“2, 3, 2, 3…Let’s go mijo!” Shelly Lares said as she spoke into a microphone and the sounds of a vihuela played in the next room. Lares, encased in a green glow from the fluorescent Shellshock Records neon sign behind her, listened closely to the sounds of the stringed instrument. Beside her was Michael Acevedo, director of UTSA Mariachi Los Paisanos. The two listened to members of the student mariachi group as they played their instruments for a project that Lares had signed onto with her record label.
This is just one of the opportunities UTSA students have been able to take part in since Lares, an award-winning Tejano singer, became the first artist-in-residence at UTSA.
Lares, known by her fans as “Little Miss Dynamite,” has been performing since she was 10 years old after being discovered by the Hot Tamales Band, a band she joined before venturing off on her own career. After a 40-year run as a Tejano star, she’s now retired from road life and is dedicating her time to serving others. She is working with the elderly by performing music therapy, working with up-and-coming artists through her record label, Shellshock Records, and now is inspiring the students at UTSA.
In her second year in the artist-in-residence role, Sombrilla Magazine visited Lares at her record studio to learn how it is going and what she hopes to accomplish at UTSA in the future.
Shelly Lares speaks to a group of students in the “Selena: A Mexican American Identity & Experience” course.
How did you become UTSA’s first artist-in-residence?
SL: Dean Glenn Martinez approached me over a year prior to my retirement, and at the time, I had other plans. I wanted to go into nursing and be a hospice nurse. That’s really what I felt my calling was.
But when I heard about this opportunity, it was very refreshing for a university of this caliber to show interest in what I’ve done. So that’s when I was like, “OK my plans of becoming a nurse are not God’s plans for me.” And that’s when I accepted the offer from Dean Martinez. One of the things that I was actually very excited about was not just talking about Tejano music but sharing with students how to get into the music industry. There are so many elements that go into being an artist and getting into the music industry that I have to share.
You’ve held the position for a year, and they even extended the role for another. How’s it been going so far?
SL: I’ve been so proud to be the artist-in-residence. I really have enjoyed it.
This upcoming year is going to be a little bit different. I think I’m going to be spending more time in the studio with some of the students.
I was in my audio tech class, listening to their projects and critiquing their work, and that’s how I realized that there’s a lot of aspiring artists at UTSA. When I was in the class, I asked if we had any producers or aspiring artists in the class. Four of them raised their hands. So, I started bringing them into my studio to record and produce.
I also started teaching them about copywriting their music and registering to be songwriters because they all had music out on streaming platforms, and their music was not copywritten. Educating them on that side of the business has been really fun for me.
Shelly Lares performs her hit song, “Ganas De Besarte” with Mariachi Los Paisanos and SOSA during a UTSA football game.
How are you sharing some of the lessons that you’ve learned along the way in your career?
SL: I brought over one of my students, River, whose artist name is “Apollo” and started producing his music. I brought in a hip-hop producer to sort of mentor and work with him. I even brought a friend of mine who is a well-known rapper in the San Antonio area named High Strung, and he sat with the students in the studio telling them how it really is in the music business. I really want them to learn about it while they’re still in school. I feel they will have a big head start once they get out there into the real world because it’s a difficult industry, but not impossible. But I think if you have someone that’s been in it and through it to give you this guidance, that’s a win-win situation. I have students reach out to me daily, and I tell them, “This is what I’m here for.”
You’re serving as a mentor to all these students. You’re teaching them so many things. Did you have a mentor when you were in the industry?
SL: Dr. Patsy Torres has been such an incredible mentor and still is. When I was offered this role, I called her to get her feel of it, and she was so proud of me. She’s always positive and encouraging.
She was the first phone call I made when I decided to get off the road. I felt like it was a respect thing. I felt like I wanted her blessing, if you will. She’s been with me since I was 10 years old. She’s just awesome.
Now that you’re here for another year, what are your hopes and plans?
SL: There is so much I want to do at UTSA. I really want to start having students collaborate. Music students should be collaborating with the marketing majors. You’re going to need videos, whether they’re reels, or music videos, so collaborate with the film majors. Everyone gains experience when they collaborate.
One of my students in my audio class is a film major and he showed me some of his video work.
I invited him on set to a series called King of the South, which I’m producing all of the music for. The director was kind enough to let him do some audio for the film. We then went a step further and are helping the student do a short film to submit to a film festival.
WATCH NOW: Shelly Lares shares what it’s been like working with Mariachi Los Paisanos.
Members of Mariachi Los Paisanos and music director Michael Acevedo stopped by Lares’ studio to record music for Shellshock Records.
A lot of people who grew up in San Antonio in the 90s and early 2000s grew up listening to Tejano music. I know I was one of them, but the students you are teaching are an entirely new generation. What’s it like introducing a new group to this genre of music?
SL: A lot of them are still not familiar. A lot of them just only know Selena’s music. That’s another thing that I love about this role is that I’m having the opportunity to talk about my career and how I contributed to the industry and how other women also did before Selena.
It’s fun to explain to them the elements of Tejano music and how Tejano blends so many different sounds, whether it be jazz, conjunto, Norteño, country, mariachi, rock, or international. I mean, Tejano music really has blended all these sounds for generations and generations.
I’m actually gaining new fans as students. They’ll tell me, “Miss Shelly, are you on Spotify? Let me follow you!”
What do you hope the students take away from this experience?
SL: Inspiration, first of all. I think it’s important for me to inspire them from their creative hearts and their creative minds.
Sometimes they don’t have confidence, you know, and it takes sitting with them and putting it into a certain perspective for them.
That’s what I want them to take away from me. People always say when they walk into my studio that it’s a vibe, and when they’re about to walk out that door, they always tell me, “Shelly, you’ve inspired me.”
You arrive to a vibe and leave inspired.
