Valley music's movers and shakers

Like the Great Oz, they work their magic behind the emerald curtain.

They've sold their vehicles, pawned their treasures and battled self-doubt to shine the limelight on some of the biggest names in music while they, ironically, linger in anonymity.

But these guys aren't quitters. They know it comes with the territory.

They are, after all, the vanguard of Rio Grande Valley concert promoters.

DontGetEmo. Dead Gift Entertainment. Valley Texas Hardcore.

They've proven what they can do. They've shown their resilience. Now, they're ready to step out of the shadows and tell you who they are.

It started with a love affair

You see the name plastered on fliers and countless MySpace bulletins or pounding the pavement in and around town.

And all Joaquin Ortiz wants to do is support the scene that supported him.

As a member of heavy metal act Fed of Me, the 25-year-old didn't have to go far to cut his way into the music community. His father and twin brother, Jacinto, Ortiz (now a member of Subdue) sparked an interest and lured the novice musician to the fast-paced world.

Ortiz credits being a musician first and foremost to knowing what it is ‘the kids' wanted to hear.

"I've always been in love with music," said the Sharyland resident. "It's been a big part of my life. That's why I have to thank the foundation of my life: my family, my brother and my girlfriend. They are what keep me going."

Through the early 2000s it was easy to find a then dread-locked Ortiz mingling with the locals at the now defunct punk/metal haven Trenton Point. When that scene began to fade, Ortiz knew it was his chance to keep things alive by grabbing hold of the reins.

Through his mentor, Robert Canales, Ortiz learned the ropes from his mentor, Robert Canales, who at the time played with popular death metal act Scarabas.

Aside from being a solid musician, Ortiz says he was also a good talker.

He took a crack at the business by booking shows at what was then Club Onyx and later Club Velvet off of South 10th Street and Chicago Avenue. His first major show, Bleed the Sky, started his catalog of more than 100 shows to date.

"If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be doing this now," Ortiz said. "I was always a scenester. After that I just kind of learned on my own.

Robert also showed me all of the struggles it took to do this but he went away for five years, came back and now he's so proud of me. I've brought some shows down (Deicide, Vital Remains) that he dreamed of bringing down."

Dead Gift's repertoire also includes Kittie, Divine Heresy, The Exploited, Total Chaos, The Ataris and Walls of Jericho, to name a few.

But with every successful show, some of which have sold out, comes the risk of disappointment and at times tension with other promoters.

"With this there has been a lot of loss," he said, adding he reached a point where he had to sell his vehicle. "You run the risk of losing thousands of dollars. My biggest has been over $5,000 on one show.  You could lose it all in one day but when you commit yourself to it, you're committed to it. You gotta go in and throw 100 percent into it. I can't lose like that ever again."

As for the competitive nature of the business, Ortiz admits he's been forced to mature.

"There's no point in fighting all I want is to make a better scene," he said. "Some people may not like me personally but might like the band but because it's me they won't go. Everyone needs to start working together. If everybody takes pride in the show everybody wins. It's hard to be staying here in the Valley but what I do is for the Valley."

Because ‘battle of the bands are kinda lame'

At 19, he booked emocore heavyhitters Thursday to a near sold-out crowd.

Behind the hipster sunglasses and fashion-forward ensembles is a guy who wants nothing more than to put the Valley on the map.

Zar Castillo and business partner George "Geo" Culberson are the pair behind DontGetEmo, the company responsible for landing some of the biggest indie rock shows to hit Valley soil. Just last month, DGE drew 1,000 screaming fans of Every Time I Die to the Las Palmas Events Center in McAllen as part of the 2008 Take Action tour event. Before that, the guys welcomed Silverstein as part of the Peta2; I'm Not a Nugget Tour.

But it all started with a proposition.

"My brother-in-law was a bar manager at Scala and initially said I should do a battle of the bands," said Castillo, 23. "I thought, ‘Those are kinda lame,' so we wanted to do something better."

Still in his late teens, Castillo's first show starred Cruiserweight, a female-fronted pop punk four-piece out of Austin back in 2004.

Culberson, a long-time family friend of Castillo's, jumped on board soon after.

"He was one of the biggest supporters in the scene," Castillo said. "He loved the idea of not having to travel out of town for shows. At one point he said, ‘I want to help you with this (financially),' and we ended up bringing bigger shows down here."

DontGetEmo takes pride in promoting every show with their signature militant marketing methods: distributing postcards all over the Valley, holding ticket giveaways at high schools, colleges and radio stations, and maintaining two traffic-heavy Web sites.

Last year, Castillo launched Difuse Entertainment Magazine, a free high-gloss publication devoted to fashion, lifestyle and music.

"We've been doing really well and the concerts keep getting bigger and bigger," he said. "It's a very exciting business, but it is becoming to where it is on a daily basis. I get a phone call every day."

Castillo can't help but chuckle when he thinks of dealing with big wigs like the William Morris Agency or The Agency Group, some of the largest public relations firms in the world.

"Initially I was just a kid talking to these agencies that are getting name-dropped on Entourage," he joked. "At first it was scary but we're getting our name out there and after a while, you build relationships. Just as long as you don't screw up in the business, because it's touchy."

Both Castillo and Culberson would like to see more music venues and added support from the business community. He can handle cancellations (ahem, Emerson Hart) and straightening out the kinks at shows, but if businesses got involved, it would make his job a whole lot easier, he said.

"There was a time when I thought, ‘Nevermind, I don't want to do this,'" Castillo said. "But Geo was the inspiration to keep going, and now I can see myself doing this for quite some time."

This year has only just begun for DGE. Upcoming shows include Still Remains, Thee Armada, Flyleaf, Forever the Sickest Kids and Eisley to name a few.

"We're having fun, which is the most important thing."

Hardcore at heart

Adam Gonzalez grew up with heavy metal staples like Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Death.

It wasn't until he heard Blood for Blood, Gorilla Biscuits and Madball that he felt something tug at his heartstrings.

Maybe it was the heavier, more relentless vocals of hardcore that did it. Or maybe it was how relatable hardcore bands are to "normal kids" that attracted Gonzalez.

"It was something I never heard in my life before," said Gonzalez, 26. "I had been going to death metal, punk or indie shows but didn't feel it was for me. Not like when I heard hardcore, I just fell in love with it."

Although a hardcore scene here lingered in the cob-webbed rafters, there weren't enough shows to please the youngster's hardcore palates.

"The one thing I wanted to do was expose the Valley with this taste of music," Gonzalez said. "Hardcore has positive lyrics, even though they sound angry. I felt that there had to be way more people all about it. That's all I would think about."

Roughly four and a half years ago, when Valley Texas Hardcore was born, it was rough for Gonzalez to break into the predominately hard rock/heavy metal scene.

Frankly, people wondered what it was he was trying to do.

Through the years his shows have come to life at the local VFW or if need be at a friend's house. His roster, thus far includes, Hoods, First Blood and Death Before Dishonor, perhaps three of the most popular hardcore acts in the country.

"Once there was some sort of scene we couldn't believe it," he said. "We're finally here, but what do we do now?"

Like other promoters' mentality, Gonzalez isn't in it for the money.

He at one time almost had his car repoed, is down to only a few worldly possessions and had to take up two jobs at 60 hours a week to keep his business afloat.

"I'm not just some sort of promoter who wants these kids' money," he said. "I care about them and relate to them. I'm doing all right now, just trying not to mess up."

His greatest achievement so far is gaining respect from hardcore communities around the country and bringing the Valley hardcore scene to the forefront.

"It's an honor knowing they know about the Valley," he says. "I don't do it for me I do it so that the Valley has a scene."

This month, Valley Texas Hardcore welcomes Despised Icon, which Gonzalez considers one of the biggest shows he'll throw this year.

"I'm happy my girlfriend stuck with me," he jokes. "It's hard. Maybe I don't know how big this scene is getting but it's exciting."

Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468.

On the Web:

www.myspace.com/dontgetemo

www.myspace.com/deadgift

www.myspace.com/chopblockhc

Others to watch for:

M3 Productions (www.myspace.com/midnitemovie)

Enthos (www.myspace.com/enthos)

Pit Productions (www.myspace.com/thepitproductions)

Global Groove Productions (www.globalgrooveonline.com)