Here at Rancho Alegre, we talk. A lot. Frequently we’ll have more than one topic going at once. During Saturday’s marathon discussion, Frank mentioned that Ruben Naranjo did a cover of She’s About a Mover. So when we got home, I listened to it. And I listened again. And again. It was mind-blowing.
First of all, Rancho Alegre Entertainment started Rancho Alegre Radio to preserve a lot of the old recordings that are no longer being produced, as well as to help promote new recordings that aren’t being played on the radio. Especially since we live in Austin, where Tejano radio stations are scarce and Conjunto stations are non-existent. More projects to come include Traders Village (in the final development phase), where you can trade music with no fees.
A couple weeks back, the Austin American-Statesman featured one of our local legends, Manuel “Cowboy” Donley. Check out this lovely piece, written by Juan Castillo, complete with a couple of pictures and a brief performance by the man himself….
Greetings!
We’ve got some good stuff coming up this weekend in the Austin Area! Play your cards right and you can see a show Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
Friday Night – Tejano Ranch – Grupo Solido y Grupo Siggno
Start your weekend off with some Norteño at Tejano Ranch with Grupo Solido and Grupo Siggno. And…that’s all we’ve got for that one. Maybe it should be called Norteño Ranch tomorrow? You know, just sayin’…
Just wanted to let you all know about an upcoming benefit show this Saturday, December 11, at the Flamingo Ballroom. The event will feature performances by Yayo Castillo y Rumores, Max Castillo y Conjunto Lumbre, and Ryan Castillo. All proceeds support Anna Sanchez in her battle against cancer.
Rancho Alegre is pleased to announce that we will be working with Arturo Balderrama and his organization, the National Puro Conjunto Music Association to help promote and preserve Conjunto music. Together, we will be rekindling lost love for the music and igniting some new flames as well.
Conjunto music at one time in the Southwest was king. It was the next phase after Mariachi and dominated the airwaves, especially in Texas. Then from Conjunto, Tejano music broke out and Conjunto was pushed to the side as Tejano, with its exciting horns and, later, synthesizers, ruled the airwaves. And all was good. But then, Norteño came into the picture, pretty much burying Tejano, as Tejano did Conjunto. It didn’t kill Tejano, but at the very least, it dominates the airwaves now.
Everyone knows this story, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about.
Hello everyone,
Rancho Alegre hopes that you all had a great Thanksgiving filled with music, joy, laughter and love. With a turkey leg in one hand, and an eye on the new CD’s we picked up from Turntable Records and our already extensive collection, we continued selecting new tracks for Rancho Alegre Radio. Can’t think of a better way to spend the day!
So, what did we add?
So I’ve learned about a couple more shows since I wrote the last blog post on Tuesday…
Thursday night at Club Rodeo in Austin – Michael Salgado
According to Club Carnaval on Facebook, Michael Salgado will be performing at Club Rodeo, 9515 N. Lamar on Thanksgiving night. He’s a Tejano artist who has been pulled into the Norteño scene and is popular with the Mexican audience. But make no mistake, he is Tejano and it’s nice to see him in town on a holiday.
Greetings from Rancho Alegre!
In addition to being a holiday week, there are some great shows going on this week as well. There’s a little something for everyone…Ruben Ramos and Javier Galvan of Fama at the Flamingo, The Hometown Boys and Los Mungiazz at H&H, Jimmy Gonzalez y Grupo Mazz at Tejano Ranch, A.B. Quintanilla’s All Starz at the Fiesta Ballroom in Seguin…. Hopefully everyone’s still around to enjoy it all!
Wednesday night at the Flamingo – Ruben Ramos and Javier Galvan. la Voz de Fama
