California's Mexican Music Series
Conjunto Los Pochos & Conjunto Romero
Friday August 15, 2008
$12 gen. ($10 before 7:30pm) - 7:30pm panel w/artist - 8:30pm show
California’s Mexican Music Series continues with the best Bay Area Conjunto music. Conjunto Los Pochos, Texas & Mexico conjunto styles with original and classic favorites. Conjunto Romero, a Tex-Mex/Norteño family band playing a danceable Mexicano-Tejano music. Join us for a panel discussion with the artists before the show, hosted by Jose Cuellar, Dr. Loco.
Conjunto Los Pochos' core members, Otoño Luján (button-accordion) and Elliott Baribeault (bajo sexto) met in 1996 at the California Institute of the Arts. The two Southern California natives played traditional conjunto music as a duet at backyard barbeques and for anyone who wanted to enjoy Conjunto music. In the summer of 1997, the four-piece ensemble "Conjunto Los Pochos" was born.
The band's name initially came about to address the perceived peculiarity of a bunch of [primarily] acculturated Mexicans (Pochos), barely speaking Spanish and playing "Norteño" music (border music from Northern Mexico). Ironically though, this music - having stemmed from the merging of European and Texas-Mexican cultures in the late 1800's - continues to reflect the process of Pochismo (or acculturation) through its lyrics and music.
Conjunto Los Pochos has lived this music at dance halls, weddings, concerts and a variety of venues from the Eastside to the Westside, throughout Southern California and across the country. They have developed their unique sound that combines elements of both Texas and Mexico conjunto styles with original music as well as classic favorites. They have been joined by Ernesto Molina (1999) and veteran musician, Lorenzo Martinez (2001), who tour with the band and play on their newly released CD “Margie’s.” Los Pochos has performed regularly at the Annual Grassroots Music Festivals in New York and North Carolina and at the Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival in San Antonio, Texas. The band has appeared on KMEX/Channel 34’s “Los Angeles Al Día” and has performed alongside legendary musicians such as Poncho Sánchez, Los Dos Gilbertos, Flaco Jimenez and Little Joe y La Familia.
Los Pochos has arrived at the year 2008 successfully presenting a genuine L.A. expression of traditional Conjunto music to a steadily growing audience that cuts across race, nationality and social status.
Conjunto Romero is a Tex-Mex/Norteño family band from the San Francisco Bay Area. They play a very danceable blend of Mexican/Tejano music based around the Gabbanelli diatonic 3-row accordion and the Mexican 12-string bajo sexto.
The type of music they play includes traditional South-Texas Conjunto styles with many Polkas, Schottises and Redovas. Their Norteño sound, which has ties to the Northern Mexican border area, is the driving force behind many of the Rancheras, Cumbias and Boleros they perform. They hope that the enjoyment and love their families and friends have for this music will also be felt by those who hear them.
They have been playing in and around the San Francisco Bay area since the group formed in early 1999. Although they perform mainly at private events such as special birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and other family socials, they have performed at many public events such as San Francisco and Richmond’s Cinco De Mayo Festivals, San Francisco’s annual Day of the Accordion Festival and many functions sponsored by Contra Costa County’s Celebrating Culture and Community. They have also had the pleasure of performing at Boaz Accordions Music Salons, Down Home Music’s in-store Concerts and Smythe’s Accordions Store events.
The band consists of two brothers, Alfredo Romero, drums; Valentin Romero Jr., accordion; their father, Valentin Romero Sr., bajo sexto; and their Uncle, Lauro Guajardo, bass and accordion. The music has been in the family since the early 1950s when Lauro was given his first 2-row Hohner accordion by his father in Mississippi at the age of 15. He is self-taught and has become a master of the 3-row button box and has been playing for the last 30 years with various conjuntos in the SF Bay Area. Val Sr. started in the early 1970s playing drums with Lauro’s conjunto and has since learned to play the bajo sexto. In early 1998, following in the footsteps of their father and uncle, 2nd generation brothers Alfredo and Val Jr. began taking an interest in the music and started playing the drums and accordion.
Other family members who assist and add to the band are: Sister Laura Romero, cousins Alma Jacuinde and Ricardo Salas, and their biggest supporter, mom, Benita Romero.
