The concept of the Majical Band originated from the mind of Jorge Arguello, bandleader, singer/songwriter and guitarist, many years before becoming reality in 1996. "It really is a style and musical endeavor created by the music of my youth; music that is fun, rhythmic, happy, and great for dancing. Redding California, is saturated with blues, rock, country, and rock and roll bands, so my desire was to do something different like latino music and thereby adding a little bit o' cultcha to our northstate."

After being introduced to a local percussionist, Hilario Salsedo, they started recruiting musicians for the band and worked on creating this new sound. Majical was born. Majical, pronounced ma-he-cal, is a spanish play on the word Magical. "It's not a true word really, but it fit the idea and the sound we created."

Majical's first gigs were at the Old Millhouse Deli in Redding way back in 1997. Then in 1998, as word spread, more gigs came their way. First were the gigs at the Serendipity II Coffee House on Lake Blvd., then an Applebee's restaurant on Hilltop. Later, the nightclub's Post Office Bar and Grill and many Billy Bombay gigs soon followed. Thereafter, people in the outlying areas of Redding started calling. Victoria, owner of the club Puttin' on the Ritz, a club in Mt. Shasta, loved the band so much she had Majical practically playing there once a month for several years. The Mt.Shasta Board and Ski Park heard their sounds and hired the band to do their end of the year parties in 1999, 2001 and 2002. More events opened up for Majical to play there, but that was just the beginning.

In 1998 Majical headlined the 4th of July Music Festival in Burney, California filling the stadium. In 1999 Majical opened for EEK A MOUSE at the World Beat Festival, an annual concert at the Mt. Shasta Ski Park. In September that same year, they opened for Laura Love at Marketfest, an annual, ongoing concert series, in downtown Redding. In 2001 they were one of the featured bands at the Kool April Nites main event and later that year they were four deep in the lineup of the annual Tribal Stomp in Hayfork, opening for Michael Franti and Spearhead. Majical began gathering a growing fan base who ardently followed them from place to place.

The year 2002 was no less busy for the quintet. In and amongst the private gigs they were playing, they headlined the Hops and Bops festival at the Millhouse Deli, owned by Bob Gallegos, who incidentally, gave them their start in late 1997. This was their fourth time headlining the show, and because of their popularity, they became more in demand to play private parties, house concerts, weddings, fundraisers and other events. 2003 was just as hectic and as usual they maintained a very busy schedule.

The year 2004 began with a private, new years party and the band hasn't stopped since. They performed at several fundraisers, performed at three Redding Convention Center functions, played, and stayed closer to home in Redding, building the fan base and growing the business. As a historical footnote, Jorge played his Spanish Guitar performing solo at the opening ceremony of Turtle Bay's Sundial Bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava in July. Refer to the gigs page for more information and visit the archive. 2004 has been a break-out year for the band which featured their first CD release, Organic Fuzz.

If 2004 was the breakout year for the band then 2005 lined up as their biggest year yet. As it comes to a close, 2005 became the "Year of the House Party" for the quintet. Because of their huge popularity, many of the bands closest fans hired them to play private house concerts where they could invite 50 to 100 people and just party down together. Aside from the busy schedule of house parties, they still managed to play at the foremost clubs and concert venues in Redding, California. The band even played in Tampa, Florida in October and garnered many new fans there as well. At this rate looks like 2006 will literally explode for the band and turn out to be busier than ever.

The bands new song, "Love to Dance" and an older song, "Mi Alma" received airplay on the local radio stations this year and the band is preparing to go into the studio early next year to record their new album. They sold out several hundred of their album, Organic Fuzz and now look forward to their new project. Visit the gigs page for their upcoming performances and join the newsletter on any of these pages to receive more news on the most popular band in Redding.

Jorge Arguello: Leader and founder of the band, is a first generation born nicaraguan who grew up in San Francisco. Growing up in SF during the 1960's of course was a very influential time for Jorge as it was for the rest of the world. "I could go to Golden Gate Park or Mission Park and there would be all this music and "counter culture" going on. I'd see bands like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, at street concerts or just jamming at the park. I'd see the Santana Band at Mission Park or hear them practicing in garages, in certain neighborhoods. We would know where and when, you know? It was a great time to be in San Francisco."

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Arguello began piano lessons at the tender age of five. He was doing recitals and performances for his grammer school and special events. But by the mid sixties, he took up the guitar. "The guitar was freedom for me. . .I could play music anywhere." Both his parents, being centro-americanos, inundated the young Arguello with Latino music. "I grew up with a vast array of musical styles; cumbias, mambos, boleros and even mexican ranchero music. I listened to bands and artists like Trio Los Panchos, Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Willie Colon, Javier Solis, El Gran Combo, Celia Cruz, Los Calaveras, Marco Antonio Muniz, and even more than I can remember really. With that influence and the rock and roll I grew up with; Buddy Holly and Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones and the ensuing "British Invasion", the Motown/Stax music, then the early rock of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Clapton, Page, and Beck, and all the arena rock that followed, turned into what I do today. Of course Carlos Santana is a huge and major influence on me too. Carlos, being Latino, and although there were others before him, opened the door for all Latinos to enter into US music pop culture, even though it took thirty more years for it to become mainstream and for him to be honored for his accomplishments. I'm not doing anything that he and others haven't already pioneered. I have just added my own ingredients to the mix. Salsa con cache, you dig?"

Around 1982, he and some of the people he had played with formed a band called The US Rockers. They pulled up stakes and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where they based themselves out of. From there they traveled the western united states. "We played in places like Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, and all over really. It's all a blur now".

After that stint ended in 1988, he moved further north to Redding where in 1990 he met up with a local musician named Tommy Twang and they formed the group the Electric Stimulators. They were blues based but did some rock tunes as well as their own originals. This is where he met up with Jeff Duart, who today is bass player for Majical.

Scott's influences are like every other kid growing up in America. According to Scott, " I grew up listening to rock and roll, detroit music, and AM radio like everyone else. Right now my influences are Jorge with the Latino stuff and people I have played with in the past and some of the other musicians I hang with at the present time. I don't style myself after anyone, I just do my thing. I have been listening to latino music both popular and obscure. I love most all things Jazz, Blues, Rock, and of course, Carlos Santana. He plays Yamaha Drums and resides in Redding with his wife and son.

After many beatings, his family picked up stakes and moved themselves and the young, bruised Jeff to California where he started to play in local bands. He learned to play rock and roll and formed a band called the cotton pickers. "It was more of a folksy, bluegrass type band but we covered all the songs of the day." After graduating from school he went on to schools of higher learning and after receiving his teaching credential, he moved to Redding and met up with Scott, where together they joined the band, the Electric Stimulators which garnered some local success. Today, he lives in a much calmer world with his wife and red headed stepchild. He plays a 1982 Music Man Sting Ray Bass through Gallien Krueger and Fender amps.

His passion for the Latin beat led him down the conga path, and stints with two bands; The Mahogany Knockers and V-groove. As short lived as that was, it prepared him for his next band, and his biggest challenge yet. He joined the Majical band in January of 2003. With the help of the experienced musicians in Majical, Joe has greatly expanded his percussion skills. "Being a part of this group is like familia and the members continue to influence my love for lively Latino rhythms."

No longer called "the rookie", in terms of playing music, he's only been playing percussion instruments for 6 years. But spend an evening with Majical and you'll agree that Joe's natural rhythms pulse through his blood, out through his hands and onto the skins of his congas like a full bodied Cabernet. His children grown, he leads a wonderful life with his wife, Patti, in Old Shasta. He plays LP congas and a variety of percussion instruments. He also makes some pretty mean homemade sausages too. Ay Caramba!!