money Austin FC supporters band La Murga brings 'the heartbeat of home matches' to Q2 Stadium
Alma Medrano wasn’t going to let the fact that she had never played a musical instrument keep her from being part of one of the biggest weekly celebrations in Austin.
After attending numerous practice sessions for La Murga — the band in Austin FC's supporters section — in the fall of 2020 to watch her husband participate, Medrano quickly learned the seguro drum — a large bass drum — and soon enough was a member.
“It's out of this world to be a part of La Murga,” Medrano said. “All of the people who are part of the band have become family since we’re basically together every weekend.”
La Murga — officially La Murga de Austin — is one of the first things you’ll notice at Q2 Stadium when you attend an Austin FC match.
A highlight of the club’s party-type atmosphere in the supporters section on Q2 Stadium’s south end, the 80-member, all-volunteer band has multiple purposes that can be summed up as having a positive impact on everything going on at the stadium, including the team on the field. Band members must have tickets to matches, and most are season-ticket holders.
“We want the players to hear our support and hear the heartbeat and to inspire them to give their best,” said Mateo Clarke, one of La Murga’s administrators. “But we also think about the pageantry and the environment in the supporters section first, then also the atmosphere we can give to the whole stadium. Ultimately, what inspires us is seeing the joy on people’s faces when we play.”
La Murga — which translates into English as “a band of street musicians” — was born out of the historical crowd experiences many of Austin’s Hispanic community witnessed or took part in with soccer teams south of the border. So having a supporters section band (not every MLS team has one) for the local soccer club was only a natural thing to do, especially with live music being such an important part of the city in general.
“We’re trying to make something that is relevant to people who grew up watching (the Mexican league) or leagues in South America, but it’s also similar to what you’d see in Germany or Italy,” Clarke said. “And with Austin having so much history with street and parade bands, the University of Texas marching band and being the Live Music Capital of the World, we wanted something with a nod and respect to that.”
More: 'It’s a party here': Austin FC fans excited for team's second season, return to Q2 Stadium
Clarke noted that depending whom you talk to, La Murga’s beginnings might vary, but for him it came from being part of the group that advocated for an MLS team at City Hall.
When it was announced that Austin would receive a team, there was the possibility that it would start sooner than most thought, and that led to a sense of urgency.
“A group of us started brainstorming — and there was just a few of us in it in the beginning,” Clarke said. “Since then, it’s just kept on growing and growing.”
There’s a process to join the band.
At first, you just had to show up for practice, but now the band’s organizers want new members to go through several practices and then get approval from their instrument’s section leader before taking part in game-day activities. Instruments include the trumpet, trombone, snare drum and repique (another drum).
“It’s all been by word of mouth, really,” said Clarke, who noted that La Murga has a democratically elected committee to help organize nd run it. “We really didn’t have to do a recruitment push.”
La Murga practices every Tuesday outside of Q2 Stadium at the Live Oak Amphitheater, where at a recent session the parents of El Tree midfielder Diego Fagúndez showed up to take it all in.
More: Austin FC schedule, how to get tickets, how to watch games and jersey numbers
The band doesn’t write its own songs, instead doing creative covers or spinoffs of popular songs from all different decades and genres, with an Austin FC flavor to the lyrics.
For instance, when it plays “The Boy from Apartment 512,” by Selena, the word “boy” is replaced with “team” by those singing.
Similarly, La Murga’s version of “Yellow Submarine,” by the Beatles, is “Verde Submarine.”
One of the most recognizable songs the band performs is the catchy 2018 hit “Havana” by Camila Cabello, and the band sings "McKalla" — Q2’s official address is 10414 McKalla Place — instead of “Havana.”
“There’s a cool element where we add lyrics that’s relevant to the team or city and see what sticks,” Clarke said.
Capos — people who lead the singing and cheers of the supporters section in the stands — combine with the band members for the final product at the stadium.
The impact of La Murga on the stadium and club hasn’t gone unnoticed by the players, with Fagúndez saying the band helps make Q2 one of the best match-day experiences in sports.
“La Murga is the heartbeat of our home matches,” he said. “The energy and atmosphere they help create really is unrivaled in the MLS.”
La Murga has also become popular in the community, having played at Texas women’s soccer matches and Pride and Day of the Dead parades.
More: Want to make small talk at an Austin FC game? 5 questions to sound like you speak verde
Clarke noted that the band — which doesn’t get paid for appearances — receives so many requests it has to turn several down, but it will play at some local high school soccer games over the next two weeks when it heads to Stony Point High School on Tuesday and then to House Park on March 1.
“We’d love it if there were little mini-Murgas at each high school that would play for their teams,” Clarke said.
As Austin FC kicks off its second MLS season Saturday at Q2 Stadium by hosting FC Cincinnati, La Murga will be there, as large and loud as ever. But its emphasis will always be on making sure everyone has a good time.
“We want to make games fun for the whole family,” Clarke said. “It’s about creating a whole culture that gives importance to a communal gathering that we’ve never really had before in Austin — at least in a soccer space.”
Medrano might have summed up La Murga the best: “We bring the fun, we bring the music, and we bring the noise,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC fan band La Murga plays to inspire team at Q2 Stadium
