Conjunto Music Legends Coming to Austin for Three-Day Festival, February 3-5
Festival seeks to establish Live Music Capital as Conjunto Country and to support Capital Area Food Bank of Texas
Austin, Texas – Rancho Alegre Radio is pleased to announce the Rancho Alegre Conjunto Festival, an exciting three-day music festival, unprecedented in Austin’s history. The Festival will take place Friday February 3rd through Sunday, February 5th at the Austin Moose Lodge #1735 in East Austin and will feature a full lineup, including legendary conjunto performers each day. Music begins at 7pm on Friday and Saturday, and Noon on Sunday.
The schedule includes Austin-area conjuntos Los Pinkys, Conjunto Romo and Los Texas Wranglers, as well as a who’s who of performers from all over south Texas. Among the legends scheduled to play are Bene Medina, Oscar Hernandez, Los Aguilares, Chano Cadena, Rene Joslin and Mingo Saldivar. The lineup also includes smaller groups like Smiley y La Fuerza Musical, Thoze Guyz and Conjunto Calidad, as well as Joe Gonzales and Ruben Rivera, both of whom played with the legendary Ruben Naranjo y Los Gamblers. Saturday night will also feature the special farewell performance of Austin’s own Jesse y Beto Duran y Los Aguilillas. Sunday’s stellar lineup will also include recent hall of famer Boni Mauricio.
Austin music stores have also supported this festival by hosting in-store performances. Austin’s own Susan Torres y Conjunto Clemencia, along with Tina y Grupo Tormenta, will be kicking off the festival at 5pm on Friday, February 3rd at Waterloo Records at 6th and Lamar, while Chano Cadena will be at Antone’s Record Shop on Saturday, February 4th at 3pm for an in-store performance as well.
“Los Texas Wranglers would like to welcome the best that conjunto lovers will see in one place north of the Colorado. It's good to see one or two of these legends but to get to see and hear all of them is pretty much a miracle. I'm just glad to say Los Texas Wranglers was part of the line-up. Thanks to Rancho Alegre for taking the bull by its horns,” says Julian Fernandez, leader of Los Texas Wranglers, who are scheduled for Sunday afternoon February 5. Fernandez and his band have been working hard to keep conjunto alive in Austin for over a decade, and their efforts have earned them the title “America’s Conjunto” by US Congressman Lloyd Doggett.
The goal of the festival is to show that conjunto enjoys a huge fan base in Austin and to encourage more groups to play in the Live Music Capital on a regular basis. “A high-profile event such as this is just what is needed to open the door for conjunto artists from everywhere to come to Austin,” says Rancho Alegre owner Baldomero “Frank” Cuellar. “It has always been a dream of mine to bring an event like this to Austin, my hometown, and to share and preserve this beautiful, soulful music, which has played such an important role not only in my life, but in the lives of so many other Texans.”
Conjunto music, which began at the end of the 19th century, is folk music, similar to blues or old-style country, and tells the stories of the everyday lives of the working class. It is also dance music, characterized by a strong, unrelenting beat and bright accordion melodies, evidence of the fusion of German and Mexican immigrant cultures in south Texas at the beginning of the 20th century. It was tremendously popular among working-class Hispanic Texans during the post-World War II era. Then, audiences flocked to Tejano music, which was a heavily influenced by rock, rhythm and blues and jazz, beginning in the late 1960s and 1970s, nearly wiping out conjunto on radio playlists everywhere.
In addition to the performances, the festival features a conjunto photo exhibit by Rolando Medina of San Antonio and a food drive for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB). With the numbers of hungry Central Texans on the rise, attendees are encouraged to support the CAFB by bringing non-perishable food items. Suggested items include: canned meats like tuna, stew and chili; peanut butter; canned vegetables; pasta and pasta sauce; beans; healthy cereals and baby food. Volunteers will be on-hand to take your donations.
Tickets are $10 per day pre-sale, $12 per day at the door and $25 for a 3-day pass. Pre-sale tickets and passes are available at Estrada’s Cleaners, 2618 E. 7th Street, and also online at http://www.ranchoalegretexas.com/ . Sponsorships are available at several levels, including affordable booth space for non-profit organizations and recognition for individual contributors. Further details on sponsorships are available online.
Festival seeks to establish Live Music Capital as Conjunto Country and to support Capital Area Food Bank of Texas
Austin, Texas – Rancho Alegre Radio is pleased to announce the Rancho Alegre Conjunto Festival, an exciting three-day music festival, unprecedented in Austin’s history. The Festival will take place Friday February 3rd through Sunday, February 5th at the Austin Moose Lodge #1735 in East Austin and will feature a full lineup, including legendary conjunto performers each day. Music begins at 7pm on Friday and Saturday, and Noon on Sunday.
The schedule includes Austin-area conjuntos Los Pinkys, Conjunto Romo and Los Texas Wranglers, as well as a who’s who of performers from all over south Texas. Among the legends scheduled to play are Bene Medina, Oscar Hernandez, Los Aguilares, Chano Cadena, Rene Joslin and Mingo Saldivar. The lineup also includes smaller groups like Smiley y La Fuerza Musical, Thoze Guyz and Conjunto Calidad, as well as Joe Gonzales and Ruben Rivera, both of whom played with the legendary Ruben Naranjo y Los Gamblers. Saturday night will also feature the special farewell performance of Austin’s own Jesse y Beto Duran y Los Aguilillas. Sunday’s stellar lineup will also include recent hall of famer Boni Mauricio.
Austin music stores have also supported this festival by hosting in-store performances. Austin’s own Susan Torres y Conjunto Clemencia, along with Tina y Grupo Tormenta, will be kicking off the festival at 5pm on Friday, February 3rd at Waterloo Records at 6th and Lamar, while Chano Cadena will be at Antone’s Record Shop on Saturday, February 4th at 3pm for an in-store performance as well.
“Los Texas Wranglers would like to welcome the best that conjunto lovers will see in one place north of the Colorado. It's good to see one or two of these legends but to get to see and hear all of them is pretty much a miracle. I'm just glad to say Los Texas Wranglers was part of the line-up. Thanks to Rancho Alegre for taking the bull by its horns,” says Julian Fernandez, leader of Los Texas Wranglers, who are scheduled for Sunday afternoon February 5. Fernandez and his band have been working hard to keep conjunto alive in Austin for over a decade, and their efforts have earned them the title “America’s Conjunto” by US Congressman Lloyd Doggett.
The goal of the festival is to show that conjunto enjoys a huge fan base in Austin and to encourage more groups to play in the Live Music Capital on a regular basis. “A high-profile event such as this is just what is needed to open the door for conjunto artists from everywhere to come to Austin,” says Rancho Alegre owner Baldomero “Frank” Cuellar. “It has always been a dream of mine to bring an event like this to Austin, my hometown, and to share and preserve this beautiful, soulful music, which has played such an important role not only in my life, but in the lives of so many other Texans.”
Conjunto music, which began at the end of the 19th century, is folk music, similar to blues or old-style country, and tells the stories of the everyday lives of the working class. It is also dance music, characterized by a strong, unrelenting beat and bright accordion melodies, evidence of the fusion of German and Mexican immigrant cultures in south Texas at the beginning of the 20th century. It was tremendously popular among working-class Hispanic Texans during the post-World War II era. Then, audiences flocked to Tejano music, which was a heavily influenced by rock, rhythm and blues and jazz, beginning in the late 1960s and 1970s, nearly wiping out conjunto on radio playlists everywhere.
In addition to the performances, the festival features a conjunto photo exhibit by Rolando Medina of San Antonio and a food drive for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB). With the numbers of hungry Central Texans on the rise, attendees are encouraged to support the CAFB by bringing non-perishable food items. Suggested items include: canned meats like tuna, stew and chili; peanut butter; canned vegetables; pasta and pasta sauce; beans; healthy cereals and baby food. Volunteers will be on-hand to take your donations.
Tickets are $10 per day pre-sale, $12 per day at the door and $25 for a 3-day pass. Pre-sale tickets and passes are available at Estrada’s Cleaners, 2618 E. 7th Street, and also online at http://www.ranchoalegretexas.com/ . Sponsorships are available at several levels, including affordable booth space for non-profit organizations and recognition for individual contributors. Further details on sponsorships are available online.
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