Business Feature: Store caters to fans of New Mexican music

Carolina Sierra hopes to fill a niche market with her recently opened music store.

Located at 615 N. Main, Carolina’s New Mexico Music specializes in the fast-paced, drum and bass-guitar driven sounds she grew up listening to in Santa Rosa. The New Mexico brand of Latino music has a sound that is distinctly different than the popular Tex-Mex, regional Mexican or Norteño music distributed by major music labels.

By opening the music store, Sierra hopes to save fans of New Mexico music from having to drive to places such as Albuquerque and Santa Fe, like she has had to do in the past.

“I feel there is a market for New Mexico music here,” Sierra said. “I do believe that once people who have not been exposed to New Mexico music hear it, they will adjust to it and will like it as well as the other types of Spanish music.

“I want to see what kind of reaction I get. Some people may feel that this is just another Spanish music store, but I don’t feel that way.”

Lining Sierra’s shelves that she hopes to expand are CDs by top New Mexico artists such as Tobias Rene, Al Hurricane and Al Hurricane Jr., Bryan Olivas, Gonzalo, Cuarenta y Cinco, Purple Haze, Persuasion, Jenna and Los Cordovas. She also has the New Mexico headliners, Lorenzo Antonio and Sparx, as well as some New Mexico oldies such as Tiny Morrie and Gloria Pohl, and even a religious CD by Asylum.

Rick Sanchez, host of El Big Show on La Mejor radio on 94.7 FM, said he is in the process of getting some of the New Mexico music CDs from Sierra to play on the Amarillo-based radio station.

“In the past, we have had requests for Al Hurricane, so I’m excited,” Sanchez said. “I myself have heard some New Mexico music, but not enough. There’s a whole other world out there that we haven’t even began to hear about.”

Fast facts

What: Carolina’s New Mexico Music

Where: 615 N. Main

Hours: noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday

Information: 763-5342