A Latin Music Riot in San Antonio
Paper Tiger became a midweek hub of Latin music experimentation last Wednesday night, as artists from both sides of the border converged for two distinct but equally vibrant showcases under one roof
The main stage opened with Los Juanos, whose genre-blurring set wove together Tejano, norteño, cumbia, and indie rock.
Over on the side stage, a separate showcase curated by Resound amplified the night’s spirit of Latin music exploration. Vintage Pictures brought their emo-cumbia fusion to life, followed by Sgt. Papers with their gritty brand of desert punk, and Tropa Magica, who closed the side stage with a burst of psych-fuzz energy.
Capping off the night on the main stage was Son Rompe Pera, the marimba-punk phenoms from Naucalpan, Mexico, who turned the main stage into a full-blown cumbia-punk riot. Their marriage of folkloric tradition and punk tenacity broke out in collective catharsis , as cumbia dance circles spun to the pulse of their marimba riffs.
In a city where genres blur as easily as borders, the St. Mary’s strip bore witness to a night that celebrated culture, community, and the beautiful dismantling of musical borders between neighboring countries.
