Rana Santacruz is a Mexican musician who lives in Brooklyn, NY.
His music has been called "Mexican Bluegrass" or "Irish Mariachi" with a dose of rock and alternative. His sound starts in Ireland, runs through Appalachia, swings through New Orleans, and careens across most of Mexico. The acoustic instrumentation includes cajón, upright bass, accordion, guitar, banjo, jarana, violin and trumpet. He cites his main influences as The Pogues, Tom Waits, Chavela Vargas, Agustín Lara, son jarocho, tambora, and folk music in general.
Lyrically, his songs tell short tales about broken hearts, sailors, dogs, turkeys, and farewells.
His first solo CD "Chicavasco" was co-produced by Alex Venguer who has also worked with Aretha Franklin, Philip Glass, Sufjan Stevens & Billy Joel.
