One can forgive Ted Ramírez for sounding a bit tired.

You see, last week he just got back to his native Tucson, Ariz., at 5 a.m. following a performance in Graham Texas, with his group the Santa Cruz River Band. It wasn't just that performance that wore him down. He may be tired because they've had 150 shows in the past 14 months.

Though the touring is at times grueling, Ramírez doesn't mind the journey. The Santa Cruz River Band is all about showcasing his heritage to those whom perhaps would never have any idea what the music they play sounds like.

"It is one of the most amazing experiences to be honest with you", Ramírez said. "The music is kind of a presentation about Southwestern history and culture. You really get a strong bond with the audiences."

The music of the Santa Cruz River Band of course can't reflect every facet of the American Southwest, a land of diverse cultures ranging from Mexican and American Indian to German and Irish.

And yet the group finds a way to encompass much of what the region is all about. It's a reflection of Arizona life, of the American cowboy. It is the sound of Spanish and Mexican influences. At any one performance, the group will sing in English, Spanish and various American Indian dialects. Their latest album, their third, was Spanish language.

"It's telling my story. It's telling everyone's story," Ramírez said. "And it's telling the story of the Southwest."

The Santa Cruz River Band makes its next stop at Carroll Arts Center in Westminster at 8 p.m. Saturday. The performance is part of the Common Ground on the Hill concert series.

Ramírez is something of a legend in his native Tucson. An eighth-generation Arizonan, he traces his family's history in the area back to 1752, the Spanish presidio period. He was even named Tucson's Official Troubadour by the town's mayor and council.

So the Santa Cruz River Band, which includes musicians Michael Ronstadt and Gil Brown, seemed like a logical way for Ramírez, a vocalist, guitar player and harmonicist, to explore his roots and share his region with the United States and the world.

The group has performed in much of Europe, where despite the language barrier they are popular.

Much of Celtic music takes on the same rhythmic pattern of Southwestern Folk and many of the stories, ones of occupation and attempts at cultural eradication that resonate with areas that were under English control. Hence the fact that in the country of Wales, the group is successful and their stories relatable.

"We take the music all over the world and never change it." Ramírez said. "We always give the same performance. There's no need to change anything."

Ramírez started the Santa Cruz River Band in 1991. Brown, who plays , among other instruments, the guitar, mandolin, banjo and requinto, a smaller, higher-pitched guitar, joined in 2002, a second generation Arizonan born in the mining town of Ajo. Ronstadt, a vocalist and guitar player, joined in 2003 after years of playing and performing with his family, notable his sister, singer Linda Ronstadt.

All men know the beauty of the Southwest, both in the land and its heritage. That translates well into song. And the audience no matter the age or ethnic background, connect to the music, the songs, the stories.

"The music hits the audiences the same way," Ronstadt said. "There's something about it that speaks strongly to people's own heritage."

Though his roots in the region aren't quite as deep as his fellow musicians, Brown, who, writes many of the songs the group performs, said he feels privileged to showcase the region he holds so dear.

"It's been a good learning experience for me as much as it is for the [audience]," Brown said. &"It's given me a desire to learn about my own history. I'm just starting to delve in."

That's part of the goal of the band, Ramírez said, to not only entertain but to make more people aware of the rich history of the southwest All three men come from musical families, but learning the style of the region proved difficult, especially for Ramírez. In the past thought situation has improved today, there was no real literature of historical information about the music. Ramirez said he’d simply listen to recordings for hours and hours to dissect just what he was hearing. He later learned by playing with Southwestern musicians. That was how he learned the folk tradition and how to stay true to the various specific styles.

"Each region, especially in Mexico, has highly complicated rhythmic patterns," Ramírez said.

"So we take real pride in getting each right and the audience appreciates it."

It is difficult for the men to describe exactly what American Southwestern music is and perhaps that's because it is difficult to describe in few words just what the American Southwest is. The stories they perform reflect all aspects of the history, the good and the bad. "People feel and hear honesty in the music," Brown said "and that's why they keep on coming back for more."

"I don't think the history can be reflected accurately with out the incredible music." Ronstadt said. "One of the things it does for me, and it does this for a lot of other people, is 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."

The group travels across the country within the Southwest, to the Northeast, to the Midwest and the South. And in their journey, they dispel many myths about the Southwest that many might have if they haven't traveled there.

"It has really amazed me," Brown Said. "People still wonder if the Indians still circle your house. There's a vision of the Old West that people have."

But that is changing Ramírez said. Accurate understanding of the American Southwest, of its past and its people and diversity, is more prevalent thanks to renewed interest and serious scholarly endeavors. Centuries after Indian wars and displacement, wounds have healed a bit, Ramírez said. And ears are perking up to hear the music of vast landscape that is the American Southwest.

"Our music, the events and time periods it covers, promotes a positive cultural identity and pride and appreciation for the beauty of the land," Ramírez said. "It's a beautiful culture. There's something majestic about it and in the very nature . You breathe in the air and terrain and just feel it."

Reach staff writer Jordan Bartel at 410-857-7862 or bartelj@Icniofmd.com

By Jerry Blake
Special to the Graham Leader

Mention western music or country music, and folks immediately have in mind a general concept of style and genre. Southwestern music, however, has a style all it's own as the Graham Concert Association audience discovered Monday night.

The Santa Cruz River Band took the near-capacity audience on a historical/musical tour of America's great Southwest with an amazing display of talent and skill. The trio, made up of Gilbert Brown, Ted Ramirez and Michael Ronstadt, used more than a dozen instruments and unique vocal harmonies to introduce an appreciative crowd to this multi-ethnic art form.

Southwestern music, as explained by Ramirez, founder of the group, is a blend of the music of the old West, combined with Spanish and Native American Indian influences.

Though the influence of each style is evident, the combination of the three produces a musical genre unmatched in American music.

Remaining true to the style of Southwestern music, the Santa Cruz River Band used only acoustic instruments (no amplifiers). Though this maintained the integrity of the musical form, it made hearing and understanding the lyrics and introductions to each song difficult. This was not a great hardship as many songs were sung in languages other than English. The musicianship of the performers was so skillful that the use of electronic devices would have proved a distraction.

The 2006-2007 GCA season is winding down with one more concert scheduled April 3. The final concert features the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, a perennial favorite among Graham concert attendees.

The annual membership drive is scheduled to begin in March.