By John Kuebler

A people’s culture is reflected in the music they create. The customs, beliefs, pain, struggles, joy and triumphs common to a culture — all of these themes are explored through a people’s music. As various outside influences impact a culture, they also affect the evolution of the culture’s musical output. When Mexico’s northern lands were confiscated by the United States in 1848, millions of people were cut off from their cultural roots and exposed to a barrage of outside influences. Although these influences affected the Mexican American identity, the people of the Southwest remained, in large connected to and shaped by Mexican culture. So did their music.

“There has been a kind of historical amnesia surrounding the Southwest,” said local artist and filmmaker Daniel Salazar, “but Chicano music has continued to flourish despite the fact that institutions didn’t nurture it. But the communities did. And because of the persistence of the artists and musicians, the music has become a part of the American narrative.”

To celebrate that persistence and to honor Mexican and Chicano tradition, El Centro Su Teatro, one of the most praised theatre complexes in Denver, will present the 10th Annual Chicano Music Festival and Auction: A Salute to Mexican Roots Music Born This Side of the Border.

“It really is the party of the year,” said El Centro Su Teatro Executive Artistic Director, Tony Garcia, who started the festival in 1997 as part of El Centro’s evolving mission to produce and promote Chicano and Latino art. “This event is carefully curated to offer an exciting and one-of-a-kind roots music festival and unique cultural experience for everyone,” Garcia said.

This year’s festival will kick off Friday, Aug. 4, with La Noche Tradicional — a celebration of traditional Southwestern music that will coincide with the induction of new members to the fourth class of the Musica de Colorado Hall of Fame; followed by Saturday’s Summer Pachanga — a wild dance party with corridos, cumbias and boleros; and ending with Mariachi Sunday on Aug. 6 — featuring some of the finest Mariachi groups in the state.

The festival also features both a live and a silent auction, with various treasures to bid on such as hotel getaways, restaurant gift certificates, Broncos and other team tickets, and many other desirables to compliment the real meat of the auction. The festival will also feature a large selection of original artwork from throughout Colorado and the Southwest.

Ultimately, however, it’s all about the music.

Although its influences are varied, and although the musicians sometimes employ the electrified sounds of keyboards and drum machines, the roots of the music are still based in such traditional Mexican forms as Ranchera, Son, and Huapango. “This is a roots festival,” Garcia said. “And Mexico is the root.”

Local singer Debra Gallegos, who is part time host of KUVO’s popular Sunday program Canción Mexicana, said, “These are songs that tell a story, though the styles vary from place to place. The Tejano style, for instance, uses accordions because of the old German polka influence. New Mexican style is a little faster, uses more guitar, and the singing is a bit more nasal. Colorado style, on the other hand, is laced more with garage band influence — rock, country, R&B. It has a much more urban sound.”

That collective sound is the music of the Southwest. It is Chicano music—the music of Aztlan. Some people know it, simply, as border music. “But the border is here,” Garcia said. “More so today, perhaps, than even 150 years ago, the border is right here.”
According to Salazar, the old rhythms and styles are constantly being reinterpreted. “The inclusion of a broader range of music these last couple of decades has enriched American culture tremendously,” he said. “It’s important, I think, for us to celebrate and encourage that ongoing dynamic. Ultimately, we are the beneficiaries, because our art forms live on. Though, like everything, they are always evolving.”

Gallegos agrees. “I’m always happy that young people are out there making music,” she said. “I prefer that we create it rather than adopt other people’s.”

Adapting other musical styles, however, has allowed Southwestern music to thrive, even though the aesthetic remains rooted in time-honored traditions. The Chicano Music Festival celebrates both the traditions and the innovations.

"The festival is probably one of the most under-appreciated cultural events in the city,” Salazar said. “But that’s kind of nice because it makes it more intimate. There’s a real sense of community closeness. And the music is incredible. I guess that does qualify it as party of the year.”

Editor’s note: The10th Annual Chicano Music Festival and Auction will be held August 4 to 6 at El Centro Su Teatro’s securely gated north playground, 4725 High St. in Denver. For more information about discount group rates and festival passes, as well as an updated band schedule, call 303-296-0219 or visit the theatre’s web site at www.suteatro.org.