music

as co-headliner for Selena’s lauded 1995 Astrodome show, which drew 67,000 fans and yielded her album Selena LIVE! The Last Concert.

While the Tejano family legacy likely will always hang over the Navaira brothers, they also credit their dad with fostering their love of rock ’n’ roll.

After all, when the pair were junior-high age, he would wake them up in the middle of the night to play Beatles covers for his friends. He also took the pair to Arizona to see the 2004 Van Halen reunion.

“We bought the tickets because there weren’t any San Antonio dates [announced yet],” Emilio said. “We begged him, of course.”

To be sure, their love of classic rock makes them chips off the old block. When he was feeling it, their dad was known to perform Van Halen’s “Jump” in front of Tejano crowds.

“If you watch videos of Emilio and Grupo Rio in the early ’90s, he wanted to be David Lee Roth,” Diego said. “They had pyro onstage, and he was doing the splits. No one was doing that in Tejano at the time.”

Emilio the son thinks of Emilio the father frequently. Ultimately, it was the elder Navaira’s encouragement that sent the brothers down their life path of performing music.

“I was 15 the first time I got on stage [officially] with my dad,” Emilio said. “We were playing in Chicago, and there were like 10,000 people. It was nerve-wracking. My uncle and my dad may have given me a li le liquid encouragement.”

Once Emilio III knew his sons were eager to stake out their own legacy, he even went so far as to fire them from his band, the brothers recall. Their termination was a joke, but the inference was easy to read: It’s time for you to chase your own dream.

Given their dedication and musicianship, Diego and Emilio are more than capable of picking up their father’s mantle. But, despite their deep affection for their father and his music, their path lies elsewhere.

‘I always pray for my boys’

At the Strawberry Festival grounds, the band huddled then gave Diego a moment of quiet reflection before they clambered onstage. The crowd was ready after a warmup set from David Lee Garza, the same Tejano heavyweight who gave Emilio III his start.

Perhaps as a reminder to that crowd of the Navaira brothers’ rock ’n’ roll credentials, ZZ Top’s “Tush” blasted from the PA as they and the rest of the band strode onstage. Diego sang along at full volume as he paced just out of view. In true frontman fashion, he joined the others last.

Their mother, Cynthia Navaira-Escobar, was there too, cheering her sons on from backstage.

“I forgot to tell you earlier. I always pray for my boys,” she said loud enough to be heard over the music.

The band opened with “Naciste Para Mi” and “Que Bonita Fuera” back-to-back, a one-two punch demonstrating a skill in jumping from song to song that would make the Ramones proud.

Around the set’s mid-point, Diego joked to the crowd that his dad once told him, “Mijo, you need to dress Tejano.”

Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival Celebrates South Texas Musical Form

The nation’s first and longest running conjunto festival is back for its 41st year.

The annual Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio will take place May 17-21 at the Guadalupe Theater and Rosedale Park, celebrating the music born in South Texas during the 19th century when Mexican American musicians embellished Tejano and Norteño compositions by adding the bu on accordion.

Among the performers scheduled for the Friday-through-Sunday shows at Rosedale Park are Joe Zimmerle y Su Conjunto, Los Tellez, Conjunto Cats, Isaac De Los Santos y La Sangre Chicana, Cindy Ramos y su Conjunto, Grupo Azido and Los Texmaniacs featuring special guest Flaco Jimenez.

“I told him we’re rock ’n’ rollers. But we did it tonight. What do you think?” he asked, showing off his threads.

The audience roared its approval.

Diego’s fears came true during “It’s Not the End of the World,” as he choked up on the first verse. He turned it around, though, and Emilio gave him an encouraging shoutout. They continued the performance without losing a beat.

By the time the brothers and the rest of their capable band closed things down with encore “La Rama del Mesquite,” they dripped with sweat.

After post-show beers, well wishes from family members and autographs, the band piled back into the van. It was late, and everyone was ready to hit the party house. Menudo and more cold beer awaited.

Arnst cranked the key, but the motor wouldn’t start. He jumped out and popped the hood. Never a good sign, especially not at 2 a.m. Groans spread through the van.

Diego laughed, not even remotely ra led. “Arnst will probably jump start it himself,” he said. “I’d trust that guy with my punk rock life.”

Sure enough, Arnst pulled a portable jump box from the back of the van and connected it to the battery. Moments later, the engine cranked.

The van turned onto the darkened country road leading back to the their uncle’s home. Metallica blasted over the sound system. In that moment, it was apparent that the Navairas don’t quit easily — nor do the family and friends that make up their support system.

If Ready Revolution is the brothers’ next challenge, they’re ready to meet it head-on. Li le surprise that Diego chalks up that courage to another life lesson from his dad.

“We were part of the band and had to be on our A-game,” he said. “He didn’t treat us like we were his kids and just there to fuck around.”

“This year is shaping up to be an incredible Tejano Conjunto Festival with a great lineup and more enthusiasm than ever from conjunto fans,” said Cristina Ballí, executive director at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. “The festival highlights and celebrates the best in Conjunto music and the Texas Mexican cultural traditions of music, dancing, food and community connectedness.”

As per usual, the Guadalupe will host a free seniors dance on Wednesday, May 17 with music from Conjunto legends Eddie Lalo Torres y Su Conjunto and Santiago Jimenez Jr. y Su Conjunto. The Conjunto Music Hall of Fame reunion and induction ceremony will take place Thursday, May 18 at the Guadalupe.

As part of the festival, the Guadalupe also is hosting the photographic exhibition “The Instruments and Artistry of the Acosta Family of San Antonio,” which will display rare and never-before-seen images of the family’s legendary Westside luthiery shop and its prized instruments. Festival tickets are available online and at the Guadalupe Latino Bookstore, 1300 Guadalupe St. The Conjunto Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony requires a separate ticket, which is available online.

$45, Wednesday-Sunday, May 17-21, locations vary, guadalupeculturalarts.org/tejano-conjunto-festival.

— Sanford Nowlin