Latinx Makers In Western Colorado: Edgar "EQ" Quiroz + Alejandro Castillo Llam

EDGAR “EQ” QUIROZ

With a name like “La Familia Music Group,” a communal vibe is implied if not outright expected. A familia is support and guidance. A familia is a home.

If LFMG is a home, founder Edgar “EQ” Quiroz is the father, the uncle, the brother and the cousin. A teacher and a mentor, the mouthpiece and the heart, Quiroz is the embodiment of the space.

Quiroz, a 27-year-old born in Guadalajara, organizes events, works in the studio, teaches classes and speaks publicly on behalf of the group. He speaks on behalf of the group — passionately so — because he recognizes the healing power of music.

After a series of moves as a child, culminating in his family landing in Telluride, Quiroz felt ostracized as one of the “few Mexicans” in Telluride. “The bullying was a lot,” he explains. Quiroz discovered, however, that music was his balm in an otherwise alienating time and place.

Photos by Nickolas Paullus.

Quiroz taught himself to produce and rap in his early teenage years. “Hip-hop was just really easy, accessible,” he says.

Not only a quick learner, Quiroz was a natural businessman. He even managed to host his own showcase at the lauded Sheridan Opera House at 14 years old. Despite a promising beginning, however, like many young talents, Quiroz fell victim to the shady side of the music industry. Music labels, especially smaller ones, can be predatory, and despite growing exposure, Quiroz found himself owing money to the label.

“It wasn’t a lot, but I owed them money.”

That experience was all Quiroz needed to push him towards starting his own label. With help from a financial partner, Carlos Camacho, Quiroz started La Familia Music Group.

The nondescript storefront in Montrose is a record label and recording studio to be certain, but much of what makes LFMG a true familia is its status as a 501(c)(3).

LFMG Music Academy is a non-profit that works with local youths to learn all angles of the music industry. Much of what Quiroz had to learn the hard way is part of a non-profit’s curriculum that the group offers to local kids of all demographics.

“They learn song writing, beat making, engineering, of course. But, they also learn how to make art and, importantly, how to make money off their art.”

The program is a success, with local schools and groups reaching out to expand the scope of the non-profit. Despite this, however, Quiroz admits that “being a Hispanic leader is challenging.” Politics and social reform can leave marginalized groups wanting for representation, and Quiroz has felt himself struggling to be taken seriously, despite the strides the organization has made.

“But then, also, I remember once this 10-yearold kid came up to me, and he said I inspire him. He was Latino, and he thought I was a role model, and that meant a lot.” A role model, because Quiroz teaches empowerment despite adversity, with the program’s roots fostering growth and positive social change. His community, his home and most certainly his familia.

LFMG has a recording studio in Montrose, as well as the LFMG Music Academy, which works in conjunction with CASA and other local youth groups in the Montrose area. LFMG also puts on the annual La Carmilia Festival in Grand Junction, as well as various showcases and shows throughout the state.

ALEJANDRO CASTILLO LLAMAS

If the worldwide passion for wine makes one thing clear, it is that wine making is an art. And, as with other mediums, good wine comes from a synthesis of tradition and novelty.

Alejandro Castillo Llamas and his wife Michelle’s new Hotchkiss winery Fallen Mountain is true to this synthesis, marrying the couple’s breadth of hands-on experience with the novel approach requisite to successful Colorado winemaking. With novel varietals and techniques, they hope to “honor the region’s adversities,” while also honoring their own unique personal histories.

On the surface, Llamas being one of the few Mexican-American winemakers in the country itself could be seen as a novelty. Yet, as with all things agriculture, migrant labor is the unsung hero of viticulture and winemaking at large in the U.S., with roots deep in the heart of wine country.

“There is a resistance to accepting Americans of Mexican descent as winemakers, despite the overwhelming presence of us in vineyards and wine cellars,” says Llamas. “It is factual and undeniable that we are making some of the world’s best wines.”

Llamas himself comes from a family with profound connections to agriculture and viticulture. With a combined experience of over 70 years in Napa Valley wine production, Castillo’s parents’ passion and breadth of knowledge inform his process to this day.

“From feed corn and tables grapes in the Coachella Valley to viticulture in Napa,” there is an abiding sense of “valuing and honoring the land” in Llamas’ family traditions. Much of this sentiment and practice echoes modern notions of sustainability and reciprocity, but the roots are genuine and familial.

In fact, throughout the growing and harvest season, Llamas’ parents have been offering their insight. From early-season pruning to helping punch down during fermentation, his parents’ frequent trips from Napa have fostered the new winery’s growth every step of the way.

“Even though they don’t know the climactic conditions of this region, they do know the vines,” says Llamas. This sense of “knowing” is evident in much of the couple’s sentiment. There is a lived sense of growth and seasonality, a palpable sense that they listen to the land.

“We believe we are spectators, and our role is to assist when needed, nothing more,” explains Llamas.

Llamas has “a deep knowledge of how to grow, produce, sell and talk about wine. On all levels,” says Michelle Llamas. Yet, he pairs that with a “beginner’s mindset, which is a pioneering mindset.”

An artist’s mindset, as it were, echoing the notion that good art speaks for itself.

Originally published in the Winter 2023-24 issue of Spoke+Blossom.