Techno bandas play big on south side

A few people settle in to the tables staffers have just set out, some enjoy raspados along with the tunes.

Welcome to Wednesday evening in the parking lot of a south-side party-supply store.

"There can't be a party without music," María Boyes, the manager of Marymar Party Supply Inc., says in Spanish.

"When people hear the music, they think there is something special going on, so they come here and end up listening to the band."

Various Tucson techno bandas have relationships with businesses like Marymar, food stands and meat markets, performing regular outdoor concerts to bring in customers and potential clients for parties and quinceañeras.

The techno banda at Marymar is Sin Limite, Without Limits, which plays bi-weekly at the shop near the corner of South Sixth Avenue and West Irvington Road.

"We like coming to Marymar because of the area," says Enrique Tapia, 25, the group's manager.

"There's quite a lot of businesses here and it's because it's a busy intersection," Tapia says. "Especially with the rodeo, which is right in front. Quite a bit of people have seen us."

Sometimes customers join the band, like Jorge Espinoza, 31, who had his own band in Phoenix.

Others, like Joann Moran, scouting talent for her daughter's quince, stop to get the band's business card.

"I like them" Moran says in Spanish of Sin Limite, "because it's a DJ, but also a band."

When bandas play in front of businesses, it livens things up, says Guadalupe Escalante, an employee at Asadero y Taquería Sonora located next to Marymar.

Another regular gig for the band is a hot dog stand on West Drexel Road near South 12th Avenue, says Erik Quezada, the group's 16-year-old sax player.

"We were there for four hours," Quezada says of a recent show at the hot dog stand.

"Into the second hour it was a full-blown dance party. We brought business to them and we ran out of business cards."

Marco Castro, 17, the bass drummer for the same band, says the street shows are good promotion for businesses and the bands.

"People were dancing, taking video and pictures," Castro says. "Some of our family came. They were enjoying the hot dogs and music."

Other bands like La Pachanguera, The Party, play in front of businesses but have more traditional gigs.

Yoly's Music Shop, on South Sixth Avenue across from the VA hospital, is the only business La Pachanguera plays, says Sergio Domínguez, 45,who has been managing the band for eight years. The music store belongs to his wife, Loreley Domínguez, and he played at a grand opening for a recent move from a location up the street.

Techno bandas are a more economical way of playing music than a full-blown group that traditionally includes several members.

"It's music that has been pre-recorded," Domínguez says in Spanish of his band's setup. "This is why our techno band sounds a little different, because we have real musicians."

La Pachanguera is one of various groups of techno bands that play Sinaloa-style music. This includes cumbias, tropicales, corridos and rancheras. Some groups like Sin Limite add reggaeton and a little bit of jazz to the mix.

"We focus more on making a spectacle at the place where we are contracted to play," Domínguez says. "From there we gain more business from the clients themselves."

That's not always the case.

María Elena Ramírez, the manager of Taquería el Chivo de Oro, says she has contracted with several techno bandas to play at her taco stand, but has not yet seen any increase in customers.

"A lot of people don't like the noise," Ramírez says in Spanish.

Where to catch the party

The band Sin Limite performs biweekly at Marymar Party Supply Inc., on the corner of South Sixth Avenue and West Irvington Road. Next up: Wednesday. They show up when it's cooler - about 5 p.m.

Marcella Corona is a University of Arizona student who is an apprentice at the Star. Contact her at starapprentice@azstarnet.com or 573-4117.