award winning short films such as Saddam 17 and Help Wanted.
With Cuchata's newest release entitled Amor, Cambio, Y La Verdad we see Marcelo's composing and writing talents focused and stripped down. “This album is more of me than any of my past musical compositions have been. It deals with concepts I had never really expressed before, and that are deeply personal. This album is about love and growth," says Marcelo. The track “La Verdad" explores the truth of love, and how its the one thing that matters always. While the tracks “What Am I Doing" and “Losing It All" show case not only a smooth departure from the “Latin" genre, but Marcelo's seamless ability to jump from Cumbia, to Ska, to Hip-Hop. Pouring his heart and soul into this release, Marcelo plays the majority of the instruments on each track, writing and performing parts for bass, guitar, keys and vocals. He's also invited many talented guests to help in creating this new and transformative sound. “The truth of the matter is that I am a hybrid. I myself am a product of many cultures and influences. To deny any aspect of that, would be to deny a part of who I am. I swore to honor all my parts in this album, regard less of peoples expectations." With this album, Marcelo has elevated Cuchata to genre bending status and made a record that will speak to people universally about the themes of life and love that captivate us all, regardless of language or culture.
