Veteran Bakersfield Latin ska reggae group Mento Buru to release ‘Skalloween’ a 6-song EP of reimagined Halloween music classics…

…originally recorded and released by Bakersfield music icons Buck Owens and Ronnie Cook & The Gaylads. Mento Buru is a 7-piece band from Bakersfield, CA that combines an energetic blend of Latin alternative, Jamaican ska and reggae sounds. Veterans of ska music’s hyperactive nineties third wave, the group has released music on the Moon Ska and Steady Beat record labels establishing their reputation as a genre-defying musical act around the globe. ‘Skalloween’ will be available beginning October 12, for download and streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, YouTube, Tik Tok.

Mento Buru consists of Matt Munoz, lead vocals, saxophone; Cesareo Garasa, drums; Caleb Moore, bass; Salvador Galindo, guitar; Jay Smith, keyboards; Paul Perez, saxophone; and Justin Kirk, trombone. Guest musicians: Brent Williams, trumpet; Marcos Reyes, percussion; and Alisa Garasa and Robyn Dyer, background vocals.

Recorded at Triple Seven Recording in Bakersfield, the project was mixed by acclaimed studio engineer and NOFX keyboardist Jon Graber (Goldfinger, MXPX) and mastered by Dave Fore (Collie Buddz, The Lacs.) dub reggae remixes by Los Angeles producer and ska scene veteran Brian Wallace AKA Dubrobot. Over the years the band has also shared stages with The Specials, The English Beat, Los Lobos, The Untouchables, Long Beach Dub All Stars, Hepcat, Dancehall Crashers, The Dirty Heads, Wailing Souls, Fishbone, Ozomatli, Bo Diddley, Buck Owens (of course!) and countless others in addition to performing at The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go, The Viper Room, BB Kings and Fox Theater venues, just to name a few. The name Mento Buru refers to two forms of early Jamaican folk music styles, which make up the rhythmic foundation of what would become ska and reggae music in the 1960s.