Growing up performing blues in Guatemala wasn’t easy, but Mercedes Escobar ultimately created a space for it in Central America. She’s been dubbed by newspaper Siglo 21 “la peregrina del blues,” The Blues Pilgrim. Mercedes’ unique raw, guttural—and at times even violent—vocals have often been compared to a mix between Chavela Vargas and Patsy Cline, creating her unique genre which blends the rawness of old blues/country with the cultural and sonic traditions of her Latin home culture.