Being an Escovedo in Southern California is a bit like being a Marsalis in Louisiana or a Valdes in Cuba. Being born into music royalty brings certain expectations should you go into the family business. And when that family tree includes names such as Sheila E., Pete Escovedo, Coke Escovedo, Alejandro Escovedo and Javier Escovedo -- well, is it any surprise Mario isn't the best-known member of the Escovedo clan?

Born in Orange County but raised in Chula Vista, Mario is the youngest of his father's 13 children (with two different wives).

"It's kind of a fun, razzing atmosphere when we're all together," Escovedo said by phone recently during a lunch break from KFMB/Channel 8, where he's an assignment editor for the news desk. "But it's also very much a competitive side. … There's just a competitive streak in all of us to try to be the best."

While older stepbrothers Pete and the late Coke are known for their Latin jazz and gigs with Santana, and Sheila (Pete's daughter) for her gigs with Prince and Ringo Starr, Mario just ended a 13-year run with local punk-rockers the Dragons. He recently formed the Mario Escovedo Experience, or MEX (playing Saturday night at the Belly Up Tavern).

Although the Dragons built a loyal local following in their decade-plus together, with seven records issued, Escovedo said the members just felt it was time to call it a day.

"The writing was on the wall that it was time to start different things; time to try a different kind of music.

"At a certain point, we'd gone from being single guys starting a rock band to three of us being married with kids. Going on the road a couple times a year was taking its toll on everybody and it was just starting to be more difficult.

"It had gone as far as it was going to go."

At 42, divorced with two kids and a steady job for 20 years at KFMB, Escovedo said he was ready for a change personally as well.

"The leather pants and running around like a maniac onstage -- I was feeling a little out of place," he said with a laugh.

But if he's had that reliable day job, there's also always been the music.

"Growing up, it was instilled in us," Escovedo said of his constant involvement in the local music scene. "My dad was always singing and having music around, and my mom is from Texas. There's always been Tex-Mex music in the house."

That Latin influence, not particularly emphasized in the Dragons, is far more evident in the songs Escovedo is doing with MEX -- or at least those posted to his MySpace page, which include a tribute to the Texas Tornados.

"When I wrapped up the Dragons, I began writing a solo record, and I was feeling the pressure to emulate Alejandro or Javier, to be truthful.

"What I decided at a certain point is to play music I love and to have fun. I put out an ad and happened to meet this accordion player from Corpus Christi who now lives in Vista, and he introduced me to this guitar player who also lives in Vista. We just started playing some Texas Tornado covers, some Sir Doug, some Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, added in some Richie Valens, and even added in some punk songs -- and it just kind of evolved into its own little machine. It's just so much fun to play in.

"It was cool what they did with the Tornados, playing Tex-Mex in a rock vein. That was always something we aspired to."

Interestingly, given his family background and constant exposure to music, he caught the music bug relatively late.

"Everybody in the family was in the music business, and my parents were very much encouraging me to go to college and get a professional job -- so I was very discouraged from pursuing music at all. I always wanted to please my parents by always having a job. For Alejandro and Javier it was a lot harder for them to get started in the punk days. My parents didn't want to see me go through that.

"It wasn't until I was 19 that I went to visit my brother Javier, and we went to Hollywood and bought my first guitar."

Soon after that, though, he was in his first band, MBO, playing weekly shows at the tiny Texas Teahouse in Ocean Beach.

Now, with MEX, Escovedo is starting to assemble material for the band's first album.

"That's next on the plan -- getting our originals down and getting into a recording studio."

As for the next generation of Escovedos, things are already going well. Despite the fact that she's older by a few years, Sheila E. is actually Mario's niece, being his stepbrother's daughter. And a nephew, Paris, leads a popular Latin jazz band in Los Angeles.

They might be joined by a couple more Escovedos in the future, too.

Mario's children are 10 and 14, he said, and while they don't take their dad's music too seriously, they seem to be paying attention.

"They've been to a few of the shows. And they were kind of smirking at me for playing with an accordion and some different kinds of music, but it was funny to watch them watch us at the Del Mar Fair -- they really enjoyed it.

"Now they're taking music lessons, and they really enjoy it and I could see them carrying on the family tradition."

Mario Escovedo Experience, opening for the Young Dubliners

When: 9 p.m. Saturday

Where: Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach

Tickets: $18-$20

Info: (858) 481-8140

Web: myspace.com/marioescovedoexperiencemex