Music

Los Texmaniacs, a 2009 Grammy Award winner for Best Tejano Album, will rock Hong Kong audiences in November. The band’s Tex-Mex music draws on the authentic musical traditions of south Texas and near the Mexican border and infuses them with heavy doses of contemporary rock, blues, country and R&B.

Los Texmaniacs’ style of conjunto (meaning “ensemble” in Spanish) has both delighted young audiences and garnered recognition by Smithsonian Folkways, a record label dedicated to documenting and preserving American roots music. The group has recorded three critically acclaimed albums for the label, including “Borders y Bailes”, which won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album. Its live performances, as well as frequent radio and television appearances, have served a huge helping of genuine Tex-Mex culture to audiences around the world.

The Washington Post has praised the quartet for “energising the allure of South Texas conjunto music”, adding that its music is “infectious enough to get even the most sedentary crowd moving”.

Los Texmaniacs was founded in 1997 by Max Baca, a veteran member of the legendary Texas Tornados. Baca is a singer and prominent performer of the bajo sexto (a 12-string guitar-like instrument). Joining him in the show will be Josh Baca playing accordion, Noel Hernandez playing bass guitar and Cougar Estrada playing the drums.

“Los Texmaniacs” is one of the programmes of the World Cultures Festival – A Decade of Exquisite Arts. It will be held at 8pm on November 7 at the Kwai Tsing Theatre Auditorium.