Los Lonely Boys
Rockpango
Lonely Tone / Playing In Traffic Records
There’s a pile of places you can stand on to watch pop music evolve – LastFM, Toyota commercials, NME, even The Rolling Stone and that dusty FM dial in your jalopy are up to date. But while the river flows past, note that there are a few boulders that never seem to change: rockabilly, cool jazz, and even the Tejano rock and roll sound that lives on the banks of the Rio Grande.
Los Lonely Boys came out of that conjunto scene; here you don’t just start a band, your whole family starts one, finds its audience, and keeps its private fights private. These guys were a surprise hit back in 2004, and on their most recent album Rockpango, they’ve ditched Epic, gone indie, and stuck to their roots, their fans, and their integrity.
You’ll hear a bit of everything Norte Americano here: a country base (“Road to Nowhere”), a flash of Funk (“16 Monkeys”), the smoke of blues (“Change the World”), classic rock (“Smile”) and the clatter of Mexico (“Love in My Veins”). Up front the soulful vocal talent from Henry Garza that sounds about as middle USA as any frat boy from Austin. Behind him are brothers Jojo on bass and Ringo on drums (naturally) and Reese Wynans (of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Double Trouble) and Michael Ramos on keys. Together they pound out a solid party mix, smooth and urgent.
Dance, drink, fight or drive across Texas, this is the double shot you need to keep up the night’s energy. Who needs Red Bull when there’s Tejano rock?
Los Lonely Boys: http://www.loslonelyboys.com
