The Mexican American Experience 2012
Liz Lopez
The Mexican American Experience 2012 two-day music showcase returns to the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin on March 14th and 15th. The concerts will be outdoors in the center’s Zocalo area and are free and open to the public from 6-10pm. The setting is great for families, especially for those who seek cultural events during Spring Break. A recurring site at the inaugural event was the multi-generational families together sharing the cultural experience.
The featured artists for this year’s showcase on Wednesday, March 14th is the Grammy winning artist, Little Joe y La Familia, local favorites Los A-T Boyz, Mike Torres III and the Grooveland Chicano Band from West Texas and Austin based Latin rock artist, Haydn Vitera. Austin Tejano Music Coalition’s winner of the 2011 Tejano Idol singing contest, Ashley Borrero, will also perform. On Thursday, March 15th, hailing from San Antonio is Sunny and The Sunliners and Shelly Lares, along with Austin’s talented musicians, Patricia Vonne and Susan Torres y Conjunto Clemencia.
Crossroads Events produces the event in collaboration with the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Culture Center, the City of Austin and the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. Refreshments and food will be sold on-site therefore ice chests with outside food and drink are not permitted. Bleacher seating will be available and lawn chairs are welcome.
Parking is available at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Culture Center, 600 River St., but is anticipated to fill quickly. The public is invited to park at Sanchez Elementary School, 73 San Marcos St, and Martin Middle School, 1601 Haskell St, with a free shuttle service available to and from parking lots.
Crossroads Events is composed of several like-minded Austin businessmen with a determination to showcase the diversity and talent of the musicians. Leonard Davila, one of the Crossroads Events members, provided some insight into the Mexican American Experience production. “The reason we are doing this is Austin is known as the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ and it is host to events with national recognition. We are able to have talent that is local and perhaps may be seen by visitors who may be in town.” The talent on the showcase will feature Tejano, Conjunto, Country, Rock and other unique mezclas created from each musician’s influences and experiences.
Knowing how much time and effort it requires to produce a show, we discussed some challenges this year including road closures and financing. “Rainey Street is to be closed for other music events in town, but it is needed to be available for people to drop off the disabled [and/or elderly],” stated Davila. He added that “this year, funding is harder, but we have sponsors to help keep it free. It is not as easy as it appears. It has been 24/7 since last year to plan for this year’s event.”
Asked about what outcome they anticipate for this year, Davila replied “We want people to be proud of what we’ve got. My grandchildren from Circle C had not been to an event like this before last year and they are asking me if they can return this year. It’s about exposure for the young.”
Regarding the exposure to the music, Austin did lose a Tejano radio station format in the past decade and currently, the only station that plays this format is KTXZ Para la Gente [AM], a media sponsor. When Davila recalled the past, he stated “you used to be able to hear what went on in the community; births, deaths, scholarships, etc.”
Despite the challenges of such a production, there is a drive. “I’m concerned about Austin, not other cities; what has been here and not brought from elsewhere. That’s why we did this. The only thing we benefit from is to pat ourselves on the back after we know it is a good show. This is a chance to show our community and others that this genre of music still exists.”
This day of the Pan Americana Festival SXSW 2012 Music Showcase featured local favorite artists Maneja Beto, Charanga Cakewalk, Master Blaster and visiting groups Suenalo, Bang Data and the Nortec Collective: Hiperboreal from Tijuana that made the crowd stand up and take notice.
