Los Lonely Boys performed at The Grapevine Plaza and Event Center on Friday, September 20, to raise money for the Las Cruces International Film Festival and Barbara Hubbard’s ACTS scholarship for New Mexico State University.
Kyle Ivy, the Student Program Coordinator for the Creative Media Institute and Journalism and Media Studies, shared that this fundraiser was important for students in the CMI program at New Mexico State University.
“This event holds particular importance for Creative Media Institute (CMI) students, who receive invaluable hands-on experience through the Film Festival Prep course led by our executive director, Ross Marks,” Ivy said. Ross Marks described how the success of the concert benefited the students involved in the event in a multitude of ways.
“The Los Lonely Boys concert was extremely successful. Over 1,000 people. The students had a chance to learn how to plan and run a world-class event. They got real world experience. The concert was as much a classroom as it was a music performance,” Marks said.
The night started off with chatter and cool weather before the show. Attendees were elated to support the fundraiser. Many were there because they already were interested in Los Lonely Boys or had been to a few of their shows prior to this event.
Ivy explained the reasoning behind choosing Los Lonely Boys for this fundraiser had to do with their Hispanic heritage.
“We selected Los Lonely Boys for this event due to their strong ties to the Latinx and Hispanic community. Their music resonates with the cultural heritage and spirit of Las Cruces, establishing meaningful connection with our audience,” he said. The band featured a guitarist (who also sang), a bassist, and a drummer all of which showed great enthusiasm throughout the whole show and kept the energy flowing for two hours.
As the sun went down string lights lit up the lawn and the stage glowed green, the mood set was light, and excitement filled the air. Los Lonely Boys started the show with an upbeat tempo that immediately got people up and moving.
When they slowed down for more blues-style songs, the atmosphere became light. The lead singer/guitarist, Henry Garza, sang with a voice that melted into the ears like butter while couples slow-danced in the small gazebo. Later in the evening the band picked the tempo back up and had everyone up and out of their seats dancing. The lawn was filled with excitement and laughter from the band and the crowd. Barrow Williams, a junior in the CMI program, shared how the fun energy of the concert will continue to grow the film festival itself.
“The concert was a way to bring the community together and get people excited for the film festival. Fundraisers like this allow for the festival to bring bigger stars, more movies, and expand the reach of the festival,” he said.
Marks explained his reasoning behind wanting to expand the film festival into music.
“It has long been my goal to expand the film festival into music the way South By Southwest in Austin has done so wonderfully. Many successful film festivals are offering more than just film. I would like to see LCIFF expand its artistic offerings in several ways. We want to do more for the community of Las Cruces and NMSU. We already honor artists with our collectible posters. Music is another integral artistic expression we want to celebrate,” he said.
Marks said that the success of the concert will mean more concerts to come. Marks is already planning the next one, as well as gearing up to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Las Cruces International Film Festival from April 9 through April 13, 2025.
