Music: ‘Cruzando Borders’ with Los Texmaniacs
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Los Texmaniacs, the Grammy Award winning San Antonio-based band with a sizable local following, was back in D.C. last week playing their signature blend of Tex-Mex conjunto music. Hola Cultura caught the concert at the O Street Museum, a quirky nonprofit museum and boutique hotel in the Dupont Circle area.
The performance took place in an intimate room on the museum’s first floor, filled with secret doors and memorabilia just like the rest of the eclectic mansion. There were about forty people in attendance including lively older couples who dominated the dance floor throughout the evening.
The audience cheered on every song-both slow and upbeat. The band played from its new album “Cruzando Borders” in what seemed almost like a party among friends. One audience member even brought the band members tequila shots to toast the occasion between songs.
Founded in 1997, Los Texmaniacs emerged from the band’s desire to celebrate Mexican and American culture by blending some of the best elements of both worlds. The band is known for mixing the blues, country, and Rock ‘n’ Roll with traditional conjunto that features the accordion.
Founder, bajo sexto player and lead vocalist Max Baca says growing up Chicano in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he “wanted to fit into society, hang out with friends, and listen to Rock ‘n’ Roll.” At the same time, his dad taught him the importance of preserving his Mexican heritage. Los Texmaniacs’ songs aim to capture both intentions.
“My dad was an accordion player. He always taught us to never forget your roots,” Baca says. With that in mind, he established Los Texmaniacs and stays true to traditional conjunto while occasionally veering off a little bit and playing Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Though the group has changed members over time, its current band members include bajo sexto player Max Baca, electric bass player Noel Hernandez, drummer Daniel Martinez, and Baca’s nephew Josh Baca, a virtuoso accordion player and Flaco Jimenez protégé.
Their most recent album for Smithsonian Folkway Recordings, “Cruzando Borders,” expresses their Chicano pride and speaks to the immigrant experience. During the show at the O Street Museum, they played songs such as their bicultural anthems “Across the Borderline” and “Mexico Americano.”
The band named its latest album “Cruzando Borders” because it refers to “not only crossing the Mexico-Texas border but also crossing borders around the world. There are a lot of songs in Cruzando Borders that are about crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico into America to better your life. But it’s also about crossing borders musically,” Baca says.
The band has performed in Europe, as well as China, Argentina and Canada. Soon they will travel to Bangladesh which seems like a testament to the reach of their music.
At the O Street Museum, they kicked off the evening on Sept. 18 with a new, politically charged song they had learned to play that same day. It was written by H.H. Leonards, the museum’s founder, who is also a close friend of the musicians. The lyrics include phrases that confront current anti-immigrant rhetoric featuring lines such as, “We came here for freedom, we came here for peace” and “Let’s band together for America so our country can stay great.”
Towards the end of evening at the O Street Museum, the audience witnessed a spectacular accordion solo by Josh Baca that had people dancing. To mix things up, they also performed covers of popular songs like “Eye of the Tiger,” “I’m a Believer,” and “La Cucaracha.”
The evening was the group’s fifth or sixth time playing at the museum. Baca says they love performing and staying there–not to mention the thrill of playing in Washington, D.C.
“It’s been an honor because this is the nation’s capital,” Baca says. As ambassadors representing America in music for the Smithsonian Institution, he says they are always excited to come back.
-Delia Beristain Noriega
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