EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) – Fabens High School Mariachi Los Gatos Salvajes (MLGS) will be competing at the UIL State Mariachi Festival for the second-straight year just 18 months after its inception.
Just over two years ago, students from Los Gatos Salvajes were merely taking guitar classes at Fabens, but with the arrival of Natalie Carrasco the mariachi program director, the program has quickly grown and is making a name for itself.
While MLGS is just one of over a dozen high school mariachi groups in the El Paso region to have qualified for the state competition, their quick success and small-town mantra stand out as the program continues to evolve.
“We are, as our principal says, “small town tough,” said high school senior and MLGS singer and guitarist Rene Montanez. “Now that we have something different, we have a lot of people that want to really get into that part of Fabens, the musical talent. Fabens is full of talent.”
Montanez and Carrasco described a unique musical culture and untapped talent in the town of Fabens, that has been garnering the support and commitment not just from the school, but the community as a whole.