The Mayan Kings

Not much is known about what happened to the existence of the Mayan culture during the 8th and 9th centuries A.D. There are theories of earthquakes, drought, politics, and environmental issues. Yet, modern science yields no tangible evidence of the decline of the Mayan civilization. We can only get a small glimpse into the past by following the lineage of their descendents.

Flash forward to early 2008, four talented musicians from Guadalajara, Mexico decided to begin a new empire, and The Mayan Kings were born. Billy and Ricardo Santana, Jerome Pineda, and conga player Paco Sanchez left the band Zona 13 to form the original lineup of The Mayan Kings.

They had a deep desire to attack the dance floor in a way that no one else around was trying. So, they decided to strip away everything modern from their sound and begin writing music that was pure, raw and indigenous. They removed all the vocals and replaced them with challenging and complex rhythms, that proudly displayed their roots, heritage and respect for their ancient ancestors.

They brought this new sound and attitude with them on their journey into the United States. When unexpectedly, Paco explained to the band that he had to head back to Mexico for family reasons. Undeterred and determined to go on Ricardo told the band he envisioned a bigger plan for them.

They picked up Mark “Skid One” Richmond along the way as their new conga player, and decided to join forces with a local San Diego funk band, "The Continental Kings." This fueled a whole new journey with a slew of shows, and wild parties from all night bonfire drum circles in the sand to performing for Hugh Hefner himself at the Playboy Mansion.

Which motivated the band to bring their exciting style and flavor to Las Vegas. Richmond stayed behind in San Diego due to his art work taking flight. Billy, Ricardo and Jerome reluctantly unsure of the path they had taken soon felt the warm embrace of Las Vegas audiences.

Upon arriving in Las Vegas, The Mayan Kings found their new conga player Angel “Cocotaso” Perez, who is also known as “A-Train." A traveling soul who got shipwrecked at sea, and found himself somehow wandering through Mexico drawn to the sounds of the congas. Angel is a former member of “Thee Nullify Family," “Magnaflux,” "Sons of Jupiter," and "Dopamine Flux". His deep Puerto Rican roots, gigantic hands and ability to play almost any instrument under the sun was the missing ingredient they were looking for to include on their long-awaited debut album.

After multiple performances ranging from lounges at The Wynn, poolside at The Mandalay Bay, and the raw downtown streets at The Beauty Bar's funk night, "The Get Back." The boys enlisted in the help of Diego Cano, lead guitarist of Dopamine Flux literally at Mom’s Garage in Las Vegas to create Ritmos Primitivos.

Each song interweaving influences ranging from Timbale patterns learned from old Tito Puente records on La Carnival. African voodoo rhythms on Amor Negro. Samba patterns on El Camino that would make Airto Moreira blush. La AFI with Salsa rhythms reminiscent of Poncho Sanchez, and Mongo Santamaria. They created an album they are proud to say fully represents their musical and spiritual journey and also them as human beings which deserve to bear the name of The Mayan Kings.