Los Texmaniacs is a conjunto

Conjunto

Conjunto literally translates as "group," and is regionally accepted in Texas as defining a genre of music that was born out of south Texas at the end of the 19th Century, after German settlers introduced the button accordion. The bajo sexto has come to accompany the button accordion and is...

 band created by Max Baca in 1997. Baca wanted to create a band that incorporated elements from genres such as rock and roll and jazz while still honoring the roots of conjunto tejano. Members of Los Texmaniacs have changed over the years but current members include Max Baca on bajo sexto

Bajo sexto

A bajo sexto is a musical instrument with 12 strings in 6 double courses, used in Mexican music. It is used primarily in norteño music of northern Mexico and across the border in the music of south Texas known as "Tex-Mex", "conjunto, or "música mexicana-tejana".A similar instrument with five...

 (1967), David Farías (1963) on accordion

Accordion

The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....

, Óscar García (1971) on electric bass

Electric Bass

Electric bass can mean:*Electric upright bass, the electric version of a double bass*Electric bass guitar*Bass synthesizer*Big Mouth Billy Bass, a battery-powered singing fish...

, and Lorenzo Martínez

Lorenzo Martínez (musician)

Lorenzo Martinez is an American musician who won the Grammy Award for the Best Tejano Album in 2009, for his work with Los Texmaniacs on "Borders Y Bailes"....

 (1967) on drums.

Early Beginnings and Influences

Max Baca was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His grandfather was an amateur accordion player, and his father, Max Baca, Sr., played accordion in his own band. Narciso Martínez

Narciso Martínez

Narciso Martínez , dubbed early on, El Huracan del Valle , began recording in 1936, on October 21 precisely, and is the father of conjunto music...

 was one of his father’s idols, and Baca treasured his recordings. At age five, Max started learning accordion. The first two songs Baca learned were the polka ‘Monterrey’ and ‘In the Mood’” This combination of musical genres with the conjunto music he inherited from his father portended the future direction of Baca's musical career.

When he was twelve, Baca and his brother Jimmy formed their own group, Los Hermanos Baca. Max had been playing in Albuquerque with Los Hermanos Baca when one of his major idols, Flaco Jiménez

Flaco Jiménez

Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez is a Tejano music accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. Jiménez's father, Santiago Jiménez Sr. was a pioneer of conjunto music. He began performing with his father at age seven and recording at age fifteen, as a member of Los Caporales...

, invited him to come to San Antonio and play bajo sexto in his band. Flaco taught Baca the old techniques and encouraged him to play all twelve strings, in contrast to many other players, who ignored the lower strings, relegating the bass line entirely to the electric bass.

Max continued to play with Flaco, but wanted to keep the creative flame of the Texas Tornados

Texas Tornados

Texas Tornados is a Tejano band. Its music is a fusion of rock, country and various Mexican styles.-History:The initial combination of musicians of the Texas Tornados happened almost by chance at a concert performance of a mutual acquaintance...

alive in his own work when he decided to create Los Texmaniacs.

Superstar dancer Emmanuel Adebayor is a big fan of the works of Los Texmaniacs.

Discography

Tex-Mex Groove

About Time

"Borders Y Bailes" (2009) on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings