{"id":14935,"date":"2025-04-12T16:50:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T21:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/?p=14935"},"modified":"2025-04-12T16:50:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T21:50:39","slug":"from-sombreros-to-striped-shirts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/2025\/04\/12\/from-sombreros-to-striped-shirts\/","title":{"rendered":"From Sombreros to Striped Shirts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

[Note: The header graphic was generated at my request by AI; the words that follow are all mine. Sorry about that.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the attractions that led Debbie and me to retire in the Texas Hill Country is the wide variety of live music that we have continuous access to. Of course, alert Gazette readers know that we’re always on the lookout for dancing opportunities, but we’re also happy — or at least willing — to sit and listen in a concert setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last weekend, we experienced a bit of musical whiplash as we attended two shows that featured music that landed squarely at the opposite ends of the musical spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Saturday night, we drove about twenty miles to Spicewood Vineyards<\/a> where the Spicewood Arts Society<\/a>‘s penultimate concert of its 2024-2025 season featured a performance by Patricia Vonne<\/strong> (with David Perales<\/strong>) and another by Del Castillo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the following afternoon, we listened to the reconstituted version of the folk\/pop legends, the Kingston Trio<\/strong>. This sold-out concert was a project of the Horseshoe Bay Cultural Enrichment Society<\/a>, and our drive to the venue was less than five miles, always a plus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for my take on each of these performances…<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Patricia Vonne<\/a> (with David Perales) — Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Filmmaker, Condessa of Castanets<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Photo:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reading Vonne’s bio on IMDB.com<\/a> is like drinking from a firehose, a seemingly endless list of awards and achievements, almost none of which relate to her musical skills. (I suppose that’s understandable given that IMDB is, well, a movie-centric website). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vonne (n\u00e9e Rodriguez) is a native of San Antonio, spending eleven years in New York City before returning to Texas around 2001. She’s the sister of Austin-based filmmaker Robert Rodriguez<\/a> (Spy Kids<\/em>, Sin City<\/em>, Desperado<\/em>, From Dusk to Dawn<\/em>, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accompanying Vonne was the accomplished violinista<\/em>, David Perales<\/a>. Perales, also based in Austin, is something of a ghost on the internet; if he has a website or a presence on social media, I couldn’t locate them…but that apparently hasn’t prevented him from being in high demand, and he certainly added another dimension to Vonne’s sometimes high energy\/sometimes sensuous vocals and guitar playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo:
Patricia Vonne and David Perales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I mentioned castanets in the heading above. At one point, Vonne exchanged her guitar for castanets, and invited Rick del Castillo to join her and Perales on the stage. Rick is the co-founder, along with his brother Mark, of Del Castillo, the band that would perform later in the evening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo:
(l-r) Rick del Castillo, Patricia Vonne, David Perales<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now, I’m far from being a castanet expert but I’d have to say that Patricia Vonne has some of fastest fingers in the world. In any event, they were too fast for my phone’s camera. Fortunately, someone else in the audience that night was better equipped. The following video showcases her performance of Traeme Paz<\/em> (“Bring Me Peace”). This song was featured in Robert Rodriguez’s movie, Once Upon a Time in Mexico<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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