A BAND WITH NO BORDERS
Montez de Durango performed recently in Tulsa and La Semana was able to chat with the drummer and manager of the band, Daniel Terrazas, who greeted the Oklahoma fans and reflected upon the band’s 22 year career.
Montez de Durango has a long list of hits, but the latest one, Tu Sin Mi, moved the fans that met at Gathering Place to celebrate the opening of the park. The song was followed by old classics such as Esperanzas and Lágrimas del Corazón that seem never to get old.
“I believe that we are still here after 22 years because we are still young, and because a band is like a company if you have a good manager, like my dad, and you work with the support of your family, then everything works,” said Terrazas. “You have to give the audience what they want, be nice and gentle and you’ll do well.”
The story of Montez de Durango began in Aurora, Illinois 22 years ago. It was Daniel Terrazas’s father who formed the group and started recording on cassette and CD the performances of the band to distribute them among the local fans, something that eventually became a career and led to the creation of a whole new music genre.
“Today, we have follow- ers not only in Mexico, but also in Canada and Alaska, and we are very popular in Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, there is a huge market for us out there,” explained the drummer.
Every band has its ups and downs and the Montez’s also had its problems.
“The worst time ever was when my Dad and I were left alone in the band. We had to face legal battles because the former members of the group wanted to keep our name. But Montez de Durango has always belonged to the Terrazas family -- my dad founded the group. It was very hard to rebuild the band, but with a lot of effort and motivation you can overcome everything,” he said, aware of the role his brothers played in the new ensemble.
Daniel is a happy man, he loves his work, he loves his family and above all he enjoys receiving the thousands of messages the fans leave on social networks every day, little hugs that in his words, feed the soul of the musician.
“It is wonderful to see how the younger generations like our music, and now that we are still out there, people still like Montez de Durango,” Terrazas said. “I feel blessed because I do what I want. It has been my dream since I was a kid, my dad’s dream, my mate’s dream. The best that you can do in your life is to work in something you love with your whole heart, because then it is not work any more, its passion.”
In Tulsa Montez de Durango is a very popular band, that is why Terrazas wanted to send a message to the Latin Community before going back to Chicago.
“Thank you for all your support. Some may say that the worst things may become our best blessings, and in difficult times in the country the immigrant community needs to be closer and more motivated than ever. I send a big hug to all the fans in Oklahoma.”
“And to the young, remember to study something that you really like, and do it with passion. Remember that every action we take has a consequence, that is why we need to invest our time in positive things,” concluded the artist. (La Semana)