- [Announcer] Presented by The Kansas Arts Commission.

- Across our state and across the world, Kansas artists inspire us and enrich our communities with their talents and creativity.

This program celebrates those Kansas artists, some of whom you may know and others you may not, by bringing you remarkable performances from my office in the beautiful and historic Kansas Statehouse.

Welcome to the "LG Desk Concerts".

- I'm Sierra Scott.

In tonight's edition of the "LG Desk Concert" series, we're featuring Maria the Mexican.

Maria the Mexican's music is kind of a combination of traditional mariachi with kind of a contemporary blues rock sound.

So please welcome Maria the Mexican.

- Thank you.

(upbeat guitar-driven music) ♪ I saw you on the inside I weep a little more ♪ ♪ Still I can feel your flame ♪ ♪ It grew beyond temptation ♪ ♪ But it's hard when it's a night time game ♪ ♪ One by one, let's have some fun ♪ ♪ Can't you be mine ♪ ♪ Forget tomorrow, we've got tonight ♪ ♪ You and me together with and a bottle of wine ♪ ♪ You and me together ♪ ♪ I finally found someone to rest ♪ ♪ With that line around my waist ♪ ♪ I couldn't see my destination ♪ ♪ But now I know the warm embrace ♪ ♪ Two just two be building ♪ ♪ To another night forever ♪ ♪ You were so fine ♪ ♪ You and me together and a bottle of wine ♪ (guitar strings thrumming rhythmically) ♪ I saw you on the inside I weep more ♪ ♪ Still I could feel your flame ♪ ♪ It could be our temptation ♪ ♪ But it's hard when it's a nighttime game ♪ ♪ One by one, I saw the sign ♪ ♪ You and me together and a bottle of wine ♪ ♪ You and me together and a bottle of wine ♪ ♪ You and me together and a bottle of wine ♪ ♪ You and me together ♪ (guitar strings thrumming rhythmically) (audience applauds) Thank you so much everybody.

Thank you.

We are Maria the Mexican.

(upbeat bluesy music) (vocalist sings in foreign language) (audience applauds) Gracias.

Muchas gracias, everybody.

Thank you very much.

"Carried Away"?

All right, this next song is called "Carried Away", and it was written by Garrett Nordstrom over here.

He wrote it when I was doing yoga teacher training in Mexico.

I'd go off every morning and I'd do the yoga, and I'd come back and he'd have a new song written, and he wrote this song.

And the first time I heard it I started to cry 'cause I just thought it was so beautiful, and we actually had it performed at our wedding by Kelly Hunt, and we just had our daughter 30 days ago and we were performing it and I was getting so emotional.

So, we'll see how this goes.

(laughs) (gentle upbeat uplifting music) ♪ I want to carry you in my arms ♪ ♪ Some bells and lips ♪ ♪ We're getting carried away ♪ ♪ There won't be suffering when you're here ♪ ♪ So don't disappear ♪ ♪ We're getting carried away ♪ ♪ Carried away ♪ ♪ The (indistinct) in disarray ♪ ♪ With you is when I'm at home ♪ ♪ Where that is I wanna stay ♪ ♪ Carried away ♪ ♪ I am surrendering to your love ♪ ♪ You showed me how to get carried away ♪ ♪ In rest here for forevermore ♪ ♪ Feeling and so warm ♪ ♪ I got carried away ♪ ♪ Carried away ♪ ♪ The (indistinct) in disarray ♪ ♪ With you is when I'm at home ♪ ♪ Where that is I wanna stay carried away ♪ (guitar strings ringing rhythmically) ♪ Carried away ♪ ♪ Carried away ♪ ♪ Carried away somehow ♪ ♪ Somehow ♪ ♪ Somehow ♪ (audience applauding) Thank you guys.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Okay, made it through that one.

We're gonna kinda slow it down one more time.

This song is called "Back in the Day", and again it was written by Garrett over here, Garrett Nordstrom, who's kind of our primary songwriter, and we collaborate together for the music kind of outside that traditional mariachi music that we often perform.

(gentle poignant music) ♪ I remember ♪ ♪ When we were rolling ♪ ♪ And where we stood ♪ ♪ Back in the day ♪ ♪ I tried moving from time ♪ ♪ But time took what was mine ♪ ♪ And made us pay ♪ ♪ Back in the day ♪ ♪ Wasn't so hard to see ♪ ♪ You were so close to me ♪ ♪ I thought it was gonna last ♪ ♪ Now it's all in the past ♪ ♪ My heart starts ♪ ♪ I'm top (indistinct) ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, back in the day ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, back in the day ♪ ♪ We were the wrong on and on ♪ ♪ I had not been with you once again ♪ ♪ They taste once so sweet ♪ ♪ But the things didn't do ♪ ♪ All of those things that came from the years ♪ ♪ I remember ♪ ♪ When we were rolling ♪ ♪ And where we stayed ♪ ♪ Back in the day ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, back in the day ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, back in the day ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, back in the day ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, back in the day ♪ (audience applauding) Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

You're a great crowd.

Can you come to every show?

Can you come on out to every show?

All right, well, we have one more for you.

This one is called "Mexicans and Americans", and it's kind of an anthem about unity, and love, and standing up for what's right, and what it truly means to love thy neighbor.

(gentle haunting guitar music) ♪ If you build a wall, we'll go on and tear it down ♪ ♪ We'll stand together on solid ground ♪ ♪ Life's a battle, but we'll win the war ♪ ♪ 'Cause we're all the same inside the core ♪ ♪ Mexicans and Americans ♪ ♪ Walking the streets where the women dream ♪ ♪ Pray for the life to see through the facade ♪ ♪ We will resist and we'll always be free ♪ ♪ Ride the dust and and live on our knees ♪ ♪ Mexicans and Americans ♪ ♪ Mexicans and Americans ♪ (vocalist sings in foreign language) (guitar strings thrumming) ♪ Crashing boys and we'll fall in lines ♪ ♪ Marching forward and we'll hold signs ♪ ♪ We'll rise up and everyone ♪ ♪ Break the chain and sound the drums ♪ ♪ Mexicans and Americans ♪ ♪ Mexicans and Americans ♪ ♪ Mexicans and Americans ♪ ♪ Mexicans and Americans ♪ ♪ Mexicans and Americans ♪ (audience applauding) Thank you so much, we love you.

Muchas gracias.

We are Maria the Mexican.

- I'm here with Maria Cuevas, and it's so wonderful to listen to your music.

You have a voice like butter.

It's just beautiful.

Now, a lot of people think because your name's Maria, that this band is named after you, but that's not really true.

It's a tribute to your grandmother.

Why did you feel a need to make a tribute to her?

- Yeah, so my grandmother started one of the first all female mariachi bands in the country, and her band flourished around the Topeka area and performed primarily at our Lady of Guadalupe, but, you know, Kansas City, and they went beyond as well, but they were also involved in the Hyatt Skywalk collapse unfortunately and several of her members passed away, And so when my grandmother recovered, it was really her passion to not only teach her grandchildren mariachi music, but to preserve the music as well, and to kind of pass on that element of my culture that was so celebrated in my family, you know, forever and still is today.

So my music is a tribute to her and what she has done, not only for her family, but for the community as well.

- What I thought was interesting in the research that I did, and it was just interesting to me that she really wants you to learn to play traditional instruments as well.

So what instruments can you play other than just singing?

- Sure, so I also play the acoustic guitar, and then in the mariachi band I played the vihuela as well, which is kind of that smaller guitar you'll see in the traditional mariachi.

And my sister is also she performs with us occasionally and has been in the band, and she plays the violin, which is what my grandmother played as well.

- And I thought it was interesting you kind of went into the classical music, you play piano, and you did all sorts of things there.

How does that play into because I love this sound, it's really unique.

It's not mariachi, it's not really blues, it's not really rock, it's a combination like I said.

So how did you come up with this?

- It definitely is a mix of so many influences, which is kind of what I am, a Mexican American woman, but, you know, there's so much going on in our background, but I really have to credit Garrett Nordstrom.

My sister and I hired him to play a four hour mariachi gig several years ago, and we taught him all of the mariachi music and he kind of put the idea together.

Hey, let's do what you do and do what I do.

He spent a long time musician, more kind of blues, rock, funk, soul.

So he sort of had the idea, let's mix them and allow you to kind of express yourself in a different way, and pull in those mariachi roots.

- Yeah, 'cause your sound is different from anybody else's out there, and I really think that's really neat 'cause it makes me want to listen to more of it because it's not the same as everybody else.

So if somebody comes and listens to one of your concerts, what are you hoping they'll take away from it?

- You know, I think music is a sharing of emotion and feeling, and so I hope that they will not only enjoy the music, but realize that we are more alike than we are different, and that we should really be celebrating one another and learning from each other, and maybe they'll learn a bit more about my culture and my music.

(gentle upbeat guitar music)