Margaret Moser Tribute: Tiarra Girls (Tiffany, Tori & Sofia Baltierra)

“She will always be such an important part of our story”


Margaret with the second recipient of the Margaret Moser Award, Rose Reyes, and the Tiarra Girls at the 2017 Austin Music Awards, ACL Live at the Moody Theater (Photo by Todd V. Wolfson)

In 2015, we noticed Margaret had her eye on us. She said she’d been following us because we started to show up in the Austin Music Awards balloting. We had no idea what the Awards were all about or that there was even an Under 18 category, but she put us on the guest list, and we got to see everything up close and how all these musicians put in all this work. That made us work harder at what we were doing.

At the Music Awards, she thought about us and introduced us to different people like Marcia Ball and Bob Schneider. We were just impressed by her attention to us. When we went to San Antonio recently and saw her at the Tex Pop Museum, Margaret introduced us to Kathy Valentine, and that was a big thing for us. Now, we actually have a gig set up at Threadgill’s with her.

One time we played the Market Square in San Antonio, and Margaret showed up unannounced. After one song, she came up onstage, took the mic, and started talking about us to the whole crowd. She will always be such an important part of our story. Without her, we probably wouldn’t have done a lot of things we’ve done.

  • Margaret Moser Tribute: Leader of the Pack

    The importance of being Margaret Moser as told by her peers, mentors & protégés
  • Susan Antone

    “If I could do in my lifetime half of what she’s done, I’d be a happy person”

    Marcia Ball

    “She’s a music writer who writes to enlighten”

    Lou Ann Barton

    The blues belter on what it's like to have your career chronicled by the best

    Ray Benson

    Soap Creek Saloon on a 10-cent tequila night

    Alice Berry

    On the Texas Blondes: “We were just cute girls who liked cute bands”

    John Cale

    Velvet Underground co-founder on first meet: “Up walks a petite blonde with all the swagger of someone 10 feet tall”

    Alvin Crow

    Summer camp with the kids

    Joe Doerr

    Pulling out a seat at Austin music’s banquet table

    Joe Ely

    “She always stirred up whatever trouble there was”

    Roky Erickson

    On Margaret’s personal and passionate way of writing about music

    Alejandro Escovedo

    “Her love for the Velvet Underground and John Cale was the same as I had”

    Rosie Flores

    “Austin wouldn’t be Austin if it wasn’t for Margaret”

    Gary Floyd

    Promoting punk, Austin, Texas-style

    Denny Freeman

    Remembering that “little blues cult”

    Chris Gates

    The power of print – and a 20-inch dildo

    Eliza Gilkyson

    The best advice she ever received? Keep your dogs clean.

    Jon Dee Graham

    A champion of Austin music – and Austin music writers

    Emily Gimble

    “She’s such a positive force in the world”

    Warren Hood

    “She’s the coolest, hippest lady”

    Tamir Kalifa

    Mother Falcon's mama bear
  • Barbara K

    The power of music for fixing things and opening hearts

    Chris Layton

    Antone’s, 1979: Hurricane Margaret blows in

    Paddy Moloney

    "You felt you were in safe hands with Margaret"

    Jason McMaster

    “She’s as metal as anyone – maybe even more”

    Augie Meyers

    “You can’t replace Margaret. There’s no more people like her.”

    Eve Monsees

    The confidence booster

    Derek O'Brien

    A great writer, and a great partier, too

    Rose Reyes

    “She was the leadership in Austin journalism that made sure women, Latinos, blacks, and youth weren’t overlooked”

    The Rolling Stones

    That Margaret Moser, she’s a rainbow

    Shawn & Shandon Sahm

    Beautiful Texas sunshine

    Larry Seaman

    “I don’t want to be greedy, but I want a little more time”

    Charlie Sexton

    The United Nations of Margaret

    Jeff Smith

    The case for San Antonio as the true heart of Texas music

    Angela Strehli

    “Margaret was always exuberant, cherubic, and mischievous simultaneously”

    Jesse Sublett

    When the Queen calls, you come

    Kathy Valentine

    Right place, right time, right woman to share the joy with

    Jimmie Vaughan

    “Everything back then felt like us versus them – and she was one of us”

    Patricia Vonne

    Shine a light

    Monte Warden

    The career kick-starter

    Lucinda Williams

    The life of the party

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KEYWORDS FOR THIS STORY

Margaret Moser, Tiarra Girls, Tiffany Baltierra, Tori Baltierra, Sophia Baltierra, Austin Music Awards, Tex Pop Museum, Kathy Valentine, Doug Freeman, Margaret Moser Tribute

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