A Rock Revolution in Laredo

The power trio isn't a new concept in rock music. From Cream to Rush to Nirvana, a three-man group has dominated the landscape of rock music and innovated in ways not seen before. In Laredo, one such group is also working to bring a music revolution to their hometown, but it's not with a Fender Stratocaster or any classic rock instrument.
 Robert Saldana, Fernando Montemayor and Tanya Cantu are the trio that make up B Live Promotions. The company specializes in bringing live bands, with a focus on indie rock, into Laredo. Their previous imports have included 2011 Austin Band of the Year Quiet Company, 2010 winners Bright Light Social Hour and JEFF the Brotherhood, an emerging two-piece duo from Nashville, Tenn.
 The company was founded in 2010 after an effort by B Live to bring Hacienda, a San Antonio-based band who have previously toured with the Black Keys, back to their hometown.
"I actually have a couple of cousins [in Hacienda]. They've played Letterman. They were having a lot of success, touring all over the world, and they've never played Laredo." Montemayor said. "And one night, I was hanging out with one of my cousins in the band and I said 'Hey, you know what man; that's pretty messed up, you've played all around the world and you've never played your hometown.'"
And thus the gears started turning in the machine that would soon become B Live Promotions. And although the Hacienda show was supposed to be a one-time deal for co-founders Saldana and Montemayor, the reception from Laredoans was so avid and genuine they decided to keep the wheels in motion, eventually recruiting Tanya to assist them in their endeavours.
And although it was hard work at first for B Live to bring these spectacular live bands to town, knowledge about the hidden gem that is Laredo is now getting out.
"The word is spreading and it's really cool to hear that people in Nashville are talking about Laredo and they want to play here in Laredo." Montemayor continued,"We're now at a point where I hardly send out requests to agents now. Agents contact us. It's amazing that Bright Light Social Hour played just last weekend at Stubbs to 2,100 people, but they still want to come back to Laredo and play Old No. 2."
Part of Laredo's charm is diverse crowd that never fails to make the bands feel welcome.
"All types of people come - the freaks and the geeks, the jocks, and the beauty queens, everyone is welcome here." Montemayor said, "We've never had problems with the crowd. Everyone just gets along and that's part of the reason the bands have such a good time here."
As for what is next on the docket for B Live, they're planning on bringing a bit of South by Southwest, to Laredo. The 3rd annual southBound Music Festival will be held March 9 at Old No. 2 and will feature bands such as Rusty Maples (Las Vegas, Nevada), Sol Cat (Nashville, Tennessee), and Dune Rats (Brisbane, Australia).
"We're capitalizing on South By Southwest. SXSW starts on Tuesday, so we're grabbing a lot of the bands that are going to play SXSW before they arrive in Austin." Montemayor explained.
The event will be free of charge and begin this Sunday at 5 p.m. and run throughout the night. A total of 8 bands will be showcased. Further information can be found at www.blivepromotions.com.
Louis San Miguel can be reached at louis.sm@gmail.com.