Spurred on by los gritos, Eddie Reyes leads Grupo Destino through an evening of Tejano, R&B, country and rock at Santo Coyote.
Details:
Grupo Destino plays this Saturday evening from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Santo Coyote in Kerrville. The club is located just inside IH-10 next to the Sunday House. Call 830-895-4267 or 377-9707 for information about Grupo Destino.
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Grupo Destino
by Phil Houseal
November 28, 2007
So you want to hear Tejano music in the hill country. Where do you go and who do you listen to? Just follow the sound of el grito.
This Saturday night - and about once every month - you can go to Santo Coyote and hear Grupo Destino.
Santo Coyote is a relatively new club located at the Sunday House on the edge of Kerrville.
Grupo Destino is a new hill country-based band made up of Eddie Reyes, Edward Uballe on drums, Gilbert Davila on guitar, Raul Guerrero on accordion and keyboard, and Agapito Cruz on bass.
And el grito?
"It is a yell that derives from Old Mexico," lead singer Reyes explained. "It is an expression of joy! Someone does it in response to a song, then another person has to outdo them by making it louder or longer."
There are plenty of los gritos when Grupo Destino performs. The band considers itself Tejano. But anyone familiar with Tejano music realizes it is more mezcla than pura.
The roots of Tejano are planted in south Texas, but the genre pulled musical ideas from the Anglos, African-Americans, Italians and Germans. It was the German immigrants in fact who brought the brassy boom of the accordion, which now creates the distinctive sound of Tejano, Cajun, and Zydeco.
"People from my era who grew up in south Texas didn't listen strictly to Tejano," Reyes explained. "There was a lot of R&B back in those days. I used to listen to rock and roll and country, too."
So that's what Grupo Destino plays.
"We don't play a certain music to attract a particular type of people," he explained. "We just happen to enjoy playing that kind of music."
Grupo Destino has been together only a few months, but all members are seasoned performers. Reyes grew up in a musical family in Rocksprings.
"My dad was a musician all his life," Reyes said. "He had his own orchestra - a big band. I still remember they had the cardboard music stands and the big brass section."
But having a band is only half the equation. A band needs a place to play, and there are not many local venues for this style of music.
"Ten years ago we used to draw really good crowds everywhere," Reyes remembered of other bands he performed with. "But here, like in San Antonio, there are not as many clubs as there used to be. The industry slowed down, and our style of music took a back seat."
But Reyes senses signs of Tejano making a comeback.
"We see a lot more activity. I hope it does... that's our roots."
In the meantime, what matters is that the folks who do come out have a good time.
"They will definitely get a high tempo, upbeat, energetic, flowing type of evening," Reyes said of his show. "It's a place to have good fun, dance, and let off steam. I am not a comedian, but I personally work hard to get the crowd involved. People love that. If you can get people to smile, you know they are having a good time!"
And by the sound of el grito.
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