Siggno drummer Joey Jimenez announced his departure from the band via his Facebook page on Monday.
“After eight years, six albums, and a whole bunch of miles…It was time for me to make the decision to walk away from Siggno,” Jimenez wrote. “To all my friends and JMZ supporters that I met along the way…Thank you for your unconditional love & support! It’s greatly appreciated…I will definitely see y’all soon.”
At the age of 5, Jimenez began playing drums professionally and by age 9 was performing, recording and touring with Grammy-winning artists Selena and Chris Perez. His career has spanned almost three decades including stints with Xelencia (6 years), Mitico (4 years), A.B Quintanilla III y Los Kumbia Kings/All-Starz (7 years), while also working with Chako, Vanilla Ice and other artists.
Jimenez hasn’t announced his future plans and there has been no official statement from Siggno on his departure.
Tejano Nation will keep you updated on this developing story as more information becomes available.
Young music sensation Juaquin Cura has joined the band of Ram Herrera, the Tejano music legend announced on January 2.
The news was posted on Herrera’s official Facebook page, “It’s my pleasure to introduce our newest Outlaw member, Juaquin Cura to Ram Herrera & The Outlaw Band! Welcome Juaquin!”
Cura, originally from Fort Collins, Colorado, and now residing in San Antonio, is the former lead singer for David Lee Garza y Los Musicales and was featured on Just Friends, the 2013 Latin Grammy winner for Best Tejano Album. Also adding to this talented musician’s resume, Cura has been the guitarist for LA⋅45.
Cura stated he saw Ram Herrera was looking for a guitar player, which he immediately reached out to Danny Rodriguez, bass player for Ram Herrera, who was thrilled with the opportunity to have Cura as part of the band.
“It was a tough decision, but I’m super excited for this new opportunity with Ram,” Cura said in an exclusive interview with Tejano Nation contributor Elisa “DJ Peaches” Jaimez. “It’s a complete honor and his band, they’re very good. I’m super excited to start playing with the band.”
Before Cura made the decision to join the Outlaw band, he reached out to LA 45 for their blessing. John Ontiveros and Mike Torres III were more than supportive and Cura added he has not dropped out of LA 45 completely, he will still help out when he can with dates or recording sessions.
“I will always be there for them, no matter what,” said Cura. “They’re like family to me, I’ve known them for years.”
Cura is also planning solo projects, working with his friend, musician, and producer Chris Villanueva, for a few singles coming up in the near future.
Shelly Lares is currently in the studio adding the final songs to her highly-anticipated new album and “Little Miss TNT” shared the latest update on the disc via social media on Tuesday.
The star said she’s taking time off from the road in January and heading to the studio to finish up her new album.
“I actually just have three songs to do vocals on,” she said. “I’m going to recut a couple of the songs and I added a song number 11, which is something I really wanted to do because this song really, really means a lot to me. So, I hope you guys will enjoy it.”
Lares added that she has been under the weather recently with sinusitis, but will focus on finishing up the album this month and shared the album’s title.
“This month we finish up mix and mastering and shooting the cover for the new CD called ‘Obra De Amor’, which is ‘Labor of Love’ and that it definitely has been,” she said.
The Tejano icon, who just celebrated her 36th year in the industry, has been working on this album for a couple of years. It will be the first album released from Lares since the death of her father, Fred Lares, in 2016.
She already released many hit singles from the album including “Devuélveme El Corazón”, “Trato Y Trato”, and “Mi Moreno”.
“Thank you guys so much for all the love support and 2019 is going to be a great one for all of us,” she said. “Get ready to get shell shocked!”
Little Joe premiered the official music video for “San Antonio” on Wednesday. It’s the title track from the music legend’s latest album and a song close to his heart.
His relationship with San Antonio has been a great one since the 1960s when he first signed with Corona Records of San Antonio. This song is based on a melody that he came up with one night after a gig in New Mexico. Remembering his fondness for San Antonio he started to add the lyrics to the melody on his way back from the gig.
While many songs have been written about the city of San Antonio, few songs have captured the Chicano pride and cultural diversity of the city quite like this one. The lyrics, “San Antonio mi pueblo adorado” sums up what many San Antonians feel about their beautiful city. A city that welcomes visitors with open arms and is adored by its own citizens. “Sus escuelas de clase mundial” from The University of Texas at San Antonio to the westside’s Edgewood Fine Arts Academy, it’s a city with educational opportunities that rival most cities San Antonio’s size.
This song is whole-heartedly given to the citizens of San Antonio as a gift by Little Joe.
“It has been a long time in coming to recognize your beautiful city,” said Little Joe. “Please support and share this video with all your friends and make it go viral, Viva San Anto!”
The visual was filmed in San Antonio and produced by Lupe Moya of LM Media Solutions.
“It was a real honor to have been asked by my good friend and Chicano legend, Little Joe Hernandez, to bring his vision to life,” said Moya. “Joe has not released a music video in many years, so I consider it a huge honor. This is a special song for Joe as he wanted to share his love for San Antonio”.
The Hometown Boys are one of the most celebrated Tejano / Conjunto groups of their era and begin 2019 with the return of “El Jefe”Roman Martinez, Sr. to the stage and plan a new album for this year.
“El Jefe” suffered a concussion after a nasty fall in October and took time away from the band’s busy performing schedule to recuperate, but has been performing short sets since late December.
“He’s coming along a little bit at a time, that’s all you can do,” his son and band member Bobby Martinez told Tejano Concerts TV. “Gracias a Dios, he’s doing a lot better now. It’s great to have him back on stage, even if it’s not for the full set, glad he’s back with us.”
With the return of “El Jefe”, the Hometown Boys plan to work on a new album.
“We already have a couple of tracks laid down in the studio, but we have to finish off the CD,” Bobby added. “As long as El Jefe can get out there and do what he’s gotta do, hopefully, it will be out in a couple of months.”
The new album will be the follow-up to The Hometown Boys concert album, Un Grito! Volume 1, released in March 2017.
Erick Sanchez Tovar | Photo: Bobby Villela / Bobby V Photograpy
Erick Y Su Grupo Massore will drop one of the most highly-anticipated albums of 2019 for cumbia fans, with the release of Original Cumbia Power Music in March.
The disc will feature 10 hot cumbia tracks, including the latest single, “Gozadera” featuring El Gran Silencio, released in November. The album will also offer up more great dancefloor fillers with “Cumbia y Timbal”, “Sueño Contigo”, “Más que nada”, “Funky cumbia”, and “Machin Rin” featuring A.B. Quintanilla.
Frontman Erick Sanchez Tovar has been performing on stage since the age of 5 in his hometown of Nuevo Rosita, Coahuila, Mexico, entertaining fans for nearly two decades with his vocals and percussion skills. He rose to fame with Massore in 2000, with cumbia hits “El Baile De Gorilla”, “La Inconforme” and many more.
Mia released her latest single, “¡Te Quiero!”, to digital media outlets and an official lyric video to her Facebook and YouTube channel.
The track, written by Julio and Layito Vega and produced by James Galvez and David L. Garza, is an explosive fast paced cumbia fuzed with progressive drums and percussion. It was included on the 2017 release of her debut album, La Reina Del Mundo, which earned Mia a nomination and win for Best New Artist – Female with the Tejano Music Awards.
Visit miamusictx.com and follow her adventures, including her hobbies karate, gymnastics, and horseback riding in addition to being an aspiring musician on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
The 11-year-old singer’s debut album, La Reina Del Mundo, is available for purchase on her official Facebook page and on all digital platforms.
Jaime DeAnda announced a rebirth as he opens a new chapter in his over forty-year music career.
In a statement released on Monday, DeAnda is “taking back control of his destiny. Embarking on a solo career that will provide him with the freedom of artistic control that he has worked so hard for over the years.”
DeAnda recently split with Los Chamacos in December. The band had been cranking out hit songs together since 1982, releasing many successful albums and classic hits including “Yolanda,” “Mi Musica Favorita,” and many more. They received multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations and were inducted into the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame in 2011.
DeAnda has formed “a strong team that not only stands by him but fully supports his vision and future direction,” according to the statement.
He auditioned band members recently to join him on his new journey and will debut the new and improved Jaime DeAnda during an onstage performance at Midnight Rodeo in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, January 25, 2019.
With the love and support of his family, Jaime started playing music at the young age of six years old. He grew up in an environment where hard work and dedication to learning one’s craft was instilled in him. This allowed him to record his debut single, “Un Puño de Tierra,” at the age of 15. His stylistic artistry is well known throughout the music industry, which has cemented his place as one of Tejano’s top musical artists.
Dedicated music fans will be happy with this artistic triumph which will span influences of the traditional, mixed in with some innovative arrangements. The collaboration between Jaime and Julian “Jullzz” Johnson on the production of Jaime’s brand-new studio album, tentatively set to be released in 2019, will continue taking his art to a whole new level.
Jaime’s message of looking out for artists’ rights is a meaningful legacy he would like to see all future musicians follow suit. He is a musician’s musician, whose independent voice will now be heard as he stands up for what’s right as an independent artist reclaiming his art.
The visual, filmed by Ryan Bazan, grabs your attention with a rustic hill country vibe as it was filmed in Garden Ridge, Texas. Sauceda feels this is a true representation of his country boy upbringing.
The track features reverb filled accordion, grooving bajo, driving bass, passionate percussion with keys touched in just the right places. Astudillo lights the track on fire with his energizing performance.
Super producer and Christian artist Raul Sanchez brought Astudillo and Sauceda together for an incredible re-vamping of a Mexican classic cumbia.
“It will have you beeping and bopping in the morning while getting ready for work, for school, or for a training session at the gym,” says Sauceda.
“It’s something a little bit different than what I do,” Astudillo added. “The collaboration with Sunny and the way he sings and just his whole energy I thought would fit well with what I do.”
“Por La Madrugada” is the latest release from Sauceda’s DFM (Dios, Familia, Música) album that garnered him a Male Vocalist of the Year nomination at the 2018 Tejano Music Awards.
Tejano music legend Pete Astudillo will release a couple of collaborations and a new album in 2019.
The crooner shared the details on his plans for the new year during an exclusive interview with the Tejano Nation Radio podcast.
Astudillo plans to release a new take of a Mexican classic cumbia, “Por La Madrugada” with Sunny Sauceda this month, and an upcoming collaboration, “El Rey del Ritmo” with Erick Sanchez, frontman for Erick Y Massore, this spring.
Stefani Montiel performs at the 37th annual Tejano Music Awards. | Photo: Lupe Moya
Stefani Montiel released her new album, Amor Supernatural, on December 11 and she talks about her latest disc and plans for 2019 in a recent backstage interview.
Tejano Nation contributor Fanny Gurl caught up with Stefani after her performance at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona on December 31.
Montiel shared details about her new album, the follow-up to her hugely successful La Dueña album released in 2016, that garnered the singer her first Tejano Music Awards wins for Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year in 2017.
Amor Supernatural is available now at all digital music platforms and VMBMusicGroup.com.
Cinco Doce returns with the premiere of a new single and official music video for “Me & My Girlfriend,” a collaboration with Monica Saldivar.
The high-energy cumbia band from Austin, Texas teams with the 2015 Tejano Idol winner for a bilingual cumbia remake of two hip hop songs, “Me and My Girlfriend,” the 1996 hit song from Tupac, and “Bonnie & Clyde 03” from Jay-Z featuring Beyonce, released in 2002.
The visual was filmed and edited by Ryan Bazan and produced by Jay Moya of Cinco Doce.
“Me & My Girlfriend” is the lead single from the group’s upcoming full-length album, first since the release of “La Fiesta” in 2014. The track was produced by Cinco Doce accordion/keys player Cisco Aquirre and written by his brother, frontman Buck Aguirre. It was engineered by Omar Vallejo and Grammy Award winner Randy Caballero at the astounding 512 Studios, an Austin Music Award winner for Best Studio.
“Monica is a great fit for the song and she is an extremely talented singer,” said Brian Alejandro, lead vocalist of Cinco Doce. “She has capabilities that can separate her from other artist creating more of an art form for herself.”.
Cinco Doce is excited to be recording again.
“A lot of people have been asking us when are we going to be releasing new music again, ” said Moya, “We feel like we get great support from fans of our music in Tejano and all around the world and feel like if we cannot perform in front of all of them, we can at least continue to make Cinco Doce music for everyone to enjoy.”
“We have a new show that we are working on and will be ready for appearances and shows this year,” Moya added. “We created a brand and we are looking forward to the continuation of sharing it with everyone.”
“Me & My Girlfriend” will be available soon at all digital music platforms.
Singer Yvonne Ramos with “En Caliente” host Roger Hernandez. | YouTube / ECP777
Totally Tejano Television is a newly launched streaming channel on Roku dedicated to Tejano music and culture.
“I believe streaming is the future in television,” said Roger Hernandez, producer and director of Totally Tejano Television.
Current programming includes episodes from the show “En Caliente,” concert footage, music videos, and movies focused on the culture of Tejano music.
Roku
“En Caliente” was created in 1982 and was the first San Antonio television program to be syndicated in 11 major cities across America.
The channel is currently looking to add more content with Tejano shows from across Texas and Mexico, including The Johnny Canales Show.
“We are adding programming daily, and soon we are going to be adding a news category to our programming,” added Hernandez.
The news programming will include everything from industry talks to breaking news in the industry.
“We are presently in talks with industry giant Ramon Hernandez to collaborate with the news related programming.” shared Hernandez.
Ramon Hernandez is a noted writer, photojournalist, and Tejano music historian.
Since its launch on January 11, 2019, the new channel has reached over 3000 views, and it is continuing to grow with a domestic & international viewing base.
Lucy Rodriguez has released a cover of “Escríbeme”, the latest single from her debut album Si Mañana.
Originally written by Venezuelan songwriter, Guillermo Castillo Bustamante, a great number of artists have recorded “Escríbeme” since its initial release in 1953. Lucy’s preferred interpretation, however, has always been the one recorded by late singer Chavela Hernandez, of Chavela and Brown Express fame, in 1978.
“After talking it over with my production team, we decided it would be best to maintain the sound that was unique to Chavela’s version and keep that classic style intact,” Lucy said. “Having a personal relationship with her family and keeping her two daughters and her widower, Eduardo Hernandez (Los Tigres del Norte) involved in the process made this recording even more meaningful for me. It was the only real way, in my opinion, to do any justice to her memory and pay her legacy proper homage.”
“Escríbeme”, recorded by Lucy for her label Emerald Records, under license to Brambilla Musical Mexico S.A de C.V, is available at all digital music platforms, as well as limited edition vinyl and compact disc formats of her debut album Si Mañana at www.onelucy.com.
Lucy is currently back in the studio working on her next album.
David Farias has performed since he was a kid with his family as part of La Tropa F and he spoke candidly about his departure from the group, his solo career and much more during an exclusive interview with the Cruz Control with AC Cruz Behind The Mic podcast.
The Grammy Award winner also spoke about his time Los Texmaniacs, his successful solo career, the recent loss of his sister, and much more.
Listen to the latest episode of the Cruz Control with AC Cruz Behind The Mic podcast below. Hear previous episodes and get more details at CruzControlWithACCruz.com.
Ricardo Guzman Jr performs at the 2018 Tejano Conjunto Festival in San Antonio. Photo credit: Vic Gonzalez
Conjunto musician Ricardo Guzman Jr has passed away, according to reports. He was 58.
News of his passing began to flood social media on Tuesday morning with Conjunto musicians and fans sharing their condolences.
Gilberto Garcia Jr, frontman for Gilberto Garcia Jr Y Los Dos Gilbertos and lifelong friend of Guzman, posted on Facebook. “I am still in shock and disbelief after hearing such sad, sad news. The passing of my lifelong friend, Mr. Ricardo Guzman Jr. I’m speechless. He was an awesome person, very humble, and a great musician.”
“My sincerest condolences a todos los amigos y familia de Ricardo Guzman Jr,” added Conjunto legend Ruben Garza with a post on his Facebook page. “May God bring them peace and comfort knowing you are with the Lord. We have lost another great in Conjunto and God has gained another angel.”
Funeral arrangements were posted by his son Ricky Guzman III, on Tuesday, with a viewing scheduled for Thursday, January 24, 2019, at Memorial Funeral Home in Edinburg, Texas from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm with Rosary at 7:00 pm. Funeral will take place on Friday, January 25, 2019, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Edinburg beginning at 10:00 am.
Shelly Lares is currently in the studio adding the finishing touches to her highly-anticipated new album Obra De Amor and she shared the latest update on the disc via social media on Tuesday.
The star took time off from the road in January to finish up her new album, one that has taken years to complete.
“Three years in the making,” she said. “For those of you that may not know, I started this CD before I lost my dad in 2016.”
The Tejano icon lost her father Fred Lares in July 2016 after a brave battle with cardiac ailments.
“(For) a year I couldn’t do anything,” she said. “I was not creating, I was not arranging, nothing and then came in, did ‘Devuélveme El Corazón’ a year ago and it just all started pouring out of me and we were able to finish the CD.”
“I’m so emotional about it,” she added. “A lot of my heart and soul is in it. It’s everything that I love, different genres, but nonetheless, the hardcore heartbeat of it all is Tejano music.”
But, it almost didn’t happen. After his father, Gilberto Garcia, passed away in 2015 he wasn’t quite sure about continuing with the band, according to an interview Garcia gave to Tejano Nation radio affiliate Tejano 1600 KXEW-AM in Tucson, Arizona.
“For one, it was hard, we had lost him and it was hard to continue Los Dos Gilbertos,” Garcia Jr told Tejano 1600 morning host Melissa Santa Cruz. “He was the main man, he was the accordion player, he was the main vocalist, so to continue with that, to me, with all due respect to my pops, it was, I guess for me, big shoes to be filled.”
LISTEN: Gilberto Garcia Jr talks with Melissa SantaCruz on Tejano 1600
Los Dos Gilbertos have been entertaining Conjunto music fans since the 1970s with many successful albums.
“It took me two years after he passed away that I finally, my mom just kind of pushed me and said, ‘You know you need to continue your dad’s legacy and tradition. It’s something that runs in the family’,” Garcia Jr added. “Finally, I snapped and said, ‘You know what? She’s right’.”
The band signed with VMB Music Group and released Legacia Y Tradicion in May 2018 and plans to continue the legacy and tradition of Los Dos Gilbertos for many years to come.
Grupo Vision are planning to release a new album in March and are currently on La Nueva Sangre Tour with Grupo Zenzio.
The San Antonio-based band, which features twin brothers Javier and Jaime Medina, talked about their upcoming disc during a recent interview with Tejano Concerts TV.
“Right now, we’re in the recording process,” said Jaime Medina, vocalist and bajo sexto player for Vision. “We’re actually almost done, the CD is supposed to come out in March, which is the goal. We’re really excited, we have some songs from some good writers. Juan Trevino is one of them.”
“We just want to put out a great album, great music, so they (fans) can follow us and we can reach their hearts with our music and if we can reach one person, then we’ve done our job,” added Vision member Johnny Sobrevilla.
Vision plan to release the lead single from the album soon. It will be the follow-up to their successful collaboration with Frankie J, “Con La Mirada Que Me Das”, released in late 2017.
Watch the full interview with Grupo Vision below, as they also talk about touring with Grupo Zenzio on La Nueva Sangre Tour.
Just nine months after the birth of their daughter Alessandra in April, Blanca shared the news they will be parents again via Instagram on Thursday.
“Officially 9 months with all 4 front teeth, and is going to be a big sister,” she wrote. “Every day I prayed for God to give you a sister, and he answered. God is awesome! 2018 was a great year and 2019 is going to be an amazing year! Sooooo excited!”
Michael confirmed the baby news and commented, “It is a blessing, another angel that comes to consolidate our family even more. I am very happy because both Blanca and the baby are healthy and the pregnancy has developed without any complications.”
The new baby girl is expected in July and will be the second child for the couple.
