What a day it was. I thought I was running late. It was 8:00 a.m. and I was getting the chills already. My friend Marty and my son Juan 3^rd were ready for the trip. It was already 12:00 noon by now and we finally got our act together and headed towards San Antonio. We made all kinds of plans on the way there and we called my sister ahead of time and she agreed to make us some fried fish when we got there. Man I couldn’t wait. Once we got to my sister’s apartment we ate. My friend, and compadre, Chanty called me. We were to meet at the Cadillac Bar at 6:30 sharp. Well we got there at 7:00 p.m. We walked into the door at the Cadillac bar…7:05 p.m. Show Time!

This night was a very special night for me. I invited my sister and her husband to meet us there. This was the first time my sister had gone to a Tejano event since 1993 when my father, the late Juan Sifuentes Sr., was inducted into the TTMA’s Hall 0f Fame.

As I walked through the door I felt something magical in the atmosphere. I don’t know how to describe the feeling. The setting felt so ‘regal’ in a sense. Yet it felt like I was in an important ‘fairy-tale’ like environment. I could hear this very angelic voice coming from the stage inside. The voice was so crystal clear and it reminded me of a very young LeAnne Rimes. There was sort of a contest, of very young talented girls, going on. It wasn’t Tejano in nature but it was music. This young lady had a very mature quality to her voice and stayed in pitch whenever she held a note. I later asked her for her name and told her how much I enjoyed her singing. Her name is Tori Ruiz and I was amazed to find out she was only 11 years old. This was a taste of things to come, as I would later find out. The new blood was in the house and I was in for an experience that was close to that of a religious nature…This phenomenon we call Tejano Music.

I snaked my way through the crowd that was quickly gathering and went to the outside part of the Cadillac bar. I saw many familiar faces and was greeted by many hugs. I was very happy because my sister had arrived and we had not been to a Tejano event since 1993. My sister looked like a special VIP at the Grammy’s. I heard music at the outside stage and I saw some wonderful people on stage that I met in Las Vegas. It was a group named CROSSROADS from New Mexico. They had a very good sound but there was something different about it. I really liked it. I guess I would call it Tejano with a New Mexico flavor. The brass section was really good. Joy Baca did very well on vocals. She was very sure of her self and very comfortable before an audience. Phil was really great on lead guitar. I liked the way he used his petals to give a few ‘rock’ licks with the guitar. The keyboard player alternated between the keyboards and the accordion. This group had a lot of talented people. Some were young and some were seasoned veterans. Great tejano group with a very unique New Mexico sound. Their CD features some very impressive guest artist like Rick Fuentes (Ruben Ramos accordion player), Chente Barrera and a few other artists. When they finished their set Phil honored me by giving me his guitar pick. I thought that was really cool.

During the break I made my way back inside to the main stage. While I snaked my way in again many friends stopped me. Bea from Bea’s Island club (Houston) was in the house. I was also honored when a very beautiful lady I had not seen in sometime stopped me. It was Janie from Tejano Music Headquarters in Houston. I glanced at my sister and her husband. They were having a great time. People kept coming up to introduce themselves to my sister. I then bumped into a person whom I love as a brother and friend Eddie Pérez and his lovely wife. I also had the pleasure to meet Mr. Bob Olivo (Bnet radio) for the first time. I then made my way to the VIP room when I ran into Mrs. Sarah Chávez and her husband David ( Tejano Music Convention, Latin Pointe). It was a very pleasant surprise. It was good to see Mr. Chávez enjoying himself. That man is a ‘work horse’. By this time the whole atmosphere was very ‘ family’ like. The whole place was full to the max. It was wonderful to see so many people of all ethnic groups just having a great time. The Cadillac personnel were very professional and polite. I was very impressed with the Tejas Records artist showcase. There were so many of the Internet regulars in the house. They were literally from all over the United States. My friend Chanty from Long Island, New York, and Tejano R.O.O.T.S. webmaster, made it possible for me to be there. Please forgive me if I didn’t mention your name.

I heard the start of some music in the mainstage inside so I went to check it out. I listened to see who it was and I didn’t recognize the sound or the band. The music was not Tejano but I liked it. It was like Rock En Español but very bilingual. A style I had not heard before. They were singing all original songs. There was the lead vocalist, I think her name was Tanya Martinez, who also played the keyboards. She had another young female whose name was Matti Briones ( I hope I got that right). Both singers complimented each other very well. The other musicians were some of the best I have ever heard. I was really impressed with the guitarist. Very top notch musicians. I wish that Tejano music was their forte but I enjoyed their music. Some people would consider their music a little extreme but to me that is not a bad thing. The name of the band was BOCASTRIA. Watch for them at a club near you.

As the group exited the stage another band got on. They started playing and these guys were playing Puro Conjunto. The crowd got into the groove quickly and there was dancing, foot tapping, and gritos. These guys could really harmonize and the accordion was pushing and pulling the bellows with a lot of intensity. I wanted to recognize the style but I could put my finger on it. They finished their set with ‘Puño de Tierra’ and did some very good 3-part harmony. When they finished I talked to one of the members of the band and I told them that I really liked their style of Conjunto. He told me that the name of the band was Grupo Maldad. I told them that they really played from the heart and that their style sounded familiar. He then told me that they were the second generation of ‘Los Aguilares’. I was speechless. Tejano R.O.O.T.S. had inducted Los Aguilares to the Hall of Fame back in November. I believe these young men are from the Dallas area. Puro Conjunto soul. The accordion player was really good. His name is JR Ramos. I think he gave his accordion personality and that is what we need with our conjuntos. None of this ‘clone’ stuff. I thanked him for his time and I made my way back outside to the other stage.