Meet Elijah Ezequiel | The Arizona Squeezebox Kid

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elijah Ezequiel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elijah, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
Right now I’m just a thirteen year old kid. When I think about my legacy, it seems so very far away in the future. I know I want to leave my music behind for everyone to enjoy for generations. I want my music to help others forget about their problems. I want it to make people feel something good or to bring out something good in them. Whether it makes them smile, laugh and especially to make them want to move. I want to give everyone happy feet. Yes, dancing feet! Music speaks to everyone in different ways and I just hope mine speaks volumes. And mostly, I hope I helped in a huge way to keep Conjunto & Tejano music alive for my people and my culture. I hope my legacy inspires other kids to keep our music going.

What do I want people to remember about me? I want them to always remember that I loved everyone. That all I ever wanted to do was to make them smile and to bring happiness to their lives. Even if only for a moment. I want to make my parents proud and when they’re gone I hope they look down on me from heaven and still beam with pride. I don’t ever want to change who I am. I hope people remember me as I am now. Elijah Ezequiel y Los Conjunto AddictZ. The band who played true Conjunto & Tejano music and could pack the dance floor!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Conjunto music originated in south Texas at the end of the 19th century by Mexican Americans. This music was performed using the accordion and bajo sexto. It’s part of my culture and heritage. I’m excited about keeping the legacy going and hopefully introducing it to my children, if I ever have any. I wouldn’t be here without my father, Arthur Aguirre, who also plays the bajo sexto. Me wanting to learn the accordion when I was only six was one of the most perfect things I could’ve ever decided at such a young age. With me on accordion and my dad on bajo sexto, he knew I could go far in life. With my dads love and encouragement I just want to keep pushing myself to be the best I can be. Is it easy? No! I have to give up a lot of things most normal kids get to do. I don’t get to be on video games all day or be outside playing. I have to work hard to learning knew songs and practicing even when I don’t want to. My back hurts, my arms are sore and these accordions are not lightweight. They weigh ten to twelve pounds and it’s a workout. I overcome challenges by taking breaks when I get mad or frustrated learning a new piece of music. I go for a walk or sit quietly and meditate before I try again. I pray, a lot! I’ve learned you have to have patience and believe in yourself. Don’t let others tell you what you can or can’t do. And whatever you do, do it from your heart.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is kind of hard to answer since I’m only thirteen and I can’t drive or really get into places without another adult. But I would take them to eat at my moms kitchen. Seriously! I would want them to try my moms famous beans and rice. No one makes them like she does. I’d want to hang out at the mall. I like Arizona Mills and the Chandler malls. I also love going to downtown Mesa on Main Street. There’s some really good food there. I think my favorite place there is Taco Chiwa’s. You’ve got to try their tacos al pastor! Maybe hangout at a public pool and go swimming or the lake. I love fishing and we have a lot of lakes and great areas here in Arizona for fishing. I’d also love to get them into one of my gigs so they could listen to my band play. I’d definitely take them to a teen dance to hang out with my friends and I. We always have a lot of fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are four people that are hugely responsible for getting me where I am today. I first want to give a shoutout to my accordion instructor, Raul Resendez who lives in Texas. He taught me for two years through skype and I appreciate his love, kindness and his patience with me. I truly appreciate his hard work in teaching me everything I know.
My second shoutout is to Ryan Leyva of Conjunto Ambicion. He opened up his heart and welcomed me on his stage, allowing me to play with his band when I was only twelve years old. He’s my biggest mentor, next to my dad. I watched Ryan’s stage presence and his love of performing and I can only hope I’m that good some day. I don’t want to feel shy or awkward like I still do right now. I absolutely love performing but I wish I could show it, like he does. Without Ryan, I would still have stage freight. He allowed me to play at every gig he had and that gave me all the opportunity to get comfortable with the stage and playing live. Ryan asked me to keep a promise to him and that was to always keep my stage open to other kids, just like he did for me. I plan to always keep my promise to him. He’s a beautiful person.
My third shoutout is to Mr. John Acosta of Tejano Tas Radio. Without him, my music probably wouldn’t be on radio stations right now. He was the one who started the ball rolling and he encouraged me to get music out. He said he believed in me and he wanted the world to know who I was. He also lives in Texas and it was such a huge honor that he flew all the way to Mesa, Arizona just to come hear my bands debut this past April. He’s sent my music out to other DJ’s and even put my information on his own website. He deserves a lot of credit for getting my name out to the public.
Lastly and most importantly, my father Arthur Aguirre. Without him, I’d be nothing! My dad is the one who introduced Conjunto & Tejano music to me. I fell in love with it hearing him play it in his truck all the time. It was because of him that I first saw what an accordion was. My dad would fix and tune accordions as a side hustle and he brought this huge piano accordion home one day and I was curious. He let me hold it and showed me how to pull and squeeze this huge box. The sounds that came out of it made me laugh. I wanted to learn how to make it work and play music. I was only six at the time. My dad is a very blunt person and he holds nothing back. He doesn’t sugar coat anything. He pushes me to be the best I can be. His famous words are, “suck it up buttercup!” And I’ve had to suck it up lots of times. But it’s because of my dad that I’m able to play as well as I do. There’s no video game time unless my school work and chores are done along with my one to two hours of practice time. My dad makes sure I’m ready to go on stage feeling good about myself and what I’m about to play. I appreciate him so much and he’s the one who I always want to make proud.

Website: https://elijahezequiel.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/elijahezequielaguirre

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElijahEzequielAguirre

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Elijah.Ezequiel

Other: spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7s5jZcAtCT1jvWXEQhqJ51