The Tucson, Arizona-based trio of Ted Ramirez, Michael Ronstadt, and Gilbert Brown present an intriguing program filled with the music and lore of the great American southwest. Performing in English, Spanish, and Native American languages, the group weaves together traditional instrumental styles of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico with beautiful vocal harmonies and powerful acoustic playing.

A descendant of the first Spanish people to settle in the Southwest in the mid 1700's, Ted was named Tucson's Official Troubadour in 2001. Gilbert's family traveled to Arizona from Oklahoma during the dust bowl era and settled in the mining town of Ajo. Michael, a third-generation Arizonan, grew up in the musical family that also includes his sister, Linda Ronstadt.

In the Santa Cruz River Band, the three gifted singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalists join their talents and heritage to create a broad portrait of the Southwest through American and Mexican folk songs, contemporary numbers, and originals, rounded out by captivating stories that describe the background of the songs and serve as a mini-lesson about Southwestern history and culture.

As Michael says, "I don't think the history can be reflected accurately without the incredible music...It bypasses the brain and goes straight to the heart. It creates an emotion that you can't really get by just hearing the history or reading about it."