Tejano is the music of our gente. Any neighborhood you go to, you will hear some musica bumping in the streets. But Tejano music…in the Midwest? Who knew? Jr Aldaco and the Midwest All Stars is a Tejano band located in Lansing, Michigan and are proud of the musica scene they come from. We are proud of them too as they were nominated for a total of six All Star Music Awards, which was held May 28, 2021.
The nominations include:
Drummer of the Year: Carlos Aldaco
Tejano Band of the Year: Jr Aldaco and the Midwest Allstars
Song of the Year:
No Mas Contigo
Producer of the Year:
Daniel Aldaco
Male Vocalist of the Year:
Jr Aldaco
Tejano music runs in the veins of this group. With Carlos Aldaco on drums, longtime accordionist Johnny Vasquez, vocalist Amanda Cena, and Danny Aldcao as the keyboardist, producer, and all around Jack of All Trades, the banda arranges a beautiful cultural medley. With a little over four years together, the Midwest Allstars have accomplished a great number of achievements. Danny Aldaco took over the band when his father retired. Major Tejano Labels wanted to sign them, but they had to move to Texas. With their livelihoods in Michigan, it simply wasn’t feasible, but fate still had great plans for them ahead. Since then, they have been nominated for Tejano Music Awards and have had number one hits.
“To me, it’s not about the glam…it’s about getting your music out and people, you know, enjoying your music…and trying to get everyone in Michigan to get their music out too,” Danny Aldaco hopes to encourage others in the industry.
“For little girls, it’s a tough industry…male dominated. But there are women out there,” states Amanda Cena as she discussed her journey.. Once told she was “too old’ for the music industry while in her 20s, Cena is now used to singing the National Anthem at events almost 20 years later and still going strong releasing hit singles.
“Keep fighting for what you want. Follow your dreams. Never give up,” drummer and third generation musician, Carlos Aldaco advises. He would also like to thank all those who paved the way for their musica to exist, especially his late uncle Ernie Aldaco, who was their songwriter and foresaw all their success. Thanks and gratitude also goes out to Juve Aldaco Sr. who began this work in la musica in the 60s and 70s, and Jr Aldaco (also a vocalist) who could not be in attendance due to surgery.
“We took top 5 and didn’t bring an award back, but we got presented with medals for top 5 out of 6 nominations, so that’s a plus. A Blessing. I honestly wasn’t expecting anything…We took 4 top 5 medals out of 6,” Carlos Aldaco comments regarding the Third Annual All Star Music Awards.
Comunidad y Cultura do not care for borders and state lines. “We need that support too,” Johnny Vasquez states, “to keep our onda going.”
So let’s go out and support Tejano music in all the land, gente. At 90 cents a song, we can continue to support artists such as la orgullosa banda Jr Aldaco and the Midwest Allstars.
