AUSTIN, TX – After two full years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Austin-based nonprofit organization Ranch Alegre announced its return to live music events with the 2022 Rancho Alegre Conjunto Music Festival, scheduled for Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1. The event is free admission and all ages are welcome.
Rancho Alegre Executive Director Baldomero “Frank” Cuellar stated, “We are really excited to be back. We had to be a lot more careful than other events when it came to COVID-19. We had to look out for our audience, our musicians, and our staff, who tend to be a little older than the average festival-goer. Plus, personally, I just survived a kidney transplant two years ago, and my donor is our festival coordinator Piper LeMoine, so our safety was our priority. This year’s festival takes place at three world-class outdoor venues in three different areas of town and we can’t wait to bring three days of accordion madness to the music lovers here in Austin.”
As in previous years, the organization has sought out and secured some of Austin’s best live music venues to host its presentations of traditional accordion-driven Texas music with great results. The festival begins Friday, April 29 at Central Machine Works in East Austin, continues Saturday, April 30 at The Far Out Lounge in South Austin, and wraps up Sunday, May 1st at the legendary Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater in downtown Austin.
The Rancho Alegre lineups have always been diverse and have featured talent from all over the state who don’t usually get a shot to play in Austin or at bigger festivals. This year’s lineup is no exception. The festival’s headliners include 2022 Texas State Musician and past NEA National Heritage Fellow Eva Ybarra on Friday, the six-accordion powerhouse Conjunto Puro Corazon on Saturday, and ends in grand fashion with Tejano legend Johnny Hernandez sitting in for a special Conjunto set with Los Cucuys de Rodney Rodriguez on Sunday night.
Friday April 29 – Central Machine Works (4824 E Cesar Chavez) – 7 to 10pm:
- Conjunto Los Pinkys (Austin)
- Mark Weber y Los Cuernos (San Antonio)
- Eva Ybarra y Conjunto Siempre (San Antonio)
Saturday April 30 – The Far Out Lounge (8504 S Congress) – 6:30 to 11:30pm:
- Joe Mercado y Los Cuatro Texas Exitos (Lockhart)
- Joe Zimmerle y Su Conjunto featuring Brenda Martinez (San Antonio)
- Los Texas Wranglers (Austin)
- David Martinez y Su Conjunto X (Santa Rosa)
- Conjunto Puro Corazon (San Antonio)
Sunday May 1 – Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater (801 Red River St) – 3 to 10pm:
- Roger Arocha y Su Conjunto (San Antonio)
- Cecilia and The Broken Hearts (Austin)
- Conjunto Baraja de Oro (Waxahachie)
- Chano Cadena y Su Conjunto (Alice)
- Ernesto Cadena y Conjunto Impulso featuring Ernesto Cadena Sr (San Diego, TX)
- Rene Joslin y Los Favoritos (Alice)
- Johnny Degollado y JJ Barrera (Austin)
- Gilberto Perez Jr y Su Conjunto (Harlingen)
- Los Cucuys de Rodney Rodriguez (Rio Grande City) featuring special Tejano guest Johnny Hernandez (Modesto, CA)
Sunday will also feature Austin’s own Ted Branson and Conjunto singer Leti Urbina Chapa as emcees as well as special honors for various individuals involved with Conjunto music, vendors, and food. The lineup may be subject to change, without notice.
The Rancho Alegre Conjunto Music Festival is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, the Texas Commission on the Arts, Lovemytejano.com, Fern Landscapes, Tex Tune Automotive, Austin Manual Therapy Associates, Texas Folklife, JF Mechanical, Gottfried Alexander Law Firm, and Gonzalo Rodriguez Quality Home Building and Maintenance. Production partners include Compadresmusic, Full Gallop, and GA Productions.
About Rancho Alegre
Rancho Alegre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Conjunto music. Projects include digitizing analog recordings, interviewing legendary and up-and-coming artists, maintaining and constructing a historical record of Tejano and Conjunto music, connecting artists with professional and business services and resources, and presenting the annual Rancho Alegre Conjunto Music Festival and various events throughout the year. Further information about the organization’s year-round projects is available at ranchoalegre.org or the free Rancho Alegre mobile app.
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