By Faith Duarte
In February of this year, San Antonio became the fourth city in the state to be designated as a “music friendly community” by the Texas Music Office, joining Austin, Fort Worth and Denton.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at a news conference announcing the certification, “As a city celebrating its tricentennial year, San Antonio has a long history of being the home to incredible world-class talent, especially in music of all genres.”
A sampling of that world-class talent was on full display throughout the King William neighborhood during the penultimate day of Fiesta, when the neighborhood and surrounding venues were abuzz with music of all types. Festival goers had the opportunity to see the city’s finest performers in jazz, Latin, folk and rock-n-roll. At one point, I overheard someone compare the fair to that of a bustling New Orleans.
Over at King William Park, Volcán gave me the energy jolt I needed that morning. The 12-member outfit squeezed onto the stage, dancing in unison, exuding an infectious energy that even got walking passerby to dance.
It was their second of three Fiesta performances that day, and it was apparent the band held themselves to a high standard. Their exuberant mix of alternative, jazz and cumbia set the overall mood for the day. They received drunken praises and some raised stacks of Fiesta cups from the audience as they hyped up the crowd with smiles and gritos.
Volcán is active on all social media outlets, and has a website at www.volcanmusic.com.
Outside of the fair, Beethoven Maennerchor served as an oasis for those
seeking refuge from the heat and to recharge from the fair crowds. At around noon, Harvey McLaughlin, a dark, Nick Cave-type, and his backup band were first up at the German bier garten.
The bewitching singer-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist incorporates a delightfully peculiar mix of blues and early rock-n-roll, one that perfectly complements a dark beer. His debut album “Tabloid Blues” was released in February and is on Spotify. More music is available on his Soundcloud page.
The venue had a go-with-the-flow attitude, so much so that neither the bartender nor the sound technician knew for sure when the next band was scheduled to play during this six-hour event, but eventually the second band made its way to the stage.
King Pelican is the surf rock vehicle of guitarist Ernest Hernandez, drummer Darren Kuper and bassist Lloyd Walsh. Early in their set they played “El Gallo” from their “Matador Surfer” album, followed by “Morocco.” They also debuted “Sky Ride,” which Hernandez described as “a song about the old Hemisfair.” The song is part of a 4-track vinyl EP that revisits the park’s role in the 1968 World’s Fair and is set for release later this year. More information on the band is available on their Facebook page and their music is on Spotify.
Back at the fair’s Artisan’s Alley tent, Josh Glenn was warming up onstage, improvising some acoustic riffs and chanting “Viva Fiesta.” Glenn is a mainstay of the neighborhood fair, with this being his fifth year participating. Once ready, he dives into the spacey “John Glenn Experience” and continues with “This Year,” a song that he calls “an ode to good things happening.” It’s reminiscent of Jason Mraz and is slated for release as part of a full EP late this year. His project, Josh Glenn Experiment, has music on Spotify, Reverbnation, Bandcamp and Soundcloud. He’s also active on Facebook.
Next up was Demitasse, the folk-rock side project of Buttercup’s Erik Sanden and Joe Reyes. The duo appeared as cool as cucumbers, performing with sense of ease and familiarity that can only be achieved after being in projects together for more than 15 years. They shared equal roles in vocalization and instrumentals, and were playful onstage with each other and with the audience. At one point, Sanden’s absurdist humor started poking through their 45-minute set, as he spouted life pro-tips throughout, like, “The cure for unrequited love is listening to Morrissey,” and “Fiesta is great practice for a paramedic, because you see a lot of people fall.” They’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and their website at www.wearedemitasse.com.
As Demitasse wrapped up, three blocks over at the Jules Veranda stage, Azul Barrientos graced the audience with her style of Mexican folk. During her closeout set, she alternated playing her acoustic guitar and jarana, a stringed instrument similar to a ukulele. Hailing from Mexico City, Barrientos is the artist-in-residence at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center. For more information, visit her website as www.azulbarrientos.com.
By this time of the afternoon, the fair crowd gradually began filtering out, but Fiesta continued two blocks over at Lowcountry, where Houston-based punk outfit The Cops was due to headline.
But before that was Garrett T. Capps, the man who organized the show, joined onstage with The Three Timers. Previously, Capps’ “I Was Born in San Antone” was featured in the Season Three premiere of Showtime’s Billions in March. As of this writing, the song was approaching 50,000 plays as on Spotify.
In May he released his space country odyssey “In the Shadows (Again)” at a joint album release party with D.T. Buffkin, where they were joined by Augie Meyers, Flaco Jimenez and Santiago Jimenez Jr. The album is available on most streaming devices.
As my day in the neighborhood wound down, I realized that if seeing live music extends your life span, then the seven hours I just invested at Fiesta should help add up to what could later be a hefty return.