A Cinematic Experience: The Marías at Paradise Rock Club
By Maura Cowan
Sunday, Feb. 20 was The Marías’ second show in Boston on their CINEMA tour, but the lines streaming from the Paradise Rock Club suggested otherwise. Crowds of leather jacket and Doc Marten-clad twenty-somethings huddled in the bitter evening cold as they slowly shuffled from the side of Raising Cane’s to the beckoning venue doors.
The first opener, southern California native Niko Rubio (she/her), began her set as stragglers from the street continued to stream in. With just one EP and assorted singles to her name, Rubio is an industry newcomer, and she appears to only be joining The Marías for a few scattered performances.
If something akin to the “it factor” exists, however, she is a prime example. From the moment she dashed on stage and took the mic, she illuminated the whole room. Bouncing around the stage with boundless energy, she delivered joyous, buoyant pop numbers with a warmth that quickly thawed the crowd. Between songs, she chatted effortlessly with the audience, joking about everything from the East Coast weather to her shirt (a white tee with red flowing text that read “Pussy builds strong bones”). At one point, she mentioned that this was her first time in Boston; it is doubtful that it will be her last.
Rubio gave way to a delightfully surprising second opener, 17-year-old R&B artist Evann McIntosh (they/them). McIntosh has been opening for The Marías consistently for the second leg of their tour, and their comfort with the stage was clear. Surrounded by a full band, they exuded a charismatic confidence far beyond their years, crooning out soulful (and occasionally nonsensical) lyrics with a tongue-in-cheek sort of bravado.
With the crowd primed after two stellar opening acts, The Marías could have simply waved their hands from backstage and been met with thunderous applause. But when they at last graced the Paradise stage, bursting to life with a rendition of “Calling U Back,” the floor-shaking response was entirely deserved.
Frontwoman María Zardoya (she/her) was a captivating and graceful presence, standing center stage and bathed in shifting neon lights. When she occasionally spoke between songs, the entire crowd clung to each word… and when she paused to shout out her mother, who was in the audience, they echoed a bellowing “Hi, Sandra!”
On the whole, however, she was not much for conversation; the band preferred a graceful shift from song to song, making the night as a whole feel like a continuous musical experience. The ability to jam is a not-altogether-lost art, and The Marías are living proof. With their Los Angeles origins and their roots in psychedelic rock and soul, they know how to create a musical environment that goes beyond just performance, taking their time with each piece and playing off of finely honed intuition.
Each individual member had room not only to breathe, but to shine, with every instrumentalist getting their solo moments. Trumpetist Gabe Steiner (he/him) was a particular standout, taking the spotlight with stunning technique and soul. From every member, though, radiated a sense of calm expertise and pure comfort on the stage. Even in their less serious moments–such as a particularly rousing cover of Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time”–they were a true unit, working off of each other with stunning cohesion.
What was also clear, and particularly enjoyable to see, was the atmosphere of joy and camaraderie within the Spanish-speaking and Latine members of the crowd. The majority of The Marías’ work is in English, but their Spanish songs (including “Cariño,” one of their encore numbers) generated some of the largest reactions from the audience. It was an energetic celebration of culture and community, and in those moments, the band shone the brightest by far.