Mexicolas are a rock band from Birmingham, England, formed by Jamie Evans in 2004 and signed to Midlands based In Exile Records. Mexicolas were featured in a documentary series for Channel 4 entitled '4-Play'. The documentary followed the band in their Digbeth warehouse where they recorded and lived together.
After a successful beginning to 2007, The band were snapped up by booking agents CAA (Creative Artist Agency) who have been keeping them busy on road ever since.
In 2007, Mexicolas released their debut single "Shame", which was followed by a national tour in the UK and the second single "Come Clean" which has received praise from many radio stations and was featured in the top 10 songs to listen to in Kerrang magazine. Music from Mexicolas has been featured in several advertising campaigns, including ads for Nissan and O'Neill as well as feature film KEITH released in the US starring (Jesse McCartney & Elisabeth Harnois) EA games have also featured Mexicolas tracks on video games such as Burnout Paradise and FIFA Euro 2008.
The band released their debut album 'X' on 11 February 2008. The album was produced by Mexicolas along with Dan Sprigg & Gavin Monaghan. In early 2008 Mexicolas supported The Cult, followed by a series of key shows in California on their first visit to the states. The band then supported Daughtry and then Filter in London.
Mexicolas featured on many festivals during Summer 2008, playing at (Give It A Name festival at both Earls Court & Sheffield Arena alongside 30 Seconds To Mars, You Me At Six, Anti-Flag and Billy Talent as well as appearances at Rockness and Download Festival at Donnington. Their debut album made the top 50 guitar albums of 2008 in Europes biggest selling guitar magazine "Total Guitar".
Mexicolas also dipped their toe in Japan during October 2008 supporting The Offspring, which resulted with In Exile securing a licensing deal with BMG Japan. The album 'X' was released in Japan on 21 January 2009.
Jamie Evans finished recording a second album, co-produced and engineered by Dan Sprigg at In Exile Records "Minerva Suite" recording studio in Digbeth, Birmingham. The album was released in June 2010 and is entitled "The Minerva Suite"
In 2008, the song "Come Clean" was featured in the racing video game Burnout Paradise.
In May 2011 Jamie announced via Tumblr the breakup of Mexicolas after a frustrating inability to break through barriers in the music industry.
"Dear friends, After years of trying in vain to compete with the machine that is the “music industry”. It is time to inform you that the band are hanging up their spurs once and for all. The frustration felt by many as to why Mexicolas never made a bigger splash, is felt none more than by myself and all who have worked with me over the past six years. I would like to thank all the great musicians I played with, Tim Trotter, Del Carter, Ben Drummond, Steve Godfrey, Dan Whitehouse and Paul Stone for putting up with my manic ways. Each line up brought something different to Mexicolas and I couldn’t have wished to have worked with a finer crop of people. To all involved behind the scenes I thank you sincerely. But the biggest thank you goes out to all of you who believed in my songs and kept me going, you made me realise it’s not about fame and fortune…the reward of genuinely touching people with music is worth all the years of hard work alone. Many great memories I have of Mexicolas, but it is a chapter of my life that I feel has run its course. And so InExile are putting everything I’ve ever done, demos that didn’t make the first and second record, acoustic versions and rearrangements, and of course the new material that I’ve been working on with Paul Stone onto iTunes. So…Once they’re up there… Please do help yourself to whatever takes your fancy…treat it like a song based pick and mix. I hope you enjoy owning/hearing them. (secretly i’m hoping you’ll download everything three times so i can afford a new Pair of shoes!!!) It would be a shame to lock them up to never be heard again. And so with a heavy heart I say once more, THANK YOU for listening. The creeps in my head have all gone to bed… Jamie"
Tracklisting for 'X':
Tracklisting for 'The Minerva Suite':