BEAUMONT, Texas — Mariachi is deeply rooted in the Mexican culture and 12News spoke to a Southeast Texas mariachi group on what inspires them to celebrate their roots through music.
"It's nice to know your roots, and it's nice to know your history," said Ricardo Rodriguez, a member of Mariachi Proyecto.
Mariachi is known for quickly getting a crowd onto their feet. But in Southeast Texas, the genre is starting to heat up.
"If you do research, mariachi and music education is... it's trending right now," said Adrian Segovia, another member of Mariachi Proyecto.
A group of four local musicians banded together to create Mariachi Proyecto
"We're just some guys that got together, really wanted to just bring music, especially mariachi music, into the Southeast Texas area," Segovia said.
"We thought of it as something fun that we could do and bring back alive. I thought, why not," Rodriguez said.
Mariachi Proyecto performed this past weekend at Viva Beaumont and Segovia says its more than just playing music
"It's a lifestyle. It's really just bringing tradition, learning songs, being able to connect to a certain song...so it's a very broad style of genre of music," Segovia said.
The roots of this group are rich.
"You're representing Mexico, so you really want to do your best to represent them well. And, you know, be able to have fun with it and be able to represent and have these traditions," Segovia told 12News.
When it comes to mariachi courses, there's advantages for anyone who wants to learn.
"You can always learn a little bit of Spanish too, because there's a lot of singing in Spanish and a lot of culture to learn too within the mariachi band," said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez gave 12News insight into the instrument he plays.
"It's typically like a normal guitar, but it's missing one string. Some strings are tuned up an octave, and it gives it a very bright sound," he said.
Segovia descrived his own instrument, the guitarron.
"I play the guitarron, which is a big guitar looking thing, and that's essentially the most important part that keeps the group together," he said.
Both men are a part of a group wanting to spread the love for their heritage
"Being able to express yourself with an audience is a really great feeling that we want to bring to everyone," Segovia said.
Mariachi Proyecto performs at church events, festivals and parties all around Southeast Texas.