Though Banda Los Sebastianes has anchored Sinaloa’s banda popular circuit since 2014, the Mazatlán ensemble remains largely unknown beyond Mexican Regional Music circles despite having recorded and toured continuously since 2004. Composer, singer, and songwriter Armando Paul Celis formed the large, constantly shifting ensemble by recruiting seasoned musicians from established groups, all united by a shared goal of revitalizing the banda sound. This approach produced near-constant changes in lineup.
Following initial rehearsals and local performances, the band independently issued its debut album Que Hago Yo, selling copies at shows and through neighborhood outlets. The musicians performed at every available venue, supporting touring acts around Mazatlán and appearing at weddings and festivals. In 2007 they released the follow-up No Te Olvido Yo, which contained two regionally celebrated tracks now regarded as signature pieces, “A Ese Ladrón” and “El Mmm.” Increased radio exposure soon led to bookings beyond Sinaloa. To maintain a steady flow of new material, the group issued digital and YouTube singles such as “En la Cima del Cielo,” “Estoy Sangrando Tu Amor,” and “Un Loco.” The 2010 album Corridos Adictivos broadened their reach across Mexico and drew attention from radio programmers and online listeners in the Southwestern United States.
The year 2012 marked their breakthrough inside Mexico. The third album Empire arrived with the single “Piénsalo Bien,” which propelled the project onto the Monitor Latino Top 40. The Espinosa Paz-penned follow-up “El Rock del Triste” also entered the chart. Their quickly recorded fourth album Aferrado reached the Top 20 in January 2013, after which “El Que Sigue de Mi” climbed into the Monitor Latino Top Ten. Heavy radio rotation accompanied the release, and the video for “Vas a Sufrir” spread rapidly online. Later that same year the band delivered its fifth album Gracias a Ti, led by the single “Sinceramente.” Celis underwent vocal-cord surgery amid the intense schedule.
The group opened 2014 with the hit narcocorrido “La Captura del Chapo,” followed by “Hoy Toca,” which featured guest vocalist Liz Clapés. Nominations arrived for both the Premios Bandamax and Mejor Banda Juvenil awards, and the act signed with major label Fonovisia. At year’s end Celis added seventeen-year-old Rafael Kelly Diaz as a third co-lead vocalist alongside himself and Paul Ortega, aiming to lessen the strain on his own voice. The addition sharply elevated their visibility. Ahead of the Fonovisia debut Indeleble, the title-track single entered the Top 40 of the Billboard Mexican Songs Chart while its video accumulated hundreds of thousands of views. The band toured the U.S. and Mexico, earning widespread praise for the album that also included two collaborations with Los Titanes de Durango. In June 2016 they issued their seventh album Luces, Camara y Accion; the title track reached the Top 20 and remained there for more than eighteen weeks. Their output stayed prolific, culminating in the twenty-two-track album En Vida in 2018.
