Mario Moreno
Mario Moreno is an Arizona musician. Born out of a long family history of cattle ranch cowboys and alfalfa farmers in South Phoenix, Mario’s musical sense blends vintage American country and rock & roll with traditional Mexican cumbia and ranchera music, with a strong blues influence. He describes it as regional Southwest, specific to South Phoenix. Although he and drummer Jimmy Pines are both members of the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame, Mario has always had unconventional and eclectic taste in old music and vintage aesthetics, and was a staple in the 1980s Tempe/Phoenix punk scene with his rowdy rockabilly band the Varmits that he formed with kindred spirit Bruce Hamblin.
As a singer/songwriter and band frontman, Mario is a champion of Phoenix music, sourcing the multi-cultural legacy of his family and the local history through his fun and soulful vintage sound made possible by some of the finest songwriting and guitar chops in the state. Mario’s a legend. See him on July 7th at The Crescent Ballroom.
Together with some of Mario’s record collecting DJ friends and AZ music history enthusiasts (Johnny D, Vinyl Vagos, DJ Dana, and Grassy Noel) we’re presenting the music that influenced Mario throughout the decades, and connecting communities of all ages and backgrounds to have a good time together celebrating some of Phoenix's best music.
