Meet Cesar Rico of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cesar Rico.

Hi Cesar, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m Cesar Rios, founder of Mariachi El Cuis. My mariachi story started when I was 13, at San Fernando Middle School, in Mr. Vasquez’s mariachi program. I still remember picking up an instrument for the first time and realizing this music was more than notes on a page. It was the sound of every family celebration I’d grown up with: birthdays, weddings, quinceañeras, and the serenatas that brought whole neighborhoods outside. Mr. Vasquez taught us to play with discipline and heart, and that stayed with me.

From there, mariachi became a lifelong calling. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of performing alongside well-known artists, on television shows, in stadiums and at major concerts. Earlier in my career I founded my first mariachi group, which is still running and doing great today under the leadership of a good friend of mine. I’m proud of what we built there, but I felt the pull to start something new, built from the ground up around everything I’ve learned.

In September 2026, I launched Mariachi El Cuis. The name honors El Cuis, a small town in Jalisco, Mexico, right next to Ameca. Jalisco is the birthplace of mariachi, and naming the group after El Cuis is our way of keeping our roots at the center of everything we play.

Today I live two lives: software engineer during the week, mariachi on the weekends. People are sometimes surprised by that, but the two have a lot in common. Both take precision, preparation and a commitment to getting it right every time. I bring that same mindset to how we run the group.

That mindset shaped our biggest promise. Too many families in Los Angeles have hired a mariachi only to have the group cancel last minute or send different musicians than the ones they booked. We built Mariachi El Cuis to fix that. If you hire Mariachi El Cuis, you get Mariachi El Cuis. No subs, no surprises. The musicians you book are the ones who show up, on time, in full traje, and ready to perform.

We’re a new name, but our musicians bring years of professional stage experience. We perform at quinceañeras, weddings, birthday parties, serenatas, anniversaries and private events throughout Los Angeles

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not always, but every challenge has made our mariachi group stronger as a team.

Starting a new mariachi group in Los Angeles is no small thing. Even though our musicians have years of professional experience, Mariachi El Cuis is a new name, and we have to earn our reputation one quinceañera, wedding, birthday and serenata at a time. Families in LA have options, and many of them have been let down before by mariachis that cancelled or sent substitute musicians. Winning their trust takes more than good music. It takes consistency, and that’s something we hold each other accountable for as a team.

The business side came together quickly. I apply what I know from software engineering and consulting to how we handle bookings, communicate with clients and plan each event. The music side is where the real work happens. Mariachi is demanding. A full wedding reception or birthday party takes stamina, tight harmonies and hours of rehearsal. For me, that meant getting back into a daily routine of practice and vocal exercises after time away. As a group, it means rehearsing until our sound is something families will remember for years.

I couldn’t do any of this without the musicians beside me, especially two incredible women in our group. Berenice, or Bere as we call her, plays the guitarrón, the deep bass that drives every mariachi song. She’s the heart of the group in more ways than one. Bere brings positive energy to every rehearsal and every performance, and it spreads to everyone around her, including the crowd. Sayra plays violin, and she’s our rock. She’s tough, centered and fearless. Request any song and she’ll sing it, and she gives her best every single time she steps on stage.

Women have always been part of mariachi’s history, but they don’t always get the recognition they deserve. Having Bere and Sayra in Mariachi El Cuis gives us range, in our sound, our vocals and the repertoire we can offer, and families love it. A quinceañera hearing a female mariachi voice sing to her on her day is something special.

Every member of the group balances mariachi with work, family and life. Weekends belong to the music, and that takes sacrifice from everyone. What keeps us going is the same promise we make to every client in Los Angeles: if you hire Mariachi El Cuis, you get Mariachi El Cuis. No subs, no surprises. The musicians you book are the ones who show up, together, every time.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Mariachi El Cuis is a Los Angeles mariachi group for families and events that deserve to be done right. We perform live mariachi music for quinceañeras, weddings, birthday parties, serenatas, anniversaries and private celebrations throughout Los Angeles, and we’re bringing mariachi to restaurants for weekly nights like Taco Tuesday and Sunday brunch.

We’re building our brand on three things: security, trust and the best musical quality we can offer. When a family hires a mariachi in Los Angeles, they’re often trusting a group they’ve never met with one of the most important days of their lives. We take that seriously. Our promise is simple: if you hire Mariachi El Cuis, you get Mariachi El Cuis. No subs, no surprises. The musicians you book are the musicians who show up, on time, in full traje, and ready to perform. We also bring our own sound equipment, including a speaker and wireless mic for every booking and a full sound setup for large halls, so your event sounds as good as it looks.

What sets us apart is that we don’t chase the number of gigs. We focus on the quality of each one. Many groups book as many events as they can in a single day, rushing from party to party with tired voices and whoever is available. We’d rather play fewer events and give every one of them our best. A quinceañera, wedding or birthday party takes months of planning and a lot of money, time and effort. Our job is to honor that work with a performance worthy of it, from the first song to the last.

What I’m most proud of is our team. Our musicians, including Bere on guitarrón and Sayra on violin, are the ones who pushed me to start Mariachi El Cuis. Also nothing would have been done without my wifes blessing and support. They believed in this vision before anyone else did, and they trust me to lead it. That trust means everything to me, and I work every day to earn it. When families see us perform, they’re not watching a group of hired players. They’re watching a team that believes in what we’re building together. That’s what makes Mariachi El Cuis different, and it’s what we bring to every event we play.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Thank you to everyone who has supported Mariachi El Cuis since day one, including our families, our friends and every client who has trusted us with their celebration. We’re just getting started, and we’re grateful for every event we get to be part of.

If you’re planning a quinceañera, wedding, birthday party, serenata or any special event in Los Angeles, we’d love to be part of your day. Don’t wait until the last minute. Weekends fill up fast, especially during quinceañera and wedding season, and the best way to make sure you get the musicians you want is to book early. Reach out and we’ll take the time to understand your event, your music and the moments that matter most to you.

We’re also looking to partner with restaurants across Los Angeles that want to bring live mariachi music to their guests on a regular basis, whether that’s Taco Tuesday, Tequila Thursday or Sunday brunch. If you own or manage a restaurant and want to create an experience your customers will come back for, let’s talk.

And to anyone who’s ever been let down by a mariachi that didn’t show up, or showed up with different musicians than promised: we hear you, and that’s exactly why we exist. If you hire Mariachi El Cuis, you get Mariachi El Cuis. No subs, no surprises.

¡Que viva el mariachi!

Pricing:

• $550 per hour in Los Angeles
• $380 (7 songs, weekdays only)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mariachielcuis.com/media
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariachielcuis/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594009573154
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mariachi-el-cuis
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmLUW223ra_Ridb7Ewh3qWQ
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mariachi-el-cuis-los-angeles
• Other: https://mariachielcuis.com/