Philadelphia Weekly

Guitar hero: Fernandez serenades gringos who eat Mexican in the Italian Market. (photo Michael Persico)

Their faces washed in a hot-pink glow, the diners at Distrito savor bites of veal cheek tacos and duck breast mole before raising their glasses and flushing down the rich, greasy meats with candy-colored fresh-fruit margaritas. The two floors of chef Jose Garces' upscale Mexican restaurant in West Philly are a whirl of kitschy sights, striking flavors and bustling sounds--the decibels rising on busy nights to rival a late-night lucha libre match. One almost expects a gold-suited, sombrero-topped mariachi to emerge from the happy crowd.

But Aurelio Fernandez, 25, wears instead an understated uniform of black shirt and black pants, his voice strong but subdued, his guitar across his chest. He wanders the aisles between the servers and tables, supplementing requests for "B�same Mucho" and "Cielito Lindo" with his own favorites.

"My music has a little touch--it's very personal," says Fernandez, sitting in the kitchen of his apartment. "The mariachi voice is very different--more coarse. Mine is m�s tranquilo, more relaxed."

He's dressed casually in a white T-shirt, his wrists adorned with thin bracelets representing Cruz Azul, a soccer team from Mexico City. It's a little after noon, but he's still tired. He was hired late last night to perform a serenata--a romantic serenade--for a young Mexican couple in their South Philly home.

Born in Mexico City, Fernandez says he started playing guitar at age nine. By that time his parents had returned to their hometown of Oyamatepec in Puebla, and Fernandez played in the church chorus there with his uncle and two brothers.

After high school he studied engineering but dropped out and worked long days in a factory. At night he'd ride the city buses in Puebla or Mexico City, singing ballads and boleros to distracted commuters for coins. At first it was difficult, he says, and drivers would close the doors in his face.

"But with time you meet people," he goes on, "and it's very beautiful because then they say, 'Come work' and they don't close the door. And sometimes even the driver gives you a tip."

Like so many Mexican immigrants new to the city, when Fernandez arrived in Philadelphia in 2005 he worked as a dishwasher. The hours were long and the pay low.

"I told myself I have to make money from music," says Fernandez.

He took his guitar down to the string of Mexican restaurants along Washington Avenue--Taquer�a la Veracruzana, Plaza Garibaldi, Moctezuma, Acapulco and Los Taquitos de Puebla. "I told them I want to sing for people when they come to eat. All the owners are very good people--everyone said okay." If a restaurant had a good crowd, he'd enter, sing a few songs and collect some tips. If it looked empty he'd come back later.

Although the owners welcomed him, Fernandez was nervous. "My English is very bad and many Americans come to eat [at those restaurants]," he explains.

Not long after, the doors opened once more for Fernandez when a cousin said Jose Garces was looking for a mariachi for his new Mexican-themed restaurant. "But I'm not a mariachi," Fernandez said. Still, he went to the audition and was hired to work a few nights during opening week. Now he's there six nights a week.

When he's not at Distrito, Fernandez performs at birthdays, baptisms and festivals; teaches guitar lessons; sings at Anunciation BVM church at 10th and Dickinson; and practices with his group, Ondo Red. On his single night off he still heads down to Washington Avenue to sing in the taquer�as.

But these days he prefers performing for Americans.

"Here, for the Mexicans it's good because there isn't live music and they miss Mexican music. But for me I really like the reaction of Americans. It's very different. They concentrate. They pay a lot of attention to the music."

Kate Kilpatrick is a PW senior contributing editor. Comments on this story can be sent to feedback@philadelphiaweekly.com