Dust off those dancing shoes and get ready to party. Grammy winners Los Texmaniacs will be bringing their high-tempo melodic sound to Butchart Gardens, this July.

The six-strong band hails from San Antonio, Texas, and will swell to an 11-member ensemble for the shows. They have had a long run of success in Mexico and the States since the late B次元官网网址�90s, and have travelled the world, including tours to Russia and China.

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B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e so excited about the Butchart Gardens trip. WeB次元官网网址檝e played the Vancouver Island Music Festival a couple times but never around Victoria,B次元官网网址� says founding member Max Baca.

The Texmaniacs play a tejano style of conjunto, a distinctive Mexican sound with roots stretching back into 1800s Europe. It has been well documented how cultural cross-pollination contributed to the miracle of twentieth century US music diversity and conjunto is no different. As with jazz, bluegrass or rhythm and blues, different instrument mixes can help form entire musical styles, such as Cajun, which utilizes the accordion and fiddle. Conjunto relies on the combination of button accordion and twelve string bajo sexto, which contains both guitar and bass strings.

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The music begins with German, Pole and Czech immigration to Mexico in the 1800s, bringing their waltz, polka and traditional genres with them. After the , many were forced into Texas, and the intrigued local musicians adopted some of their instruments and oom-pah sound. Polka, corrido and mariachi all flavoured the music before the sound became centred on the button accordion and bajo sexto. Spread by migrant farm workers in Mexico and Texas, who would hold barn dances at the end of the working week, the music evolved into a four-piece containing drum set and upright bass (later replaced by electric bass). The Spanish word for this B次元官网网址渆nsembleB次元官网网址� is conjunto, and the name stuck.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very German influenced and itB次元官网网址檚 foot tapping music. It makes you want to get up and dance,B次元官网网址� says Baca.

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Los Texmaniacs won a Grammy Award for Tejano Album of the Year B次元官网网址淏orders y BailesB次元官网网址� in 2010 and were nominated in 2018 for their latest work B次元官网网址淐ruzando Borders,B次元官网网址� which explores crossing the frontera, borders around the world, and overcoming musical and cultural boundaries. More information can be found at .

This summer, Butchart Gardens have over 60 performances on their open-air concert stage, with all performances included with general admission. The Los Texmaniacs special event will take place on Wednesday, July 10, and include support from the Lone Star Amigos. For more information on this gig or Butchart GardensB次元官网网址� upcoming events or fireworks shows visit . Tickets cost $33.80 but there are significant concessions available.

nick.murray@peninsulanewsreview.com
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