“An awesome ethnography of the mariachis of Boyle Heights, with stunning photos giving readers a sense of place.”—¡Ask a Mexican!
“(In Hotel Mariachi) Gandert sought to capture the contrast between the joy of the regal bands performing versus the harsh reality of their struggles for work from the crumbling building.”—Albuquerque Journal
“A beautiful visual and historical tribute to the musicians who still work and live in the Boyle Heights neighborhood.”—Journal of Folklore Research
“ Hotel Mariachi . . . establishes a tone of informed passion that takes the reader on a fascinating journey in time and place—especially place. . . . This volume will be of special interest to anyone exploring the past and present of Mexican music in the City of the Angels.”—Journal of the Society for American Music
"This book illustrates the broader flow of cultural history in Los Angeles through the particular -- the story of place and what defines it. It addresses an important social and cultural niche that no other book on mariachi music addresses."—Daniel Sheehy, Director & Curator, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings