The Mariachi Ghost began in 2009 when founder Jorge Requena was asked to put together a group to play a blend of Spanish and English music for the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. The band called themselves The Mariachi Ghost, after a character in a graphic novel that Requena was writing at the time. The mixture of music, dance, and poetry was a hit with festival-goers, and soon the group realized that it had a potential greater than that of the graphic novel it was based on. The band soon grew in force and repertoire. In 2010, they were preparing to record a demo and, in a twist of fate, were approached by the Université Saint Boniface to record three songs for their 'Le Spin' project. These songs, combined with a number of live recordings, were put together on The Mariachi Ghost's first EP, "Machete". This album was distributed to radio stations across the country through a University radio access program run by Winnipeg's UMFM. The record soon achieved critical success, charting in a number of Canadian campus and community stations. It stayed on the charts for a solid 5 months, and reached #4 on the 'International' chart for university radio across Canada, alongside records by Antibalas, Lindy Ortega and Ondatrópica – a remarkable achievement from a free recording with only 400 copies printed. While the album was charting, the band focused on developing their music, and honing their unique theatrical style and often mysterious media personality. The band was invited to record a set of live music videos for La Liberté magazine, which received thousands of hits on YouTube. Meanwhile, The Ghost's momentum was building in the local music scene as they began playing larger venues. In 2011, they were invited to play the Brandon Folk Festival and at the Winnipeg Art Gallery's Nuit Blanche. The next summer they performed at the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival and in the WAG's 'Live on the Rooftop' series, selling out both shows. Their 'Live on the Rooftop' performance was attended by CBC radio host Sook Yin Lee, who expressed her amazement with the show across social media outlets, giving The Mariachi Ghost further exposure across Canada. Soon after being signed by Julius Records, the band turned to crowd-funding in order to raise money for their first full-length album, as they knew recording the group's eight musicians would be no simple task. The fan response was overwhelming, and over $11,000 was raised in just two months, enough to cover the bulk of production costs. This album is the fruit of that love and labour. "The Mariachi Ghost," a gripping tale of sorrow, turmoil, vengeance, and violence. The band is currently working on world-wide distribution, and planning a tour for the summer of 2014.