Gabriel, Raf, Cisco and special guests tore up the Crescent Ballroom Saturday night for Cinco de Mayo 2012.  With a keyboard player in the mix and two horns who were singing harmonies and playing percussion between riffs, a right-good celebration unleashed with Fervor’s Latin Reggae Punk-Core Trio at the helm.

Support acts Kommon Measure and Cesar Chavez Duran with the youthful Mariachi Fuego Del Sol (complete with their traditional fringed black and white attire) built up the festive flavor and got the crowd more than ready to rock out for Fayuca’s grande entrance.

Fayuca opened with new Spanish love song Sigo Amandote, then seamlessly ripped into an intense punk rock tune, before settling into a deep space dub jam..all within the first 6 minutes of the show.  The band is known for their eclectic spectrum of styles and managed to hit them all in the beginning, like an overture to the rest of the evening.

Part way through the set, drummer Raf was deserted in the spotlight as he powered his way through an impressive solo.  Crowd members were clamoring for photos in the pit, trying to capture Raf’s lone stylings.  As he held it down, two young emcees took the stage and set up their mics.  Before the audience knew it, they were witnessing an impromptu performance by an entirely different group, Raf’s side project Money Dash.  Wow!  After a sweet mini-set, the rappers gracefully exited and the rest of the band returned, all still within the epic drum solo span.

After a couple party tunes, the special guests took to the wings and left only the three core Fayuca members in a warm mellow glow front and center.  Raf sat on his cajon (single box drum) while Gabe and Cisco settled into some comfy chairs and put their feet up for a tender acoustic set.  The crowd adored the intimate moment, making everyone feel like they were in someone’s living room.

Then it was time to get back to party mode and Fayuca led the way with some more ska-punk anthems.  The audience gathered, fist-pumped and shouted requests at the trio in hopes of hearing their faves before the night concluded.  Frontman Gabriel Solorzano obliged and did a song all by his lonesome.  It only took one verse and one chorus before the entire ensemble could no longer resist joining in.  The crowd went nuts and carried the energy all the way to the end of the night, three encores later.

The show seemed to go on for a long time, and fans stuck with it til the final moments.  No one was in any hurry to go anywhere.  When it was finally over, everyone rushed the merch booth in an effort to secure the hot new owl tees from Fayuca/Noctis Threads.  Here’s Haley the merchmistress, who held down the fort all night.

Overall, a good time was had by all.  Fayuca fans were there in droves and probably would’ve partied right there on the dance floor til sunrise if the venue didn’t have to close up shop.