Tejano Beat

Sorry for the long gap between updates but work and school is too much right now!  I do want to post these pics from Albert Villegas of Mr. Jay Perez who performed in his hometown of S.A. last Friday (10/23) at Graham Central Station.

Jay has a lot going on right now!  Known as “The Voice,” Jay is nominated for a Latin Grammy at the awards on Nov. 5 in Las Vegas.  But last weekend, he also let the audience know that he was excited and happy for another reason: he got married on Oct. 17 in his hometown of S.A.  Jay publicly thanked his wife, Monica, for standing by him through all of the ups and downs in his life.

His new wife will be accompanying Jay on Nov. 5 when he travels to Las Vegas for the 10th annual Latin GRAMMYS in Las Vegas. Jay is nominated in the “Best Tejano Album” category. Here is the competition:

• 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]

A reunion performance is on the way, too, for Jay and more on that later.

More coming but check out these pics of Duelo, who closed out the Gracias San Antonio show at Sunset Station tonight; and an exclusive photo of Alicia Villarreal, who did not grant interviews, understandably, but did not let her fans down!  She was obviously emotional when she left the stage and spoke with friends backstage.  However, in this photo, taken by Albert Villegas, she poses with a sign for one of her fans who couldn’t be present and not only smiled for the pic but gave Albert a kiss on the cheek before she departed!

Villarreal performed before Duelo and despite recently losing her younger brother in a tragic car accident, she waved at her fans, performed several of her hits and continued singing when the crowd shouted for more.  After her performance, Alicia quickly left the venue with husband, Cruz Martinez.

Martinez is in the news, too, as People en Espanol, among other national and international media outlets, have announced that he and A.B. Quintanilla have reunited after a lengthy and nasty parting.  The former best friends will reportedly bring their respective groups together for a tour. More details will likely emerge in the days ahead!

Stay tuned to Tejano Beat!

PHOTOS BY ALBERT VILLEGAS

Read my latest blog posting on MySA.com.  I write about an author, Deborah Paredez, PhD, a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin, who is coming to Our Lady of the Lake University at 7 p.m. on Monday to discuss her new book, “Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory” (Duke University Press 2009).

In her book, she looks at the impact not only of Selena’s life but focuses on her afterlife and the many unique ways that people expressed their love for Selena after her passing. You have to visit my blog to read more.

Also, see this video from Suzette, Selena’s older sis, who invites fans to be a part of a special upcoming project, and visit Selena’s official MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/selenaofficial.

Send your special message to Selena! 

Selena | MySpace Video

Tonight, we interviewed Gabe Garcia, Lytle native and runner up on last year’s season of Nashville Star so stay tuned for that interview coming soon!  If you remember, Gabe captured the country’s attention when he made it to the top two on the popular show that aired on NBC.

At the moment, Gabe is working hard in Nashville and he visits his hometown of Lytle as often as his schedule allows him. Tonight, he performed for the St. Andrew’s Church festival in front of family, friends and fans.

It’s time for a Hispanic country star and Gabe looks like he’s it!

Photo by: Albert Villegas

An in-depth interview with Jay Perez is on the way, but I wanted to post this exclusive photo of Jay as he sang the national anthem on September 16, 2009, in front of President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Nancy Pelosi, actor John Leguizamo and hundreds of political leaders in Washington, D.C. during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 32nd Annual Awards Gala.

The photo is not the best quality and I’m on the hunt for more but you can clearly see Jay representing on stage alongside the color guard.

I interviewed Jay yesterday and he said he hasn’t even been able to get photos of himself from that once-in-a-lifetime event. He was nervous, of course, but recalls many photographers flashing away as he sang.

When Jay recalled the moment immediately before he sang the national anthem in his signature, soulful style, he said the silence was intimidating.

“I could hear my heartbeat and I could hear myself breathing,” Jay said. “That’s how quiet it was.”

The President and First Lady were indeed present during Jay’s performance, which began with his cumbia con salsa, “Que Metida de Pata,” followed by the national anthem.

Jay said he saw the President and First Lady standing and smiling during his cumbia performance. While he didn’t meet the two, he met several celebrities and political heavyweights and said the night was unforgettable.

“This isn’t one of the highlights of my career; it’s the highlight of my career,” Jay said.

More is coming from my in-depth and personal interview with Jay, who talks about his excitement about getting married this Saturday to his fiance, Monica Hernandez, and about his upcoming trip to Las Vegas on Nov. 5 for the 10th Annual Latin Grammys, where he’s up for Best Tejano Album. This award is “the big one,” Jay said, and he talks about what a Grammy win would mean to him.

Stay tuned for more exclusive news and interviews right here on Tejano Beat!

PHOTO IS COURTESY OF THE CONGRESSIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS INSTITUTE

Sorry for the long lag between posts!  Lots of cool stuff is in the works but until that’s ready, please check out my latest blog on MySA.com, the home page of the San Antonio Express-News.

http://voices.mysanantonio.com/sylviacarrizales/

Check out Gloria Trevi’s performance of her signature hit, “Pelo Suelto,” – She has tons of energy and travels across the stage to sing to all of her fans.