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Two brothers, Julio J. Alvarez and Julio Alvarez, formed Mariachi Real de Alvarez in 2012. They come from a family of musicians and enjoy sharing their music with others to mark big occasions.(Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)
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Mariachi Real de Alvarez was founded in 2012 by two brothers — Julio Alvarez and Julio J. Alvarez — who had a deep understanding of Mexican folklore and a newfound love of mariachi. Music was always their family’s business, but the brothers had to start from scratch when they moved from Mexico to Fort Worth as teenagers. They also transformed from singers to musicians. They got their start playing for tips at local restaurants and then landed bigger gigs. They’ve played all around the local stage, from quinceañeras to events organized by the Fort Worth mayors, Betsy Price and Mattie Parker. Their music has traveled far, from doing a cameo for Disney Parks in a 50th anniversary international compilation of “It’s a small world” to performing in a scene in the Netflix series, “Queen of the South.” 

The Alvarez brothers talked to Fort Worth Report’s Shomial Ahmad about how they got started in Mariachi Real de Alvarez, their advice for other artists starting a business, and what they would play for aliens who landed in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Contact information:

Website: http://rdamariachi.comEmail: Bookings@rdamariachi.comPhone: English: (817) 443-4836 Spanish: (214) 916-7202Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdealvarez

Ahmad: How did you start playing mariachi?

Julio Alvarez/Julio J. Alvarez: We come from a musical family in Mexico, and music has always been our “family business.” That’s all we did in Mexico, from singing in public events to political campaigns. Our mother, Flor del Rocio, was a well-known artist in our home state Aguascalientes, and she worked with big name artists, such as Alejandro Fernández, Chayito Valdez, and Rocío Dúrcal. In Mexico, we performed for politicians and we became the face of many candidates. We left because it no longer felt safe for us. When we came to Fort Worth from Mexico, we sang but we never played an instrument in our lives. 

Mariachi became huge for us when we met our high school music teacher Marta Ocampo at Fort Worth ISD’s Polytechnic High School. She gave us an instrument to learn. It’s funny, because in Mexico, we hated the label “mariachi.” We would have mariachi bands accompany us, but we were always the main entertainment alongside our beautiful sister, who is no longer with us, and our mother.

Ahmad: How has mariachi evolved from a hobby to a side gig to a full-fledged business?

JA and JJA: When we first moved to America, all we knew how to do was sing, literally, no previous job experience, no English, no home. It was rough! We were a family quartet, and we approached local restaurants. Our first performance was at La Gran Plaza de Fort Worth. Then in 2012, our sister passed away from an aggressive form of leukemia. Without her, we were missing an important element. We pivoted. We picked up the instruments that Ms. Ocampo had given us, banded together with some high school friends, and Mariachi Real de Alvarez was born.

Mariachi Real de Alvarez perform “Soñador Eterno, the Eternal Dreamer.” (Courtesy video | Mariachi Real de Alvarez)

Mariachi was and has always been a very competitive market in the metroplex. We knew we had to stand out. We literally took the little knowledge we had in our instruments and huge amounts of faith. We played for tips at local restaurants — Cabrito Nuevo Leon, Chalio’s Mexican Restaurant, Mercado Juarez Mexican Cafe and Esperanza’s Restaurant & Bakery. We would be out for hours and make around $200 that we split amongst ourselves. We slowly landed gigs with people that heard us play at restaurants. 

Our big Cinderella moment came when Jesse, a brother of the owners of Joe T. Garcia’s, literally walked with us from Esperanza’s to perform inside Joe T. Garcia’s. We had previously tried to perform there with no luck. We quickly became the official mariachi band for Joe T. Garcia’s, and it helped us land the big projects.

Ahmad: Describe some of your most memorable performances. What are the necessary ingredients to make them special? 

JA and JJA: We’ve performed thousands of times, but each performance is unique. We try to connect with the customer and audience. Mariachi is about sharing joy and sharing pain. We take pride in our culture, and the chance to create community and a shared experience through music is something beyond words.

Ahmad: What advice would you give to artists who want to pursue their passion as a full-time job?

JA and JJA: The biggest advice we can give is to truly love what you do and master your craft. We have learned that talent alone is not enough. You have to work hard to reach a certain level of confidence that can set you apart. You have to believe that you are a true artist. You will quickly learn that it is not a “job” when you love something this much, and you’re good at it. Your audience will soon treat you like family. They will offer you food, snacks, drinks, sometimes even an invitation to stay and enjoy their party. That’s when you will know you’re good at what you do! 

Also, there has to be a structure in what you do that includes excellent customer service, professionalism, respect for people’s time and honoring contracts. There are a bunch of technicalities that only experience will teach you. Take risks, invest in your gear and don’t be afraid to network.

Ahmad: If aliens came to planet Earth and landed at the Fort Worth Stockyards, how would you describe mariachi to them? What songs would you sing to them?

JA and JJA: The aliens, I’m pretty sure, would look at our attire and instruments and think that we are the aliens! We would share a good beer, show them a good time, make them dance while playing the song “El Mariachi Loco” (“The Crazy Mariachi”). The trumpet would make them turn around, they’d be pretty shocked by the speed of our accordion player, they’d be amazed by the guitarrón and vihuela, an instrument so big and another one so little. I’m sure they would grab the violin and start messing with the bow, asking themselves why a stick has horse hair! All and all, we would make them sing and dance along!

Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.