Sangre Caliente

One blistering hot night in late May 1999 Rick Mendoza frequents a local Tucson nightclub. As he walks through the Saturday night hot spot he stops to talk to old friends and enjoys his favorite icy beverage, Iced Tea.

Oh, Long Island. As he makes his way through the thick crowd he runs into, or should we say was run over, by a local Tejano DJ Robert (Desvelado) Vargas. They chat briefly about friends, family, current events and the weather. A discussion ensued in regards to rising stock prices and seemingly out of nowhere Desvelado, over the thumping bass, yells out YOU PLAY MUSIC HUH? Shocked by the question and the fact that Desvelado violently shook Ricks arm causing his favorite beverage to be wasted he answered with yes? At this point Rick was hoping for a refill on behalf of Desvelado before any further discussion took place but no luck. Desvelado excitedly began to tell the story of his brother Jessy Vargas and comprade Ramon Andrade who had just recently moved from the even more blistering hot City of Yuma to Tucson. He wildly stated that they had a group named Sangre Caliente in Yuma and they were eager to get things on the move in Tucson. Rick, having not played in many months, was very interested to hear more despite his increasing thirst. By now the club was about to close and Rick still hadnt received his complimentary refill nor had he had the chance to even dance but he did receive an invitation from Desvelado to attend a friendly gathering at his home the following day. With directions in hand and parched with thirst Rick made his way to the door. Just as he is about to make his way out he hears a loud voice echo through the club walls Bring your keyboard!



The next day Rick wakes at the crack of noon and begins his normal Sunday routine, which usually consists of a quick shower and watching television. Later that afternoon he decides to dress himself appropriately and make his way to the gathering that Desvelado had invited him to. He grabs his keyboard and off he went. The directions were simple, turn here, turn there then go right to where the aroma of Carne Asada is filling the air. Before Rick could even park his truck Desvelado runs across the street to greet him. He barely had enough time to grab the keys from the ignition and swipe the keyboard from the back seat as Desvelado drags him across the street, through the side yard to the rear to meet friends and family. After meeting everyone to include his brother Jessy and comprade Ramon, Rick finally gets his comp drink as Desvelado hands him an icy cold beverage. After enjoying some casual conversation along with his drink and a plate of Carne Asada and beans Rick was asked to set up his keyboard.



The keyboard is now set up and Ramon and Jessy grab their instruments.

They begin to play standard cumbias and corridos and have just a great time.

At the end of the evening everyone talks and gets the feeling that the chemistry is overwhelming and decides to make it official. Within a couple of days Desvelado had called to inform Rick and the rest of the band members that a gig was set up in two weeks. The group had no choice but to hustle, learn a whole lot of tunes and prepare for the first show. The gig took place at a local nightclub. It went as well as to be expected from a 2 week old group but plans for the future were now set into motion.



Well, since that time the group has played hundreds of shows to include weddings, quinceneras, anniversaries, benefits, community events and concerts. The group has opened for groups such as David Lee Garza, Emilio, Ramon Ayala, Rodeo, Gary Hobbs, Stampede, Neil McCoy and many more.



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