Grammy-winners Los Texmaniacs will perform in a series of free concerts April 5 through 7 in the Santa Barbara region.
Presented by ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!, Los Texmaniacs, a quartet founded in 1997, is rooted in conjunto, the jalapeño-spiced polka music featuring the 12-string bajo sexto and the button accordion — a legacy of 19th-century German immigrants to the Lone Star State, ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! reported in a media release.
Winners of a 2010 Grammy for “Borders y Bailes,” Los Texmaniacs released “Texas Towns and Tex-Mex Sounds” on the Smithsonian label in 2012. A new recording by Los Texmaniacs leader Max Baca and his life-long mentor, National Heritage medalist Flaco Jimenez, called “Legends and Legacies,” is due for release in 2013. The group will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, April 5 at Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Isla Vista, (805-893-5037); 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at Guadalupe City Hall, 918 Obispo St., Guadalupe, (805-343-2939) and 7 p.m. Sunday, April 7 at Santa Barbara Jr. High Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara, (805-884-4087, ext. 7).
A free conjunto music and dance workshop will be presented from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4 at La Cumbre Jr. High, 2255 Modoc Road, Santa Barbara.
¡Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara! to present Los Texmaniacs in classes, free performances in Santa Barbara region, April 4-7. Courtesy photo.