4 minute read
ON THE SCENE
San Antonio Style, Seguin Soun
Culture Conjunto Cats Create Party Music with
STORY BY LIZZ DANIELS PHOTOS BY LLAMAR VASQUEZ
There’s no denying the Lone Star State’s status as a musical hotspot. Just beyond Guadalupe county, country and western fills the air as tourists flock to renowned Gruene Hall. In Austin, local indy musicians play alongside some of the industry’s biggest names and San Antonio is home to Tejano music’s most prestigious event –– the annual Tejano Music Awards. Here, the sounds of various cultures meet and meld, culminating into something only found in South Texas.
Seguin’s Conjunto Cats are playing their part in contributing to this unique musical profile through their ability to transform the old-school
Mexican sounds of Art Campos’ lead vocals and bajo sexto into something more contemporary. This is accomplished, partially due to the band’s three youngest members who are all still in their teens. Art’s two sons, Zeke –– second voice/accordion, and Diego –– bass guitar, unite with their ‘weekend brother,’ Nathan Alzalde who ties it all together on the drums lending the group its fresh, youthful tone.
“Conjunto is most known as a four-piece band with accordion, bajo sexto, bass, and drums, whereas Tejano, most of the time, has keyboards, brass, and guitar in their sound,” Art explained. “In conjunto, the drummer has to have a disciplined tempo –– the “puro compaz,” or pure tempo.” With a 25-year age difference between Art and Zeke –– the next oldest band-member –– they manage to create a cross-generational sound that listeners of all different ages and backgrounds can enjoy. They do this partially through performing original work, but where the Conjunto Cats truly excel is in reimagining Mexican songs from the 40s and 50s for modern-day crowds.
“Whenever we do covers, I try to select songs people aren’t familiar with, so that when we put our spin on them, it creates something new from the old,” Art said. “Zeke is involved with our music selection, so sometimes, when I want to play a song, he’ll tell me it’s not one the young people want to hear. I always try to take his advice because we want to be able to please both the older crowd and a new generation.”
Most children draw some musical influence from their parents, but inevitably at some point, they branch out and start developing their own musical predilections. The inclusion of what’s popular with younger listeners helps elevate the complexity of their work and challenges their musical understanding by demanding cooperation despite stylistic differences. Zeke, who’s favorite musicians include Bruno Mars and Texas natives, Los Lonely Boys, is especially involved in the writing process
“I’m not just into straight conjunto music; I also listen to progressive, progressive norteño, some jazz, and rock, so I get a lot of different ideas going through my mind,” Zeke said. “I try to spice things up by melding those elements when I play to give it a new groove.”
Vastly different musical influences within the group create a situation wherein butting heads over creative decisions seems likely –– especially within a family dynamic. However, where some parents would try forcing their children to conform to their musical preferences, Art encourages the individual sounds of his younger bandmates.
One way he does this is by collaborating with Zeke to create the primary musical arrangements. Once they’ve built their framework, Nathan and Diego, come in to sort out the bass and rhythm during experimental jam sessions.
“I never try to force them to perform a certain way because everybody has their way of playing,” Art said. “Unless it’s going to be clashing with the music, we embrace it. When you let everybody play what they’re feeling as opposed to making it mechanical, that is what gives a band an original sound.”
A current trend in the conjunto genre is slowing tempos down to allow for more flowing melodies, but with origins that draw from polka and other European sounds, the real soul of the style is in the upbeat and enthusiastic mood it conveys. The Conjunto Cats go against the grain of current trends by keeping the lively party feeling, for which they are known.
“This type of music seems simple, but not everyone can play this way,” Art said. “It requires playing from the heart. It’s a vibe, same with Tejano –– they’re both dancing styles of music.”
The band may have started off playing smaller parties and gatherings, but they’ve since grown, producing numerous albums while also performing at the Tejano Music Awards Fan Fair, although it was canceled this year due pandemic-related closures. And when the thick strumming timbre of the Conjunto Cats’ bajo sexto unites on stage with the reedy drone of accordion, bass, and drums, one thing that’s nearly impossible to do is keep from dancing.
