Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor –

Tish Hinojosa, Patricia Vonne and Stephanie Urbina-Jones are three San Antonio natives with beautiful voices, creative minds and successful individual careers in multiple musical styles, each enjoying a substantial following not only in Texas but across the U.S. and abroad. But now, the three artists have cooked up something new and intriguing: they have joined forces to perform as Texicana Mamas, a group that can do just about anything, from folk and Americana to rock, mariachi Mexican rancheras, flamenco, and more.

San Antonians will have their first chance to see them live Sept. 28 at the Carlos Alvarez Theater in the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. We predict, the space will be too small to accommodate all their fans.

“Patricia is the one who initiated the idea,” said Hinojosa who lives in Austin. “She had moved to Nashville and she called Stephanie to talk about putting a Mexican-themed gig together for the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. The club suggested that she invite an additional singer/songwriter and that’s when she called me. People really liked it.”

Following that successful debut, Vonne and Jones put together a promotional package, including a website, and before long, the new trio was booking performance dates in Houston, Austin and San Antonio. European festivals and a U.S. tour are under consideration.

“I have never done this before outside of working with my own band. It’s a little challenging,” said Hinojosa in a phone interview from Austin. “I am not the boss and I have to be a little more democratic and ready to compromise, but it is a lot of fun. I am kind of a mentor to (Vonne and Jones). Together, we have a vibrant, different energy; we are a good trio, we complement each other a lot.”

Since all three like to tell stories, they chat with the audience while introducing the songs, and sing harmonies for each other.

The youngest of 13 children born to Mexican immigrant parents, Hinojosa grew up listening to pop and folk music on the radio. Her mother appreciated both Mexican and classical music and had a beautiful voice herself, and young Tish and a few other siblings took piano lessons. At some point she “just started singing” and later “started writing material.”  

“In high school when I discovered I could play guitar and sing, I made the choice to become a performer,” said the much-admired songstress.

Her first album, Homeland, was inspired by stories she heard growing up in the neighborhood, wrapped in “trans-border sounds,” as her Texicana Mamas bio says. Her reputation grew with subsequent releases, appearances at the Kerrville Folk Festival and at Austin’s famed Austin City Limits. And she also had the honor to perform in the White House for President Clinton and his guests.

In 2018, Hinojosa recorded her latest: West, an album about renewal, which reflected her own artistic and personal renewal following a period of turmoil in her life. Altogether, the artist has recorded more than 100 songs and 16 albums of mostly original music. Occasionally, when audience members ask her to sing a particular song, it may take her some time to remember it, she noted; there are just so many!

And so many occasions to sing them. Described as “a first-class songwriter” by the Chicago Tribune, Hinojosa spent part of last fall and winter touring in support of West – traveling to California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington – and then followed that up with a European tour. To her surprise, she was recently inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters, only the second singer/songwriter to be so recognized since the TIL opened nominations to include songwriters. The first one was Willie Nelson last year.

Over the years, she has performed in her hometown multiple times, and, more recently, has been invited by the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center to present “cultural programs” on Mexican-American music. “I love doing those programs,” she said.

Texicana Mamas, Sept. 28, 8 p.m.; Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets ar