Sur Sizzles

Closing out iFest: What it's like to rock when everybody wants to go home

Sur rocked the stage even as many in the crowd was ready to call it a day.

Photo by Karen Labuca
Espinos

Photo by Karen Labuca
Quisbert

Photo by Karen Labuca
Medrano and Espinos — the original members of Sur — are still a force.

Photo by Karen Labuca
The choir added a special touch to one of the last acts of iFest.

Photo by Karen Labuca

By the time the last time slots at iFest approached Sunday night, the crowd was winding down and thinning out.

It's a somewhat strange location for the H-E-B Cultural Stage to be situated right by a main entrance that's often ignored by passersby who hunt for the main acts performing on the Bud Light Stage only a couple of steps ahead. Sur, the South American Folkloric quartet which consists of Alfredo Espinosa, Julio Medrano, Gonzalo Quisbert and Alfredo Leon, still managed to make a decent amount of festival goers stop, listen and dance.

"Our sound is traditional music from the Andes," Medrano told CultureMap. The members themselves are eclectic with Espinosa from Argentina, Medrano from Mexico, Quisbert from Bolivia and Leon from Peru — so there's a clear mix and understanding of Latin culture infused into their music.

Medrano's Spanish guitar solos were transformative enough to make you want to be in South America at that moment.

Just as traditional and experienced as these musicians are separately, the stage production is no less so, with decorated, unfamiliar instruments laid out in front. Medrano gave a quick lesson on the origins of the instruments as he pointed out each one. "We have the zampona, quena and charango all originally from the Andes, the bombos, a South American staple and flutes, Spanish guitar and a violin."

While Sur played an earlier set in the day, their evening performance was a special treat not to be missed as they were accompanied by the First Unitarian Universalist Sanctuary Choir to close out the night.

Before anything had started, front man and bombos player Espinosa showing some Argentinian pride with his blue and white polo, walked on and off stage, delaying the set time for repeated sound checks. Even though he was a bit of a perfectionist, he at least had the audience's best interest in mind.

Every song was fun, accompanied with seamless production. All the instruments came in at perfect points as each band member knew exactly what to do, staying focused throughout and playing off one another. The sound of Leon's dramatic violin to upbeat Spanish sing-alongs had loyal fans mouthing every lyric and all ages participating. Espinosa's bombos kept the crowd going with repetitive hand-clapping and sudden Latin dancing as people walked by the stage or popped up from their seats to join in.

After each song, Medrano would show his appreciation and say "Si, senor, gracias!" The entire group though was carried by the dynamic duo of Espinosa and Medrano. The two founding members of the original group from 1985, are still unbelievable vocalists. Medrano's Spanish guitar solos were transformative enough to make you want to be in South America at that moment.

Just as the set was about to end, a light drizzle of raindrops fell. But that didn't stop Sur's chants building up to the last piece, "Misa Criolla" with the First UU Sanctuary Choir. "It's a spiritual, Catholic missal, usually sung by priests," Medrano said. As the finale started, each member put on traditional ponchos and started the solemn song as the choir tried to keep up.

Sur showed a lot of pride in what they do. They actively interacted with the festival crowd throughout the night. Their longevity is a real tribute to traditional South American music.

When asked about their iFest experience and the Houston music scene Espinosa and Medrano agreed, "Houston's been a great place for us to play the type of music we make. We haven't been back to iFest since 2002 and it's a great honor.

"It's really nice and we love it!"

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Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

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