Demmi Garcia performing at the Fiesta Oyster Bake Festival at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas on April 2, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
More than futurity, Demmi Garcia's destiny was quite pre-determined. Without question, Demmi inherited her musical prowess from her close-knit family. At 28 years of age, Demmi is the heir to music royalty. The niece to Tejano music pioneer and four-time Grammy nominated star Elsa Garcia.
Demmi discovered the transformative power of music at an early age. She explains, "I saw the way my family was involved in music. It was a family thing and the music became more important as I got older. My grandma (Hermelinda Escamilla-Almanza, whose stage name was Linda La Norteña) is well known in Mexico and is a highly respected singer/songwriter. My grandma wrote several Regional Mexican/Tejano hits for not only for my aunt Elsa, but other well known artists like the legendary Lydia Mendoza in addition to The Hometown Boys, who recorded my grandma’s hit song ‘Aquel Amor’.”
Like a lot of traditional Mexican families, creating and performing music together is a family affair. Demmi’s stellar production team, Victrola 5 Productions, includes her uncle, singer and vocal arranger JC Almanza, drummer and percussionist Jessie Vasquez, who Demmi fondly calls her bonus dad, her father, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and arranger Michael Garcia, and her mother, Lin Almanza-Vasquez, a songwriter who has also toured extensively with her aunt Elsa and held positions at Pace Concerts, SFX Entertainment, Clear Channel Entertainment and currently at Music World Entertainment Corporation, the recording home to global superstars Destiny's Child, Solange and Beyoncé. Demmi says, “This is not a traditional production team, but our history is one to be admired because of the diversity of our unconventional family dynamic. It’s what I am most proud of. I appreciate that my mom, my father, and bonus dad all get along and write and make music together. It’s a beautiful thing.” Tejano music has served to influence some rhythms and chord progressions. "I love my musical roots, my family and Tejano music," she clarifies, "I've always been the one to go wherever my journey takes me and for now I am enjoying this musical direction.”
Fiesta Oyster Bake
106 years and counting. For a third of San Antonio’s history, the Oyster Bake has been part of the fabric of the community. What started as a St. Mary’s University alumni gathering with a handful of people in 1916 on the banks of the San Antonio river downtown has grown to a premier Fiesta San Antonio event with over 70,000 patrons and more than 7,000 volunteers.
The Oyster Bake truly is a party with a purpose. 100% of the proceeds raised during the Oyster Bake goes directly back to the students of St. Mary’s University. By attending the Oyster Bake, you are helping further the education of students and help in their growth as future community leaders. Over the years your patronage has directly contributed millions of dollars in student scholarships and university programs and for this we can simply say, thank you.
And in case you were wondering, over the two days of Oyster Bake we go through 100,000 oysters and 32,000 chicken on a sticks with jalapeno!
Demmi Garcia
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Fiesta Oyster Bake
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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