About The Project

Get Lost: SA Concerts Mapped

Local San Antonio Public Library Texana Department archivist, Andrew Crews, generously shared an extensive list of concerts he had been researching and collecting, some dating back to the late 1800s. With this invaluable resource of “organic” data, we created a map to offer a fun and lighthearted experience for music lovers, showcasing when, where, and who played in town. You can explore large and small concerts that occurred between 1970 and 2010 or peruse music genres to see where and when your favorite bands came to town.

Notably, our data does not capture everything, we want to hear from you! You can submit information here. We will do our best to review new concert information and add them to our spreadsheet.

If you are interested in looking over our raw data, you can do so here.

Special thanks to Andrew Crews (SAPL) for sharing the concert spreadsheet, Jacob Sherman (UTSA Libraries) and William Glenn (UTSA Libraries) for connecting us with Andy and for advising along the way, and Bruce Orcutt (UTSA Libraries) for helping set up our technical infrastructure to bring this project to life.  

Local Sounds: Preserving the Places and Spaces for Local Music 

As we launch our "Sounds of San Anto" project in early 2025, our team will be dedicated to collecting stories from the San Antonio community that celebrate the memories of our local music scene. We want to document the music experiences that have shaped the vibrant and evolving sounds of San Antonio. Whether it's the pulse of a dance club, the charm of an instrument shop, the nostalgia of a record store, or the energy of a large-scale arena, we aim to preserve these moments that have defined our city's musical heritage. Stay Tuned! 

Gregorio Cortez: A Historic Pursuit Across Texas

Digital history projects enrich our understanding of the past and make history accessible to new generations. UTSA Libraries Information Specialist Diane Lopez's love of Mexican corridos sparked an idea: How does the oral tradition of a corrido compare with news articles covering the same historic event? In this project, Diane focused on El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez due to its popularity along the Texas-Mexico border in the early 1900s. Visitors will learn about Cortez’s story through archival documents and news articles, and anonymously written lyrics from that period, presented in an interactive map. As a bonus to the project, Diane arranged for two local music bands to perform the corrido. Panfilo’s Güera offers a traditional rendition, singing the entirety of Americo Paredes’ version of "El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez," while Tex-Mex punk band Piñata Protest provides a raucous, shortened version for modern times. The project also features a video titled “Sounds of San Anto: The Making of the Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,” which highlights the performers, their views on the epic corrido, and the endurance and impact of a ballad hero.

Special thanks to Belen Escobedo (Pañfilo’s Güera), Alvaro Del Norte (Piñata Protest), Omar Olvera (A.R.C. Studios), Ramon Gonzalez Mora (A.R.C. Studios), Miguel Aguilar (A.R.C. Studios), Rachel Cruz, Ph.D (UTSA faculty), Joel Juarez (UTSA Libraries, video production).

Share Your Memory

While our mapping project, Get Lost features an extensive list of concerts and music venues, it doesn't capture every event or location. That's where Share Your Music Memory comes in. Our project team invites visitors to contribute their own experiences by posting about concerts they've attended, favorite music spots, and other San Antonio music-related content. Whether it's a memorable performance at a local venue, a street musician who left an impression, or a personal story tied to a specific live show in SA, Share Your Music Memory allows the community to help create a more complete and vibrant picture of San Antonio's musical landscape.