King City boy wants to become the future of music in Monterey County

| FEATURES

By Isaac Gonzalez-Diaz

It’s not every day that an 11-year-old gets to play on stage with the globally renowned Los Tigres del Norte.

Then again, Juan Carlos “Juanito” Aguilar Arrieta is not your regular 11-year-old. 

When he was 8, the young King City musician was eager to get an autograph from the group that most inspires him. Before the Los Tigres concert at the California Mid-State fair in Paso Robles, young Juanito asked his dad if he could take his accordion to the concert. 

“I said, ‘Well, take it,’” Gabriel Aguilar said. “We tried to get as close as we could, and we just got to the foot of the stage and that’s when Jorge looked at him and pointed at him and said, ‘Get on if you want. Come on,’ and that’s how they gave us access to go up on stage.”

“Jorge” is Jorge Hernández, also known as “El Tigre Mayor,” the vocalist, accordionist and the band’s leader. Juanito played “Ni parientes somos” (We’re Not Even Family), one of the group’s hit songs.

Born into a family of musicians, Juanito began imitating adults who played the accordion at a young age. His grandfather, Juan José Arrieta, has played the instrument with the band Los Misioneros del Valle since he was 12 years old. Juanito’s older brother, José, began playing norteño music when he was about 17 years old.

It was a family affair of afternoon gatherings, young boys playing with grandpa’s group. Eventually, Juanito started to play the accordion with the grownups. During COVID, while the boy was sitting in his house, he came up with a name for his group: Juanito Aguilar G Coronado.

“We just hung out, he played the guitar, he started playing the toy accordion and we spent the afternoons like that,” Aguilar said.

Juanito watched Los Tigres del Norte perform in San José when he was 8 years old. Along with his grandfather’s lessons, Los Tigres inspired him to play the accordion.

“My grandpa taught me, and I learned on the internet,” Juanito said.

“In San José, the concert was huge and we were quite far away,” Aguilar said. But later, the family learned Los Tigres would be in Paso Robles. “I asked Juan if he wanted to go and he said, dad can I take my accordion so he can sign it for me?”

The encounter made an impression on Juanito. 

“I felt nervous but excited at the same time,” the boy said.

As a group, Juanito Aguilar G Coronado has performed at private events, but also at larger venues such as the Monterey County Fair and Salinas Valley Fair.

Also, the band has performed with well-known norteño groups such as Los Tiranos del Norte, Los Cadetes de Linares, Relampaguitos, a special performance with Edgardo Núñez in Salinas, and Los Rieleros del Norte in King City.

Juanito’s dream is to become one of the best accordionists of all time. 

He recently had a chance to reunite with Los Tigres del Norte, this time in Salinas, during a ceremony honoring the legendary group. Los Tigres received a lifetime achievement award from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and Supervisor Chris Lopez, knowing of the boy’s performance with the band, called him to take photos with the group. Juanito and his dad obliged. 

“My dream,” Juanito said modestly, “is probably to become a good accordionist.”