The Tucson International Mariachi Conference wraps up on Saturday, but you don't have to wait until next year's conference to hear a live rendition of "La Cucaracha."
Mariachi bands play a style of music born in Jalisco, Mexico, and usually feature violins, trumpets, a Mexican guitar called a vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar), a guitarrón (a small-scale acoustic bass) and occasionally a harp.
At Guadalajara Grill, 1220 E. Prince Road, a trio called Mariachi Saldivar takes requests from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"They walk around and serenade people," says restaurant manager Anne MacFarland. "They have certain songs that are very popular, like 'Bésame Mucho' and 'Guadalajara.'"
For years, El Mariachi Restaurant, on West Drachman Street, was a prime spot for locals to listen to their favorite Mexican songs while they sampled the eatery's Sonoran fare.
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But with that restaurant now closed, here are a few others that regularly feature mariachi entertainment:
• At La Fuente, 1749 N. Oracle Road, El Mariachi de la Fuente plays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays and during Sunday brunches, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
• Las Cazuelitas has three locations that feature mariachi from 6 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Mariachi Mixteca plays at 3535 E. Fort Lowell Road, Mariachi Brillante plays at 1365 W. Grant Road, and Mariachi Internacional American de Gilberto Velez plays At 234 E. 22nd St.
• Rigo's Restaurant, 2527 S. Fourth Ave., features Mariachi Sonido de Mexico from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sundays.
• El Sambroso Oakwood Grill, 610 N. Grande Ave., features Leyenda Azteca from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. on Fridays.
