La marimba como nunca la habías escuchado / The marimba like you’ve never heard it
Friday, June 19, 2026 · 8:00 PM Thalia Hall · 1807 S. Allport St., Chicago, IL 60608 Presented by Thalia Hall and the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago
Get ready, Chicago. On Friday, June 19, the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago and Thalia Hall invite you to witness something genuinely unlike anything else on the live music landscape: Son Rompe Pera, the Mexico City-bred architects of cumbia punk, bringing their legendary high-voltage marimba mayhem to the historic stage in Pilsen.
Doors open to Thalia Hall’s grand, cathedral-like ballroom — capacity around 900, standing configuration — but if the band’s reputation is any guide, the floor will be a moving, breathing organism long before the first note drops. These shows don’t so much begin as erupt.
Who Are Son Rompe Pera?
The story starts in the outskirts of Mexico City, where brothers Jesús “Kacho” Gama and Allan “Mongo” Gama grew up at their father’s side, learning to play marimba at weddings, quinceañeras, and street corners across the city. Their father, José “Batuco” Gama — a traditional marimbero — passed down not just an instrument but a way of life rooted in music, community, and the streets.
As teenagers, the brothers did what teenagers do: they abandoned the “uncool” marimba for punk, rockabilly, and ska. But the instrument pulled them back. This time, they brought punk with them.
The result is Son Rompe Pera — a five-piece ensemble wielding marimba, conga, güiro, drums, guitar, and bass in a pan-Latino sonic assault that has been called the only band of its kind on earth. Their motto says it all: “Cumbia is the New Punk.”
After a chance encounter at the La Lagunilla flea market in Mexico City, the band was invited to Chile, where they played over 40 shows and laid down the recordings that would become their debut album Batuco (2020, ZZK/AYA Records), named in honor of their late father. Their follow-up, Chimborazo (2023), recorded at Bogotá’s Mambo Negro studio, earned raves from NPR, Billboard, and The Wire — with the latter describing it as “rough, full-throttle cumbias dominated by the ribcage rattle of the marimba, while surf punk skeletons shake their way out of the closet.”
They’ve since headlined SXSW, Vive Latino, Roskilde, and Lincoln Center. They’ve performed alongside Café Tacuba, Celso Piña, and Chico Trujillo. And wherever they go, they leave behind something that has become their calling card: the marimba mosh pit.
La Catedral del Rock en Pilsen / The Cathedral of Rock in Pilsen
Thalia Hall is the perfect match for this show. Built in 1892 and meticulously restored, this Pilsen landmark offers one of Chicago’s most atmospheric concert experiences — soaring ceilings, ornate detail, and a floor that seems to want to move. For a band that blurs the line between dance hall and punk show, it’s the ideal arena.
Boletos / Tickets
Tickets are available now. Don’t wait — Son Rompe Pera shows sell out.
Venue note: Thalia Hall operates on a standing-room floor configuration for high-energy shows. Check the Thalia Hall FAQ for policies on bags and merchandise (cash-only merch sales are common). Doors typically open one hour before showtime.
¿Quiénes son Son Rompe Pera?
La historia comienza en las afueras de la Ciudad de México, donde los hermanos Jesús “Kacho” Gama y Allan “Mongo” Gama crecieron junto a su padre, aprendiendo a tocar la marimba en bodas, quinceañeras y esquinas del barrio. Su padre, José “Batuco” Gama — marimbero de tradición — les transmitió no solo un instrumento, sino una forma de vida enraizada en la música callejera y la comunidad.
De adolescentes, los hermanos hicieron lo que hacen los adolescentes: abandonaron la marimba — demasiado “de viejos” — por el punk, el rockabilly y el ska. Pero el instrumento los reclamó. Esta vez, se llevaron el punk con ellos.
El resultado es Son Rompe Pera: un quinteto que empuña marimba, conga, güiro, batería, guitarra y bajo en una arremetida sonora panlatina que no tiene igual en el mundo. Su lema lo dice todo: “La cumbia es el nuevo punk.”
Luego de un encuentro fortuito en el Mercado de La Lagunilla, la banda fue invitada a Chile, donde tocaron más de 40 conciertos y grabaron su disco debut Batuco (2020), en honor a su difunto padre. Su siguiente trabajo, Chimborazo (2023), grabado en el estudio Mambo Negro de Bogotá, recibió elogios de NPR, Billboard y The Wire. Desde entonces han encabezado SXSW, Vive Latino, Roskilde y el Lincoln Center, dejando a su paso lo que ya es su sello inconfundible: el mosh pit de marimba.
Son Rompe Pera en Thalia Hall es presentado por Thalia Hall y el International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago. Son Rompe Pera at Thalia Hall is presented by Thalia Hall and the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago.