If he’s in front of a crowd, Johnny Joe Gutierrez puts on a bit more of a show when he plays his accordion.
He’ll tap his booted feet, first one side then the other, in rhythm with the music. He puffs out his chest and cranes out his neck over the rim of a starched shirt, flashing a grin at the audience that gets a little more confident each year.
Gutierrez looks proud as a peacock, bobbing his head under his Stetson while his fingers fly across the buttons of his Hohner.
If he’s not playing for a crowd, Gutierrez falls into a bit of a trance. Sometimes he’ll look down at the buttons; usually he just stares out into space, at nothing.
If you peer under the rim of his Stetson you won’t see that toothy grin anymore. Sometimes he’ll smile, half-heartedly, if he notices somebody noticing him. Usually, though, you’ll see his mouth working itself into frowns and grimaces, an indication that behind that thousand-yard stare is a teenager willing himself to play faster, better, harder.
“I like myself a challenge,” he said. “I like more competition; I’m a very competitive person.”
Gutierrez isn’t the only Rio Grande Valley accordionist who likes a challenge.
He and three other Valley kids are once again finalists in Texas Folklife’s Big Squeeze accordion competition, which will be streamed on Facebook on Saturday afternoon.
Gutierrez is up against one other 17-year-old finalist from Farmersville in the 17-21 conjunto category. Roberto Flores of Peñitas, Ashly Nicole Molina of Roma and Galilea Paz of Roma will be competing as finalists in the 16 and under conjunto category.
Each of the Valley candidates has their own history with the kind of music they’ve made their passion.
Gutierrez, the consummate showman, comes from a family of accordionists. He learned how to play polkas before he was 10, sitting with his dad and his dad’s friends out at the ranch.
Flores, quiet and reserved, comes from a family of musicians. He’s been teaching himself how to play accordion by watching YouTube videos on his phone the past three years.
Molina and Paz, friends, both learned how to play from teachers at school. Paz remembers taking mariachi classes her freshman year in high school and hearing music drifting down the hall from the conjunto class.
“Then one day I went to check it out and asked if they could play me a song,” she said. “And then I heard more of the accordion, and I was so interested, I was like: ‘I want to give it a shot.’ So I turned out to be a fast learner and I actually got out of mariachi and got into conjunto, and it was one of the best choices of my life.”
Despite their differences, this year’s finalists have one major thing in common: passion.
“I don’t know how you say it in English, but in Spanish it’s ‘oído pa la musica,’ and it’s something that the music is inside of me,” Paz said. “Everytime I play the accordion I feel it, and it’s something I like to show to the people everytime I play in front of them.”
That passion isn’t uncommon for Valley conjunto artists.
“The accordion here in the Valley, you can link it to quinceaneras, concerts, weddings, radio, TV. For us, you can link it to your family,” Juan Longoria Jr., a conjunto instructor at Los Fresnos High School, said. “That’s a question I ask many of my students, ‘Why did you join conjunto here at school?’ And I would say a good 85% of them, a solid 85% or 90% say they want to learn because it reminds them of their parents or their grandparents.”
Fifteen years ago Longoria was in this year’s competitors’ shoes, competing in the first rendition of the Big Squeeze.
Like most of his students, Longoria learned how to play because accordion music is in his blood. He remembers practicing in his family’s living room in Brownsville until his mother got tired of hearing him play the same song over and over again and suggested he practice outside.
Longoria went out under an ash tree in the backyard and practiced there. It paid off; he wound up winning that first Big Squeeze.
The opportunity this year’s Valley competitors have to do the same can be huge for a budding musician, Longoria said.
“For some of these kiddos, they’re very limited to showcase their talent, other than maybe posting something on YouTube or TikTok, whatever’s out there nowadays,” he said. “It can give them an opportunity to showcase their abilities, their talent. They may not be playing in the band, they may not be playing where someone can see them. This competition gives them an opportunity to showcase that talent.”
Four out of the six players that made it to the finals in the conjunto category are from the Valley. Longoria said that’s no surprise. It’s in their blood.
“All these kiddos that are winning and making semi-finals, they’ve been listening to this music since they were in Pampers,” he said. “Not necessarily because their parents played or their uncles played, but because of all the weddings and quinceaneras their parents took them to. It sticks with them.”
To listen to that heritage and see who wins, check out the competition at 3 p.m. Saturday at http://www.facebook.com/texasfolklife.
Each of the Valley candidates has their own history with the kind of music they’ve made their passion. Check out each accordionist’s Q&A below.
Johnny Joe Gutierrez
Who taught you to play the accordion?
My dad bought me my first accordion when I was around eight years old, and he would always take me to the ranch with his friends, and that’s where I told him ‘Hey, I want to learn how to play the accordion more.’ At first he thought I was playing, because I used to listen to rap music a lot, I wasn’t listening to anything conjunto, and he would laugh at me at first. But then he taught me how to play my first polka, and that’s how I started.
What do you feel when you’re playing?
It’s awesome. To me, it feels like that’s my release. Everytime it feels like I’m stressing out I just start playing when I’m here at home. It’s something I enjoy doing, it’s not just a hobby or something, it’s something I really enjoy doing. Something that I love.
How does it feel to be a finalist in this year’s Big Squeeze?
It’s a little nerve-wracking to be here once again, because this year is actually my last year, since I’m a senior this year. This is probably the last time I’m gonna be trying it, and it’s really nerve-wracking for me. This is it. Either you bring it home or — well, it was a fun ride these last four years.
What sets you apart from other accordionists?
I’d say what makes me different is that I don’t see this as a job. I’ve met so many accordion players that we go hang out and no, they don’t want to play. They see it as a job, or something they have to do. To me, I see this as something I always do. My friends call me up and say ‘Hey, let’s go play over here,’ and I do it, and I do it with joy. I enjoy doing it. It’s not something that I feel I have to do. It’s just something that I love doing, like I said.
What’s your favorite song to play?
My favorite song is actually JB’s favorite, and I actually did that song in the finals last year. Why is it my favorite song to play? Because that’s the song I’ve taken the most time and taken the longest to learn how to play.I took like a month and a half, two months to learn that song, and to this day I have my little struggles with it. And I keep on playing it to this day so I can get it perfect, because it’s really hard for me.
Galilea Paz
Who taught you to play the accordion?
My directors, Jaime and Jesus Lozano. My first year in high school freshman year I was in mariachi and the mariachi room is like right next to the conjunto room, so I would hear their music. Then one day I went to check it out and asked if they could play me a song. And then I heard more of the accordion, and I was so interested, I was like ‘I want to give it a shot.’ So I turned out to be a fast learner and I actually got out of mariachi and got into conjunto, and it was one of the best choices of my life.
What do you feel when you’re playing?
It feels great, like it gets me in a good mood, a happy mood. It’s just such a great vibe that you get. I fell in love with the accordion, the more I play it the more I want to learn more about it and I feel more attached to it. It’s something where if I’m feeling down I just get it and it makes my whole day better.
How does it feel to be a finalist in this year’s Big Squeeze?
It’s a great feeling, if something I can’t really explain. Actually last year I tried out for the Big Squeeze and I didn’t even make it to the semi-finalist category. For this year, I was like ‘I need to try harder.’
What sets you apart from other accordionists?
I think it’s the dedication and passion that I place into my accordion, because everytime that I play the accordion I like to transmit what I feel to other people. I’m not sure if others do the same or if they feel the same, but I feel like that’s something that I have that others don’t
What’s your favorite song to play?
I like playing huapangos. I like them because they’re very hyped up, and a lot of people, the majority of them know how to dance huapangos the most. Because it’s something that whenever you’re in a party they just play a huapango and it brings the party to a whole nother level, and everyone just starts vibing together and dancing.
Ashly Nicole Molina
Who taught you to play the accordion?
I learned how to play in the conjunto program at school. I liked it cause I could play a lot of my childhood songs that I’d hear growing up, that my parents would play. Like in the tejano genre.
What do you feel when you’re playing?
At first I feel pretty happy that I’m learning a new song. And once I get the hang of it I feel pretty proud that I know how to play, and that I got it right away.
How does it feel to be a finalist in this year’s Big Squeeze?
It feels pretty exciting. Last year was my first year and I only made it to semi-finals, so I really didn’t know how it was going to work or what to expect. And this year I put a lot of hard work and dedication into this competition, and for me to be a finalist is just a great accomplishment that I’m really proud of.
What sets you apart from other accordionists?
One thing is that not many women play the accordion. There’s very few that I know that they play the accordion. It feels like a pleasure, playing as a woman. Not many women play or get recognized, so it’s pretty special
What’s your favorite song to play?
I really like this polka called Oralia that I competed with last year. It really liked how I played it. To learn how to play, right now it is a cumbia that Secretto made a cover of. I really like the cumbia, how they perform it and all
Roberto Flores
Who taught you to play the accordion?
“I’ve been playing it three years. I haven’t had a teacher. I’ve been teaching myself,” says Roberto Flores of Penitas, a 16-year-old who learned how to play the instrument by watching YouTube videos on his phone. “My family, they’re musicians. My brother also plays the accordion, my dad sings and play bass and my uncle too. They’re part of a conjunto called Los Cuatro del Norte. They’ve been playing for some time.”
What do you feel when you’re playing?
“I enjoy it a lot because I enjoy music a lot. It puts me in a good mood.”
How does it feel to be a finalist in this year’s Big Squeeze?
“I’m very happy about being a finalist. My parents cheer me on.”
What sets you apart from other accordionists?
“I don’t know. I guess it flows through my veins.”
What’s your favorite song to play?
“I really enjoy playing las redovas — they’re like polkas.”
