You have to hear the music of Chicano Batman

Chicano Batman! It's a fun thing to say, isn't it?

It's also the name of a four-piece alt-rock band from Los Angeles that is pretty great to listen to.

But where does the name come from?

We asked Bardo Martinez, Chicano Batman's frontman and lead singer. 

"We all need a superhero in our lives. We all need something to look up to. We happen to put the names together and it creates this weird juxtaposition. It just keeps you wondering what does that name — what does that mean? So obviously it makes for a good band name."

Yeah, it's true. The name got us hooked. And, what about the sound? 

Martinez says he was influenced by the music in his dad's eclectic record collection: "Cyndi Lauper, Steely Dan, Santana, Cream, Jimi Hendrix."

And, the rhythm he learned from his mom's dancing. "It'd be like salsa all day, hips left and right." 

That enthusiasim for music and fun comes through loud and clear. 

oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D3k9TVfnHH8Q

There's a serious side to Chicano Batman, though. 

They recently did a cover of Woody Gutherie's tune "This Land is Your Land." That's a song with a controversial history. Through the years critics have called the song "Un-American." But Martinez doesn't see it that way. He says, "This Land represents that it's all our land and that we have to work to essentially have everybody understand that this country is made up of a very diverse community. … It's really about appreciating the energies that are brought from all over the world, that people share here." 

oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DoKVeeFhnip0