Based out of San Antonio, Texas, Joaquin and The Glowliners are a Chicano Soul Group who have successfully captured the essence of nostalgia and who bring a unique and refreshing sound to San Antonio’s musical landscape. Recently, the group released their new song “You Redeemed Me,” a beautiful ballad which speaks of redemption through love and acceptance with beautiful lyrics such as, “You’ve rescued my heart, You are the sunlight to my dark. You have saved me.” Written by lead vocalist Joaquin Muerte, the song is currently streaming on all digital platforms and sends a message of hope and recovery from personal struggles and experiences. Originally from Del Rio, Texas, Muerte has been involved in multiple music projects in the San Antonio area, with the Glowliners being one of his most recent. Formed in 2022, Muerte recalls the group’s beginnings and speaks of their sound, “The style of music is original Chicano Soul, and it’s intentionally called Chicano Soul because we are also intentionally Chicano movement people,” he said. Adding, “We create music, but we speak on issues relating to our community. When the music was being made in San Antonio during the 1960’s it was all during the historic Civil Rights Movement, and so the essence of the music wasn’t just the music itself, it was the essence of Chicanidad whether it coincided with impoverished communities in the West Side or South Side.”
Currently, the group writes, composes, and records their own music with Muerte referring to the group as a “DIY kind of band.” The first singles ever released by the group consisted of “Hinder,” and “I Remember.” Reminiscent of 1970’s groups such as The Stylistics, Muerte says the band has many influences, “Their definitely an influence and so is Ralfi Pagan, and the early 70s version of the Royal Jesters.” he said. Adding, “And another favorite is Joe Jama. who was a bass player and singer with the Royal Jesters. That dude is such a delight, and and he’s probably one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to writing music. His style of chord integration and doing some of the, chord structures and horn stacks and styles is amazing.”
While growing up, Muerte was also influenced by his mother’s work in community advocacy, “My mother was an organizer, and she had this organization called the Comité Cultural del Pueblo. That organization used to basically organize street gangs and people who were ex-cons into doing art. She also used to be a writer and editor for Lowrider Magazine in the early days.”
Muerte was heavily exposed to further advocacy with plenty of community efforts, “Because my mother was also a community organizer we would travel to protests and be part of organizing committees. When we were younger, we would travel to Austin, San Antonio, and work with the Esperanza Center and be involved with Mexican American organizing efforts. My mother was really into the International Women’s Day organizing, and she had this organization in Del Rio called the Casa de la Cultura. And it was always constant cultural arts exposure,” Muerte said. This exposure to such community efforts has led Muerte to continue in those same footsteps as he is currently working with underserved communities regarding social justice initiatives throughout San Antonio. In addition to leading the Glowliners, Muerte also works with Los Nahuatlatos and Eddie and The Valiants, two other local musical projects.
Pertaining to the Glowliners, the band also just released the single, “No Time Like Now,” featuring a 4-part harmony with old school bass lines. The song took inspiration from band member Amanda who announced her engagement. Joaquin recalls, “I was inspired to write this song when our bandmate Amanda announced she was going to get married. We all jumped for joy and that night I went home and had a dream about this song. I woke up in the middle of the night and recorded what I dreamt into my voice memo app. At the next rehearsal, I presented the concept to the band, and we wrote the lyrics together.” The song is also available via digital platforms. Last year, The Glowliners opened up For Thee Sacred Souls, another soul group who’s been pivotal in the revival of the genre, which has become a staple in Chicano communities. Speaking on the rising popularity of Chicano Soul, Muerte offers insight, “I think there is this kind of need to have a more authentic sound versus what’s happening with pop and probably more of a connection to real community.”
Watch out for further music and projects from the band, and follow them on Instagram to keep up with future appearances around Texas.
Follow the band here.
