Mark Guerrero Band
Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán

Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán Tucson 2002 Video
56k || 256k

     In 2002, for the first time in over 10 years, I put together a band to perform my original material.  It's  called Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán, a nine-piece band which at its inception included the following musicians:  Mark Guerrero, lead vocals and rhythm and lead guitar; Ron Reyes, lead guitar; Leo Valenzuela, bass; Alex Armstrong, acoustic guitar and harmonies; Tim Jones, keyboards; Steve Alaniz or Al Lopez, sax and flute; Bobby Dominguez, drums; Johnny Guerrero, timbales; and Aaron Guerrero Routtenberg, congas.  In the ensuing years other musicians have participated including Manuel Valdez, formerly of Los Illegals, on lead guitar; Karl Carrasco on keyboards, and Willie Loya on congas.  The band has performed from four- piece on up to nine- piece depending on the situation.  In 2008, I played several shows with a different lineup and decided to simply call it the Mark Guerrero Band.  Radio Aztlán can still be resurrected if the opportunity for that arises.  Both bands play Mark Guerrero originals, along with some Lalo Guerrero songs.  Below and on the following page are highlights from the history of Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán and the Mark Guerrero Band.

The Music

     The focus of the band's music are rock and Chicano oriented songs I've written over the years from the early 70s to the present. The formula I'm using also includes two songs a set written by my Dad, legendary Chicano singer/songwriter, Lalo Guerrero.  The reason I do this is threefold.  The songs are great, they fit in perfectly with mine, and it gives me the opportunity to carry on his musical legacy.  The songs in our current repertoire include the following songs:

  1. Radio Aztlán
  2. The Streets of East L.A.
  3. Pre-Columbian Dream
  4. Zoot Suit
  5. Orale!
  6. Los Chucos Suaves (Lalo Guerrero)
  7. Oh Maria
  8. On the Boulevard
  9. The Great Mango
10. Tin Marin de do Pingue (Lalo Guerrero)
11. Room for the Latin (In Rock & Roll)
12. Mihijito
13. Latin Quarter
14. Face & Heart
15. Whitewash
16. Me Gusta El Cha Cha Cha (Lalo Guerrero)
17. Mexican Moon
18. Rosalie
19. Muy Sabroso Blues (Lalo Guerrero)
20. Ay Yi Yi Yi (Nobody Told Me)
21. I'm Brown
22. The Quest for Love
23. If I Could Touch Your Life
24. Rock & Roll Queen
25. Rockin' Like There's No Tomorrow

Past Concerts

     Below are concerts by Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán and the Mark Guerrero Band.  (During this time frame Mark Guerrero did solo concerts, lecture/concerts at universities and museums, and concerts as a member or guest with other artists such as Frankie Garcia's Cannibal & the Headhunters, Redbone, Yaqui, and El Chicano.)

The Galaxy Theater- Santa Ana, California (July 20, 2002)
The Hop- Puente Hills, California (September 22, 2002)
La Placita Village- Tucson, Arizona (October 6, 2002)
Tucson Convention Center- Tucson, Arizona (March 1, 2003)
The Autry Museum of Western Heritage- Los Angeles, California (May 18, 2003)
John Anson Ford Amphitheater- Hollywood, California (October 4, 2003)
Arrowhead Credit Union Park- San Bernardino, California (November 1, 2003)
Autry National Museum- Los Angeles, California (September 18, 2004)
The John Anson Ford Amphitheater- Hollywood, California (October 16, 2004)
Grand Ballroom of the Kodak Theatre- Hollywood, California (November 5, 2004)
Dodge Theater- Phoenix, Arizona (April 17, 2005)
Fox Tucson Theater- Tucson, Arizona (March 3, 2006)
Universalist Unitarian Church- Riverside, California (June 3, 2006)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art- Los Angeles, California (June 24, 2006)
Charles F. Lummis Home and Garden- Highland Park, California (August 19, 2006)
Mr. Duran Show- Hacienda Heights, California- Adelphia Cable TV (March 11, 2008)
Pima Community College- Tucson, Arizona (March 18, 2008)
The Million Dollar Theater- Los Angeles, California (October 9, 2008)
Fiesta Days, O'Donnell Golf Club- Palm Springs, California (September 18, 2010)

Past Concerts
(stories, photos, flyers)

Palm Springs Fiesta Days: a Celebration of Latino Culture & Heritage
O'Donnell Golf Club
Palm Springs, California
September 18, 2010

     Concerts took place on Saturday and Sunday, September 18th and 19th, 2010 at the O'Donnell Golf Club in Palm Springs, CA.. 4 pm to 10 pm.  The musical lineup included:  On Saturday, September 18th- Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, Los Fabulocos featuring Kid Ramos, Mark Guerrero, Frankie Garcia's Cannibal & the Headhunters, El Chicano, and Tierra.  On Sunday, September 19th- Mariachi Serenata, The Blazers, Lala, MC Magic, Quetzal, and Malo featuring Jorge Santana.  See flyer below:
 

Video of Mark performing "I'm Brown" at Palm Springs Fiesta Days
 

     On October 9, 2008 there was a premiere of the documentary "Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East L.A," which aired on PBS in 2009 and beyond.  Before the screening there was a "live" show featuring Pachuco Jose y Los Diamantes, Mark Guerrero, Rudy & Steve Salas of Tierra, and the Frankie Garcia's Cannibal & the Headhunters Band.

Video of Mark performing "Los Chucos Suaves" at the Million Dollar Theater
 

Pima Community College
Tucson, Arizona
March 18, 2008

     On Tuesday, March 18th at 11 a.m., Mark Guerrero & Band performed at Pima Community College for LULAC's 19th Annual Leadership Conference.  Mark was backed by the Cannibal & the Headhunters Band: Ronnie Reyes, guitar; Karl Carrasco, keyboard; Art Sanchez, bass: and Robert Zapata, drums.  Mark was on lead vocals, guitar and keyboard.
 

Video of Mark performing "The Streets of East L.A." at the Pima Community College
 

Lummis House
Highland Park, California
August 19, 2006

    On August 19th, 2006, Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán performed at the historic Charles F. Lummis Home and Garden in Highland Park, California.  We performed one set for the Los Angeles Historical Society.  The event was to raise funds for its programs, which include an effort to save the hundred year old classic Victorian home.  It was by invitation only from the Historical society.  Charles Fletcher Lummis was a man of many talents, who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  He was a Native American rights activist, writer, City Librarian, translator, and ethnographer.  He was knighted by the king of Spain for his writings on Spain in America.  He also founded the Southwest Museum in Highland Park, which beautifully displays Native American artifacts of various tribes.  We performed as a six-piece band.  The band members who backed me were Ron Reyes on guitar, Karl Carrasco on keyboard, Leo Valenzuela on bass, Bobby Dominguez on drums, and Johnny Guerrero on congas and timbales.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles, California
June 24, 2006

     On June 24th, 2006, Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán performed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).  The concert was outdoors in the park and was part of a summer concert series called "Latin Sounds."  The series launched in conjunction with LACMA`s Latin American Art Initiative, Latin Sounds offers free eclectic music from various regions throughout Latin America. LACMA`s Latin American Art Initiative was established, in collaboration with the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC), to create a greater understanding of Chicano and Latino arts and cultures for the wider public through varied programs at the museum.  The concert went extremely well.  The band played great and I was in good voice.  The turnout was very good and included my former producer from my days with A&M Records, Joe Wissert.  Joe, who also produced albums by artists such as Earth, Wind, and Fire, Gordon Lightfoot, Boz Scaggs, and The Turtles, showed up and surprised me.  I hadn't seen him since 1973.  Other fellow musicians and friends also came out to the concert.  We did two sets of my music, with two Lalo Guerrero songs per set.

Universalist Unitarian Church
Riverside, California
June 3, 2006

     On June 3, 2006, Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán played at the Universalist Unitarian Church in  Riverside, California, June 3, 2006 for a benefit for poet/ writer/educator, Alfredo Arteaga, who is soon to undergo heart surgery.  Alfredo teaches Chicano studies courses at U.C. Berkeley.  Mark spoke about Chicano music at one of his classes in April of 2005.

Fox Tucson Theater
Tucson, Arizona
March 3, 2006

     On Friday, March 3, 2006, Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán, performed at the Fox Tucson Theater for a tribute to my late father, Lalo Guerrero.  The event was called "Homenaje:  La Vida de Lalo Guerrero and included musical artists performing Lalo Guerrero songs and people talking about Lalo.  Performers were Olga Guzman-Flores and Trio Los Galanes, Ramirez, Ronstadt and The Santa Cruz River Band, Teatro Orgullo, and the young mariachi, Los Changuitos Feos.  The master of ceremonies was Tucson journalist and radio host, Neto Portillo.  Speakers included Tucson journalist Dan Buckley, author Patricia Preciado Martin, and my brother, Dan Guerrero.  I had a slimmed down version of my band, four piece, instead of the usual nine.  We performed three of my dad's songs, "Los Chucos Suaves, " "Muy Sabroso Blues," and "Tin Marin de do Pingue."  The full house enjoyed the heartfelt presentations of all the artists and speakers.
 

Dodge Theater
Phoenix, Arizona
April 17, 2005

     On Sunday, April 17, 2005, Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán performed at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona.  It's a state of the art theater with a seating capacity of 5,500 people.  The occasion was the first annual Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame (AMEHOF) induction ceremony.  The twenty one inductees included Glen Campbell, Jessi Colter, Dyke and the Blazers (of "Funky Funky Broadway" fame), and posthumously Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins, and my dad, Lalo Guerrero.  I performed two of my dad's songs with a trimmed-down version of my 9-piece band.  For this occasion I had a 5-piece band, which included Bobby Dominguez on drums, Leo Valenzuela on bass, Steve Alaniz on tenor sax, and local Phoenix musician Ralphy Chaverria on grand piano.  Ralphy did a superb job.  We did "Los Chucos Suaves" and "Tin Marin de do Pingue" to great response.  It was a particularly emotional performance since my dad had passed away only a month prior to the event.  My brother Dan and I received the award on behalf of my dad after the screening of a brilliant two minute video of my dad's life and career put together by my brother.  The musical lineup was as culturally diverse as Arizona itself, with country western, soul, and Latin artists performing.  The brotherhood between the artists was tremendous.  Goth rock pioneer and legend Alice Cooper was also in attendance and participated in an induction, which added a surreal element to the festivities.  The finale was a reprise of "Funky Funky Broadway" by Dyke and the Blazers with me, Leo, and many others joining in.  Visit the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame website at www.azmusichalloffame.org.
 

Program Below

Grand Ballroom of the Kodak Theatre
Hollywood, California
November 5, 2004

     On Friday, November 5, 2004, Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán performed at the Grand Ballroom of the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA.  The occasion was the MALDEF 30th annual Los Angeles Gala.  MALDEF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and promote the civil rights of more than 40 million Latinos living in the United States.  The event was hosted by comedian Richard Montoya, a member of the comedy trio Culture Clash.  Also performing was 18 year old vocalist, Georgina Concepcion.  She has a multi-octave range and is rightfully known as "The Girl with the Golden Voice."  Awards were also given, most notably a posthumous Lifetime achievement award to journalist Frank Del Olmo.

The John Anson Ford Amphitheater
Hollywood, California
October 16, 2004

     On Saturday, October 16, 2004, Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán performed at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood, CA.  Also on the bill were El Chicano, Mi Tierra Dance Company, and Quetzal Guerrero (no relation).  It was a "Day of the Dead Celebration" produced by Rodri Entertainment.  We played a 45 minute set, which included a new song I wrote for the "Day of the Dead" theme of the occasion, entitled "Dia de Los Muertos."  Also among the 13-song set was "Face & Heart," which is a song we played "live" for only the second time.  It's one of my early songs about the Aztecs, which also touches on the theme of the concert.  It was one of the best shows we've ever done and the audience response was tremendous.  Unfortunately, after we finished our set it started to rain very hard and El Chicano was unable to perform.  See ad below.
       

Video of Mark performing "Pre-Columbian Dream" at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater
 

Autry National Museum
Griffith Park- Los Angeles, California
September 18, 2004

     On Saturday, September 18, 2004, Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán performed in the plaza of the Autry National Museum at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, CA.  Also on the bill were Lalo Guerrero, Quetzal, an all female jarocho group called Candela, with the all student group Son del Centro.  The event was called "Si Se Puede! Dance, Sing, Empower:  The Chicano Music Scene."  Artists, poets, and writers were also included, as well as booths and displays containing memorabilia, history, and information.  It was an excellent show on a beautiful L.A. night, with a great audience who loved the music and reveled in the spirit of the occasion.
 

Go to next Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán page