Cholo Goth pioneers Prayers comes to Strummer’s

Cholo Goth is a thing, thanks mostly to Leafar Seyer and Dave Parley, the San Diego-based duo known as Prayers.

In just one year, the pair has gotten serious hype for pioneering a musical genre that mixes gang- and street-life lyrics with ’80s style synthesized electronica a la Bauhaus or Depeche Mode (or Pet Shop Boys and David Bowie).

Much of the Prayers’ lyrical content (and aesthetic) is thanks to Seyer (real name Rafael Reyes), a Mexican immigrant (and two-strike offender) who grew up as member of the Sherman Heights Grant Park 27 gang before being reformed – partly thanks to his passion for music.

Prayers’ latest album, “Young Gods,” was produced by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. The duo plays an all-ages show at Strummers, with Fresno electro-synth pop duo Personal Computer.

This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 5:01 AM with the headline "Cholo Goth pioneers Prayers comes to Strummer’s."