Monthly Archives: September 2009

I had never seen Gloria Trevi perform live, only on television, but even through the screen, the energy and wildness of her performances came through.  But I have to say that seeing her live was incredible.  From the moment she came out on stage dressed in white thigh-high boots, a red-and-white striped jacked (with a red-and-white striped oversized lollipop to match) and a red top hat, she kept the excitement level at a high and straddled the line between outrageous and bizarre.  But the audience loved it – and so did I. And in between songs, she conversed with the audience, creating an intimate atmosphere despite the crowd of more than 5,000 who attended.

Her fans and those who know of her know that she has a scandalous background and a storied career but her fans are forgiving and the Nautilus Amphitheatre at SeaWorld San Antonio was proof of that as all the seats were filled and people stood in the area in front of the stage. Gloria appreciates her fans, too, as she raced from one end of the stage to the other so that she could sing to even those people who sat at the far left and right of the stage.  

Gloria danced, talked with crowd, sang an unplugged set, changed outfits and sang her lungs out.  She had dancers and backup singers and a band that rocked, too. Her music is pop but has a serious rock edge. 

Thank you to SeaWorld who let us film the first four songs and provided a spot from where to record. I’ll be posting video throughout the day and early next week. I apologize for some of the shakes and jerks in the video. I ama beginning videographer and Gloria Trevi is no easy subject to film as she uses the entire stage and also reaches up and throws herself down on the stage. I was all over the place trying to get her in focus!  You’ll get an idea of the concert though and what a show it was.

Thanks to Albert Villegas, photographer extraordinaire. who despite obstacles that evening, came out with some AWESOME photos of la loca and talented Gloria Trevi!  And PLEASE if you re-post one of his pics or use it as your MySpace profile pic or whatever, PLEASE give him a credit and link to his Web site where you can see more of his photography:  http://flair-and-finesse.smugmug.com/. 

If you re-post this concert review or any other text, photos or video from Tejano Beat, give us a shout out, too. That’s all we ask! Link to us and mention our name: TejanoBeat.com. 

Video of Gloria’s intro and her hit, Pelo Suelto, is coming shortly! Enjoy!

Emilio and Selena reigned over the Tejano music industry during the genre’s heyday in the early and mid-1990s.

They had reached first-name-only status, filled stadiums and arenas, and dominated the Tejano Music Awards, breaking and making records for consecutive wins in the coveted top vocalist and entertainer of the year categories.

The similarities continued in that both Emilio and Selena were family acts and they each had a brother that played an especially important role in their lives and careers.

Raul “Raulito” Navaira and A.B. Quintanilla traveled the rough but exciting road to success with their respective siblings. They played key roles, too, with Raulito singing backup vocals for his older brother, Emilio, and A.B. playing bass and composing many of his younger sister Selena’s hits.

Fast forward to 2009.

Read the rest of my blog online.

Find me at the top of the SA Cultura page: http://www.sacultura.com/

Bookmark my blog: http://voices.mysanantonio.com/sylviacarrizales/

Check out this exclusive interview with Raulito as he talks about performing without his famous brother, Emilio, and discusses the sound of his first solo CD, “Por Mientras.”

More to come in Part 2.

More is coming from our interview last Friday with Raulito Navaira, including a video and  sample of his first single, “Bajo de tu Sombra,” but until then, visit his MySpace and get details on tomorrow night’s CD Release Party at Graham Central Station in San Antonio. Stampede and Tex-Mex Kadillaks will join Raulito in celebration of his first solo project.  His daughter, Destiny, who sings a duet on the new CD will also be there to perform the song live.  She has a beautiful voice!  Stay tuned for more on Raulito Navaira and his big night!  Then go out and buy the CD on Sept. 29 – next Tuesday.

RAULITO NAVAIRA ON MYSPACE: http://www.myspace.com/raulitonavaira

GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION SAN ANTONIO WEB SITE: http://grahamcentralstationsanantonio.com/

SeaWorld knows how to throw a concert. They brought David Lee Garza Y Los Musicales and A.B. Quintanilla and his Kumbia All Starz to the same stage for an evening of puro Tejano and cumbias that had the crowd dancing and screaming. An estimated few thousand fans attended the concert in the Nautilus Amphitheatre, which was the second in a three-Saturday series of Latin music during “Viva La Musica Latina.” (See the crowd shot at right.)  Next Saturday, Mexican pop icon and wild child Gloria Trevi will take the stage.

Thanks to SeaWorld, Tejano Beat secured an exclusive interview with A.B. Quintanilla, which we will post ASAP for you.

Highlights from the Kumbia All Starz show included D.J. Kane performing many hits from the original Kumbia Kings days like “Te Quiero a Ti;” “Azucar;” and “Fuiste Mala.” Joey performed a drum solo to a medley of Michael Jackson classics like “Beat It” and “Remember the Time” while the band performed “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” which was of course one of Selena’s most well-known hits. The crowd sang along and it was a special night for the many fans in attendance.  Suzette, Selena’s older sister, was in the audience cheering her brother and his band on.

See some pics below of David Lee Garza y Los Musicales, who opened the show and performed songs from the good ol’ days when Jay Perez and Marcos Orozco sang lead vocals and they performed some catchy new songs from their latest CD, Aqui Estare, performed by current lead vocalist Mark Ledesma.

ALL PHOTOS WERE TAKEN BY ALBERT VILLEGAS. VISIT HIS SITE TO SEE MORE OF HIS WORK: http://flair-and-finesse.smugmug.com/.  PLEASE GIVE ALBERT A CREDIT IF YOU USE HIS PHOTOS!!!

David Lee Garza

Billy O'Rourke

Oscar

Sylvia interviews AB

AB

JR

D.J. Kane

Nick

Chris

Lots of music news today with the Latin Grammy nominations, including the six “Best Tejano Album” nominees:

• Recordando Josefa
  Avizo [Powerhouse Records]
• The Legend Continues…La Continuación
  Jimmy Gonzalez y Grupo Mazz [Freddie Records]
• Generations
  Grupo Vida [New Village Records]
• Conjuntazzo
  Joel Guzman & Sarah Fox [Guzman Fox Records]
• Freedom Tour 2008
  Jaime y Los Chamacos [Joslin Records]
• All The Way Live!
  Jay Perez [Tejas Records]

Another Tejano fan favorite, La Mafia, was nominated in the “Best Grupero Album” category along with heavy-hitters like Marco Antonio Solis and Liberación.  La Mafia competes with their latest release, “Eternamente Románticos.”

In local concert news, SeaWorld hosts the second Saturday in a three-Saturday series of live Latin music with “VIVA LA MUSICA.“  The series began last weekend with Banda El Recordo and this Saturday’s lineup is a must-see for Tejano music fans as David Lee Garza y Los Musicales will open the concert at 5 p.m.  that continues at 6 p.m. with Kumbia All Starz. Los Musicales, with vocalist Mark Ledesma, are touring behind their latest CD, “Aqui Estare.” Band leader David Lee Garza said the group will perform a mix of old and new with an emphasis on cumbias. Read more about Viva La Musica at SeaWorld in my blog tomorrow on MySA.com. And Tejano Beat will be at the concert to bring you a full report, but we encourage you to make it out there!

UPDATE: LATIN GRAMMY NOMS TODAY!

Lots of exciting events going on this week:

• Jay Perez singing at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual awards gala at which special guests include the leader of the free world and Jennifer Lopez – I don’t know who would make me more nervous and starstruck. Probably JLo – ha!
• A.B. Quintanilla and his Kumbia All Starz will perform at SeaWorld San Antonio on Saturday. Also performing is David Lee Garza y Los Musicales. I haven’t seen KAS perform since the Robstown Showdown with La Mafia and I’m excited to see this concert.
• Nelly Furtado releases her first all-Spanish language CD, “Mi Plan,” on Tuesday. I loved her duet Fotografia with Juanes and I am loving this first single from her CD, “Manos Al Aire,” so I can’t wait to hear the CD.
• Jesse y Joy will also release their CD on Tuesday titled ‘Electricidad.’ See their interview in a posting that was about a week ago.
• Club Rio will be marking the Mexican Independence Day holiday and specifically, el Grito de Dolores, with a party on Tuesday. Get more details on their Web site.
• And Hispanic Heritage Month starts tomorrow (Sept. 15-Oct. 15).

The nominees for the 10th annual Latin Grammy Awards – to be held Nov. 5, 2009, in Las Vegas – will be announced on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, at a star-studded event in Los Angeles.

Awards categories include “Best Tejano Album,” “Best Norteno Album,” “Best Regional Song,” and of course, the biggies: “Record of the Year,” “Album of the Year” and “Song of the Year.”  In addition to awards in genres including pop, urban, rock, tropical and alternative, awards are given to singer/songwriter and for best music video and production. See a full list of Latin Grammy Awards categories.

DETAILS:
Two-time Latin GRAMMY ®winner Beto Cuevas, salsa singer Luis Enrique, singer/songwriter Luz Rios, comedian and past Latin GRAMMY presenter Paul Rodriguez and Emmy® Award winner and host of the 1st Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards Jimmy Smits will help announce nominations for the 10th Latin GRAMMYs.  Gabriel Abaroa, President of The Latin Recording Academy®, and key members of the music industry and cultural community will be in attendance. More presenters to be announced shortly.

The 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live on the Univision Network (8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central) from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 5.