About Me
Combine a hefty helping of Tex Mex conjunto, simmer with several parts Texas rock, add a daring dash of well-cured blues and R&B riffs, and you’ve cooked up the tasty TexManiacs groove. Not to say that this group’s sound is for musical gourmets only…no way or, better yet, eso no! These guys – Max Baca on bajo sexto, and David Farias on accordion – feed the masses, but with only the best in musical fare.Founded by Max Baca, the TexManiacs are a product of his wide-ranging experience working and recording with everyone from his father’s family conjunto to Doug Sahm’s Texas Tornados to the Rolling Stones. Despite his youth, Max is a legend on the bajo sexto, a twelve string guitar-like instrument, which customarily provides rhythm accompaniment for the button accordion, thus creating the core of the conjunto sound.
On the bajo, Max does all that and way, way more, using the instrument to push the TexManiacs sound to another level of vibrancy altogether. His many sojourns as a sideman has resulted in an impressive international touring schedule, many national television appearances and plenty of awards, including participation in three albums receiving Grammys.At the age of eight David Farias began playing in a band with his brothers. By the time he was thirteen years old, he was fronting the band as accordion player and lead singer. Over the course of 34 years, the group morphed from Los Hermanos Farias to La Tropa F, signaling the change from a downhome family band to a high-fueled and highly popular (though still family-based) Tejano act.†Over the years, La Tropa F recorded with WEA-Latina, EMI-Latin, Fonovisa, Hacienda Records and Freddy-Records.†For the last fifteen years the group has been a favorite of award shows and programs and most recently David was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2004 and 2005.Like a great salsa. this threesome mixes the simplest yet finest ingredients of Texas music to create a sound solidly rooted in tradition but exploding with contemporary vitality. Their first CD, A Tex Mex Groove, contains a wide sampling but a unity of musical focus that is characteristic of the group. It also hosts a legendary line-up of guest artists, such as Flaco Jimenez, Augie Meyers, Ruben Ramos and members of Los Lobos, who share the TexManiac take. So don’t just stay for supper, stick around for dessert.
