Additional Details

Additional details

Been Together Since: 2001

Sounds Like: Tejano-based combination of driving, rhythmic cumbias and catchy, upbeat rancheras.

Members

Juan Carlos Villegas -- vocals
Eldon K. Samos -- guitar
Peter Flores -- bass
David Isaac Munguia -- keyboard, accordion
Anthony Martinez -- drums, vocals

MP3S

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Y No Lo Acepto

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Me Equivoque

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Dicen Por Ahi

Audio Interview

Discography

Negami, 2002
Against All Odds / Contra Viento y Marea, 2004
Cruzando Fronteras, 2005

Where To Buy

• iTunes
• TejanoMusicHeadquarters.com

Review

The last time Houston-based group Negami traveled to Mexico, it was embraced as an arena superstar.

It was July 21, and the quintet performed near the end of the annual Viva La Radio festival in Monterrey, Mexico. The daylong event is put on by Multimedios Estrellas de Oro, which owns more than 100 radio/TV stations and movie theaters.
Negami was scheduled alongside international acts Myriam, Aleks Syntek, Kalimba and Control Machete.

Hits Dicen Por Ahi and Me Equivoque anchored Negami's set, which had practically every person in the 20,000-plus crowd singing along, waving his hands in the air and begging for "otra, otra, otra!" (another song.)

It was a surreal, career-defining moment for the band, which documented it on a video, a clip of which is available at www.negami.org.

"They were cheering, they were chanting for us. I almost fainted,"says lead vocalist Juan Carlos Villegas of the raucous response.

Texas - and Houston, specifically - is another story.

Though Negami has independently released two solid albums and broken through in the incredibly fickle Mexican market, it is still widely considered a minor-league player on the Tejano scene. The group's second album, Contra Viento y Marea (Against All Odds), was released in April and has garnered airplay in Del Rio, San Angelo and Dallas.

"I think it's just people's perceptions, because a lot of times they tend to take things for granted - especially talent - in their own, local area. We have a lot of good local groups. A group like Carlos' that has been around Houston for a long time, they're always treated as local bands. It's hard to get rid of that stigma," says Jesse Rodriguez, owner of Hot Latin Entertainment, which handles Tejano artists Javier Galvan y Grupo Fama, Carlos Maldonado y Grupo Fuerte, Fiel, Sangre Latina and Bob Gallarza.

Negami's videos are in heavy rotation in Mexico, and singles play throughout the country in such diverse cities as Tamaulipas, Matamoros, Reynosa and San Luis Potosi. The group was making monthly promotional trips to Mexico but has recently taken a break to whet fans' appetites.

During a recent hometown gig at Palmer's Ice House, it was easy to see why the group puts so much stake in its live shows. Negami's vibrant, focused brand of Tejano-pop incited immediate response, ranging from hoots and hollers to a quickly crowded dance floor. Villegas has an unassuming stage presence, but he rests confidently in his shaded vocal delivery and relaxed sense of charisma.

It's a far cry from throngs of excited fans chanting every lyric of your songs, but Villegas says the band relishes every opportunity it has to perform.

"Once I'm onstage, and I'm living that moment - I think I can say this for all the guys - we realize then why we sacrifice,"
he says. "We realize then why we do it. When we're living all the problems and dealing with all the situations that are negative, it's tough man, but once we get onstage, then I know."

Negami's lineup also includes Eldon K. Samos (guitar/vocals), Anthony Martinez (drums/vocals), David Isaac Munguia (keyboard/accordion) and Peter Flores (bass). Each member has a job or goes to school. Villegas has worked for the bilingual department of Galena Park Independent School District for four years. His music career has spanned nearly two decades, including previous outfit Latin Image/Imagen Latina. Negami (Imagen spelled backwards) was born out of that experience.

-- Joey Guerra | September 16, 2004