As San Francisco’s ambassadors of gypsy rock, Diego’s Umbrella captures California’s cultural multiplicity with enthusiasm, humor and decadence.These urban gringo mariachis have performed more than a thousand live shows, cloaked in elaborate homemade outfits. The band’s unforgettable performances have visually and aurally captivated diverse audiences around the globe. Influenced heavily by flamenco, klezmer, and Latin music, Diego’s Umbrella... More

As San Francisco’s ambassadors of gypsy rock, Diego’s Umbrella captures California’s cultural multiplicity with enthusiasm, humor and decadence.These urban gringo mariachis have performed more than a thousand live shows, cloaked in elaborate homemade outfits. The band’s unforgettable performances have visually and aurally captivated diverse audiences around the globe. Influenced heavily by flamenco, klezmer, and Latin music, Diego’s Umbrella has introduced the world to a new kind of popular music, with sounds reminiscent of Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly and The Clash. Shortly after migrating to Northern California from rural Wisconsin, DU front man Vaughn Lindstrom (acoustic guitar, vocals, lead songwriter) teamed up with California native Tyson Maulhardt (electric guitar, vocals) to create a musical ensemble that they dubbed Diego’s Umbrella. The namesake: their friend’s arm tattoo. Diego’s Umbrella debuted in 2001 with its first album, Songs for the Farmers. With the addition of Marcus Schmidt (bass), Jason Kleinberg (violin, vocals, accordion), Jake Wood (drums, percussion) and Benjamin Leon (lead vocals, electric guitar, percussion), Diego’s Umbrella has been packing venues throughout the Western U.S. and Europe with its heavy-hitting live shows and filling airwaves in the U.S. and Europe with lively tunes. The band released Kung Fu Palace in 2006 and Viva la Juerga in 2007. Within a few months Juerga ranked #129 on the CMJ Top 200 Chart. This spring Diego’s Umbrella will release the much-anticipated record, Double Panther. Several DU songs were also featured in the X-Dance-award-winning documentary Sofia, the Quiksilver/Roxy surf DVD Shimmer, as well as CBS’ Elimination Station. Diego’s Umbrella also performs three songs in the Lionsgate comedy Still Waiting (2009). "With guitars straight out of a Tarantino movie, the group seamlessly blends mariachi, gypsy, flamenco and ska into one beer-soaked fiesta, with song topics varying from heartache to revolution." -NewsReview.com   members: Vaughn: The Juergistador J.Kleinborg: The Unicorn Jake Wood: The Samurai Red Cup - The Animal Kevin Gautschi - The French   Less