Don Diavlo: “What stays with me are my daughter’s eyes watching me play on stage.”

This is Armando Romero, known years ago as “Chapulín” at work, then as Don Diavlo. He became the leader of Chencha Berrinches, one of the most important Latin Ska bands in Los Angeles.

“I always say, ‘don’t put too much cream on your tacos (crema a tus tacos)’, there’s room for everyone,” he says.

He is very modest. For over 20 years, he has been a pioneer of this music on different stages. In July, he will perform in Ecatepec, Mexico, one of the most popular areas in the country.

“It’s going to be awesome, we haven’t been there for years, but we’re interested in connecting with that community,” he adds.

Don Diavlo has a generosity that radiates solidarity.

At 15 years old, he migrated to California from Guanajuato, Mexico. “We were struggling, like all the migrants who come from Mexico. I lived like those stories you hear about, the safe houses, my parents’ anxiety about losing us. My mom was like a hen, making sure none of her children got lost on the journey,” he says. “The fear was that we would get caught by immigration.”

“At this concert I saw the faces of the teenagers, they couldn’t believe it, they even took one of them out because of how impacted she felt. Another world is possible.”

He arrived in California without speaking English.

“Everything was so strange, Brother (he uses this word a lot in a fraternal sense), I didn’t get into gangs, I won’t lie to you, there was a bit of everything, but I got through it. Music saved me, at first it was just a mess, then we realized how to perfect it,” he says.

Musician, filmmaker, and activist David Hernández supports him, “If the community of artists doesn’t unite, we won’t achieve changes, it’s what we’ve tried to do at the SELA Community Center,” he says. (Credit Footage by David R. Hernandez & Roger Cruz Photos by: E.R. Suares)

His struggled to find his place in the community and the music world reflects his parents’ struggle to reach the United States.

“My parents always gave us the best advice. For me, family, building a family, is the best way to change society. We just celebrated our 27th anniversary at the House of Blues in Anaheim. My daughter wasn’t watching the band, she wasn’t watching the audience, she was only watching me, that’s the best gift,” he says.

Don Diavlo is a person committed to the community, and this concert continued his idea of providing that experience to Latino students on stage.

“And why not? At this concert, I saw the faces of the teenagers, they couldn’t believe it, they even had to take one of them out because of how impacted she felt. Another world is possible, I repeat, we’re not the best, but we all have to do our part,” he says.

The band. (Credit Footage by David R. Hernandez & Roger Cruz Photos by: E.R. Suares)

Musician, filmmaker, and activist David Hernández supports him, “If the community of artists doesn’t unite, we won’t achieve changes, it’s what we’ve tried to do at the SELA Community Center,” he says.

Don Diavlo agrees, “we have to face the challenges, like my mom and her ducklings. The community needs us, and we have to be there,” he says.

His image might be tough and rough, but in his conversation, there’s only one thing: “his daughter’s eyes on him when he performs.”

David R. Hernández: “We are just getting started, we are going to change our community.”