Los Straitjackets break out Christmas Pageant again

November 08, 2005
by Tjames Madison

Los Straitjackets (tickets | music)--America's favorite Mexican wrestler mask-wearing surf music combo--will once again take their traveling Christmas Pageant on the road with a full slate of appearances for the holidays.

The Nashville-based band will kick off the pageantry with a Dec. 1 date in Cleveland, OH. Joining them on all dates will be their long-time companions in Christmas revelry, the World Famous Pontani Sisters

Los Straitjackets' Christmas Pageant has become an annual tradition since its creation in 2002, which also saw the release of the band's Christmas album "Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets." Following an enthusiastically received appearance that year on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," the band decided to make the Christmas shows a permanent fixture in its tour schedule, according to Los Straitjackets' website.

Although Los Straitjackets haven't released a full-length album of new music since 2003's "Supersonic Guitars in 3-D," the band has made a steady stream of material available for fans, including "Encyclopedia of Sound" volumes one and two, two internet-only albums released earlier this year. The two sets feature a wide-ranging collection of material originally recorded by the band for television, film and commercial use.

Los Straitjackets were at first dubbed The Straitjackets, but--according to the group's lore--they changed their name when, just before their first gig, band member Danny Amis pulled out a bag of wrestling masks he'd bought in Mexico City. The masks have been the band's trademark ever since.