San José’s Los Tigres del Norte Take Over NPR’s Tiny Desk

There is no stage too small for San José’s Los Tigres del Norte, yet none can contain its impact. For the last 60 years, the Mexican norteño band has built a career around its communities, collecting stories from its devoted audience and spinning the struggle of Latino life into song. My dear friend and Alt.Latino co-host Felix Contreras, in a tearful introduction to this performance, sums up Los Tigres del Norte’s mission best: “For as long as I can remember, these gentlemen have been giving us back our humanity.”

At the Tiny Desk, Los Tigres del Norte opens with an immigrant anthem that clearly proclaims: “I didn’t cross the border / The border crossed me.” And in our office space, that message is hit with the same certainty as a struck guitar chord or an accordion riff. This is just one of many stories that validate the experiences of the Mexican families this band loves. But on a global scale, that role transforms: Los Tigres del Norte plays on behalf of Latin America, speaking truth to power: Somos más Americanos.