Damian Rodriquez plays guitar in his home office, Paul, ID. Photo by Arlie Sommer, October 28, 2022.(Arlie Sommer/Photo by Arlie Sommer for Expres)

The voice of Damian Rodriguez can be heard on the airwaves regularly in the Burley area. He’s a volunteer DJ for a show featuring Tejano music on the local bilingual radio station, 91.9 FM Voz Latina.

He plays guitar and sings traditional Mexican music and also American pop and rock tunes all through a Tejano lens, which comes from the Mexican culture in Texas. Rodriguez shares his passion for the music with live audiences, performing in front of crowds across the state.

This year, he was awarded a Folk and Traditional Arts Fellowship from the Idaho Commission on the Arts for his contributions to Idaho.

Arlie Sommer brings us this story for her Expressive Idaho series.