Rancho Alegre's First Anniversary on KOOP Featured in Austin American-Statesman
Many thanks to Austin American-Statesman columnist Nancy Flores for a great article on us first on her regular blog, Cultura en Austin, but also in the August 24, 2015 print edition.
You can read the entire article here and also subscribe to her blog for more columns on Austin Latino culture.
"When Rancho Alegre Radio hit the airwaves on KOOP 91.7 FM last August, it brought Tejano and Conjunto music back to FM radio in Austin.
"We’d been disappointed for years that you couldn’t find Tejano music on FM radio here,” says Rancho Alegre co-host Piper LeMoine. Austin lost the last of its Tejano music radio stations in late 2005, which sparked a fight to get the music back on the airwaves. In 2008, Tejano music returned to the air and was soon simulcast in both FM and AM. However, today Austin has only one Tejano music station — KTXZ 1560 AM— after the FM station switched formats.
"Rather than complain about it, we saw an opportunity to change that,” LeMoine says. She and co-host Baldomero “Frank” Cuellar went through the KOOP radio training and launched the hour-long program, which now airs every Monday at 9 a.m."
On Monday, June 29, Rancho Alegre on KOOP aired this special recorded interview with legendary singer Beatriz Llamas.
Part 1:
On today's edition of Rancho Alegre on KOOP, Piper talked with Austin's own Marcelo Gauna. The versatile accordionist discussed highlights from his decades-long career as a conjunto, norteño, tejano and rock musician, where he came from, who he's played with, and where he's going next.
On Monday, June 1 on Rancho Alegre on KOOP, we broadcast a previously recorded special interview with conjunto legend Ruben Garza and his new group, Ruben Garza y La Nueva Era Musical.
Felipe Borrero and Fred Soto of Austin's own Big Band Tejano live on Rancho Alegre on KOOP 91.7FM with Piper LeMoine. We discussed the band and the state and history of Orquesta and Tejano music, played their new singles along with a couple classic Orquesta recordings.
As we previously posted,
That's RIGHT! Our very own Baldomero "El Parrandero" Frank Cuellar has been asked to participate in a panel discussion alongside a couple other music organizers about music and community at the University of Texas at Austin. 