Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
With Mexico and the Caribbean so near, San Antonio is the crossroads of many kinds of music. One of the city’s stand-out live performers is Alvaro Del Norte. Del Norte built a pair of different bands gleaned from his years at busking on street corners, playing the big stages and touring Europe fronting the band Piñata Protest.
“Grupo Tan Tan is a side band to Piñata Protest. And what we do is basically play all the Texas favorite songs that we grew up listening to, a lot of the stuff that normally you would hear playing during Fiesta all around town.”
Grupo Tan Tan is playing Friday night at Sancho’s Cantina, and he promises a diverse mix of music.
“Yes, definitely. We do get mix some slower stuff in there, some boleros, some sad songs in there. You know, everything that people like to listen to.
Del Norte is one of the city’s standout performers and his band Piñata Protest mixes conjunto music with punk. Grupo Tan Tan has also been his vehicle into other genres of music.
“We play covers of these songs that, you know, everybody is familiar with. We also do, like, a lot of private events as well. That's a pretty big thing for us,” Del Norte said.
He also noted that his band Piñata Protest has a very narrow focus — but not Grupo Tan Tan, which he says plays a wide variety besides conjunto.
“Country, we got even a little bit of zydeco. We started doing more oldies as well,” he said. “People really like oldies around here. So, yeah, we're doing a little bit of everything.”
They’re playing at Sancho’s Cantina on Friday night.
The location of their performance will be determined by weather.
“We're usually going to be outside on the side patio, if the weather's nice, which it usually is. But it gets cold, we do play inside,” Del Norte said.
