Grammy bound: A San Antonian a shoo-in for an award this year

Los Texmaniacs
A regular part of musical lineups at San Antonio events, members of Los Texmaniacs have played and recorded with several Grammy winning Tejano artists — Flaco Jimenez, Freddy Fender, Augie Meyers and Doug Sahm. Such frequent performances and high-profile collaborations have earned the group a loyal following.

Los Texmaniacs, led by Max Baca on bajo sexto and David Farias on accordion, is now getting recognition from the mainstream music industry. The group has its first career Grammy nomination this year for its album of traditional songs called “Borders y Bailes.”

"I can't believe it,” Baca told the San Antonio Express-News after the nominations were announced in December. “It’s a special CD ... it includes my history and my father’s musical history. And I’m with great company.”

Regardless if Los Texmaniacs take home a Grammy or not, it looks like 2010 will be a big year for the San Antonio-based group. A West Coast tour to promote “Borders y Bailes” is planned, and there’s a chance the group will be featured on “Austin City Limits.”

Stefani Montiel
No stranger to getting ready for Grammy night, Stefani Montiel took a different approach to celebrating her third career Grammy nod by preparing for the big night in style.

Students at the International Academy of Design and Technology in San Antonio competed for a chance to have Montiel wear one of their designs. The contest was dubbed “Proyecto Divina” after the title of Montiel’s nominated album, “Divina.”

With the help of fans’ input through online voting, Montiel chose her three top dress designs, which she will wear to the Grammy awards show and related events. “This has been a first for me,” says Montiel, who lives in San Antonio. “No one has ever designed a dress just for me ... it’s surreal.”

Montiel, who’s been to several past Grammy Award shows, says the experience is almost overwhelming.

“Being there in person is incredible,” she says of being surrounded by world-famous celebrities and musicians she and her peers have admired for years. “To me, the most amazing thing is breathing the same air as these people.”