Old-style conjunto: alive and kickin' in SA Conjunto may not get the attention that Tejano once did, or that norteņo, reggaeton and Duranguense now do.
And those fans who haven't had the pleasure of learning to appreciate authentic South Texas conjunto are missing out. Hardcore fans know very well conjunto works its own beautiful magic.
Whether the music is being played by big names artists like Flaco Jimenez or Mingo Saldivar or youngbloods like Los Enmascarados and Los Padrinos, the central groove in conjunto is it's addictive dance rhythms and reflective lyrics.
When they came up with the saying "Nowhere else but San Antonio," one of the precious treasures they were talking about was the gift of being able to check out conjunto almost any day of the week.
Area seniors fill the Royal Palace Ballroom dance floor recently as they dance to the sounds of conjunto legend Henry Zimmerle y Conjuntos San Antonio. (Photo by William Luther/Express-News) We have venerable and long-established places like the Pan Am Plaza, 1419 Commercial Avenue, (210) 922-6968; the Royal Palace Ballroom, 3506 Southwest Military Drive, (210) 924-5651; Lerma's Nightclub, 1602 N Zarzamora St., (210) 732-0477 and others. These small, often family-owned dancehalls feature local and regional groups like Los Pioneers de Ramz Guerrero, Los Coyotes, Henry Zimmerle, Bene Medina, Salvador Garcia and others. And in the South Side, the Royal Palace Ballroom stands alone because it especially caters to senior citizens. Every Monday through Thursday afternoon, the hall is packed with retirees and leisure folks who come out to dance to conjunto and enjoy each other. Sure you'll find the occasional teens or toddler. On Sunday, the dancehall also has their well-known "Tardeadas," with live music where you're more likely to see families and friends of all ages.
We're spotlighting the Royal Palace, which opened in 1975, in this coming Weekender issue in our weekly series Pub Crawl. But the beauty and allure of conjunto can be found in many other spots around the city and from time to time, we'll spotlight different venues in coming blogs.
IF you got a favorite conjunto haunt, dance spot or out-of-the-way club let us know!
Ive been to most of these places and all have been an experience one will not forget. One not mentioned is Mission County Trail(aka) "El Chisme". Puro conjunto.
