By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
The Wyoming Concerts in the Park continue on Tuesday, June 20, with the Tejano Sound Band stepping on the Lamar Park stage at 7 p.m.
“We are looking forward to being there,” said Mark Garcia who is a member of the group and serves as its general manager during a recent phone call. “We know it is a Tuesday, but it will be a lot fun and we plan to provide some good music.”
Tejano music is a style of folk or popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas. With roots in the late 19th century, it became a music genre with a wider audience in the late 20th century due to such artists as Selana, who was often referred to as The Queen of Tejeno.
Originally based in Lansing, the Tejano Sound Band was founded by brothers Johnny and Richard Vasquez and brother-in-law Frank Medellin in 1994. The group was quickly embraced by the public and became well-known for its stage presence, hi-tech sound and light show. The band has shared the stage with many artists and bands from Texas and across the country.
Today the band consists of Richard and Johnny Vasquez along with Lupe Moreno, AJ Garcia, Bobby Gonzalez, Rolando Revilla, Michael Hiemstra, and Mark Garcia. The group won Vocal Duo of the Year for the 2013 Tejano Music Award for “Pos El Amor de USA Mujer” featuring Ricky Valenz. The Tejano Sound Band is currently working on its fourth album and has recently released a couple of songs from that album.
The rest of the Concerts in the Park series includes the popular WY-FI celebration which includes fireworks and features two bands, the Sweet J Band and the Brena Band on June 27. The program takes a break over the week of July 4 and then continues with country group Michatucky July 11 followed by a night of sixties music with The 6 Pak. July 25 is the Beatles tribute band Toppermost with the series wrapping up on Aug. 1 with its National Night Out programing featuring the group Union Guns.
For more information on Wyoming’s Concerts in the Park visit wyomingcec.org.
