Gina Chavez is a Texan pop folk singer who is part of the generation of Mexican-Americans who are fully bilingual and float naturally between U.S. and Mexican popular culture.
There are no borders for this generation. We are just in the flow. Blues, folk, rock, ranchera and cumbia are all good. We make a delicious guacamole out of it all. Having two hearts and two brains seems to be our superpower.
Gina probably fits into Nacional Record’s Latin Alternative concept. But really you can’t define us, because we just define ourselves.
Whatever Chavez is, she is a lot of fun and makes a great party. Maybe it’s because she is from Austin, the legendary Texas party town and “Live Music Capital of the World.” She is an eight-time Austin Music Award winner.
At 2am in Austin, the police sweep the row of bars along Sixth Street on horseback to get all the party people to go home. They’re cool, but you don’t mess with Texas rangers on horseback.
In Austin, April 2 is officially “Gina Chavez Day.”
In Spanglish, Englanish or any other language, love conquers all. Gina’s love is conquering the world, paso-a-paso, step-by-step.
Whoever you are, Gina Chavez gets you. Just sit back and listen. No visa required.
Gina Chavez plays Purchase College
Friday, November 8, 2019 ~ Chavez plays the Purchase College Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York (near White Plains) at 8pm.
Tickets from $11.25
Purchase College is on to something this season. They are bringing really interesting multicultural blends to Metropolitan New York City.
Gina Chavez
Born in Austin to Mexican-American and Swiss-German parents, Chavez didn’t grow up doing the Latin thing. She started performing at University of Texas in Austin.
While studying in Argentina, she fell in love with folk music and dance. Tango, gauchos, Mercedes Sosa, chacarera and malambo will do that to you. So Gina’s styling took a turn towards Latin folk.
Hanging Spoons
Chavez dropped her debut album in 2007.
Humanitarian Work in El Salvador
Gina has been recognized for her work with teenage girls living in gang territory in El Salvador in 2009.
[By the way, those gangs were created in U.S. jails. Shame on us.]
Gina Chavez Live at the Music Club
She followed up with a live album in 2014.
Up.Rooted
This bilingual tribute to her Latin roots was Gina’s breakout in 2014. It got picked up on NPR public radio’s All Things Considered.
Her song Siete-D (YouTube) won the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. It’s about her experiences in El Salvador.
NPR Tiny Desk Concert
This concert (YouTube) made NPR’s top 15 in 2015.
Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department
Yes, she does this too. Chavez is a member of the cultural forces of the United States following in the footsteps of legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.
Lightbeam
This is Gina’s freshest from August 2019. It is good ol’ Austin rock and roll. It’s also pretty awesome. She sings a lot about being a Catholic married to a woman. You can buy it on BandCamp.com
The songs are all in English, but me gusta mucho.
Heaven knows that at the end of the day, just being who you are is what makes superheroes.
“It’s hard to love a woman, just as she deserves.” ~ Gina Chavez
Gina you are our superhero, truly a miracle in the making. Let it out. Let the light beam. ¡Te amamos mucho!
Follow Gina at www.ginachavez.com
Tickets from $11.25
