Life gets in the way. The phone rings. Someone needs hay. I decide to move a grain drill from Seguin to Belmont—the damn thing is sixteen feet wide and between road construction and too much traffic, the trip leaves me frazzled. I look at my watch and realize I barely have time to make it if I leave without changing clothes or cleaning up. Austin traffic on a Friday. Not just any Friday. SXSW. Gridlock. Find a parking space? Good luck. Takes more than luck. Seven bucks and knowing where to go. I don’t know. I arrive thirty minutes later than planned, dirty, ready to cut the next son-of-a-buck that gets in my way. The place is full of people. Two cowboy hats. One on my head, the other on the head of Enrique Garza Sr., the father of Los Lonely Boys. So maybe I’m not totally alone in this insane city. Then I see Hector. He gets me past the protectors of the gate. I take my seat. The movie comes on. For the next two hours I am lost in the world of Los Lonely Boys. Before it’s over I am washed clean. Afterwards, I go to a party and get to meet the patriarch of the Garza family. I had listened to the boy’s music and thought it OK, but never quite understanding why they were so popular. Now I know. Watch this movie and you will too. Catch them live and you’ll know. These guys are on fire. Their live performance incorporates power, skill, heart, soul, timing and spirit, uniquely their own. Henry Garza compares playing his music to making a tortilla. He takes a little Hendrix, a little Clapton, some Ritchie Valens, Stevie Ray Vaughn, some of the roots music his dad taught him, throws in his own secret ingredients and viola, Texican Rock and Roll emerges. But what sets this group far and above the rest is family. There’s a bond among these boys: love, respect, pride in their culture and their heritage, and a general sense that you’re in the presence of good honest American folk. That’s right. American. Best of the best we have to offer. These guys have roots. One of the mistakes people make when describing America is that Mexicans get left out of the equation. America wouldn’t be America without the contribution Latinos have made and continue to make to this land. The world of Americana music is not unlike the rest of the country, dominated by white males. It’s time to break down the barriers and let the raza in. There’s no way you can call your product roots music without recognizing all the various branches that make up this land and its history. (Note: On a recent trip to El Paso/Juarez I visited an old cathedral. Date of construction, and this is one big honkin’ building: 1600’s. About the same time some white guy was landing at Jamestown and settling (?) North America.) Enrique Garza Sr. fought like hell to be included in the world of country music, and while he was allowed to play in honkytonks, the large arena remained beyond his reach. Not too many rednecks were willing to consider some Mexican singing country songs. When his boys asked him how to handle this rejection he told them to take it easy and that when you play your music, they’ll understand. The boys listened and are still doing that to this day. Enrique Sr. didn’t fulfill his personal dream of being a name brand performer, but his sons are accomplishing the feat on his behalf. The studio CD has sold over two million copies. If I don’t miss my guess, they’re just getting warmed up. Their live performances are light-years better than the CD. Hector Galan was around to capture some of that along with the family history that makes this group what it is. Watch the movie when it comes your way. Parts will make you angry. Parts will make you laugh; other parts may make you cry. Before it’s over you’ll clap and cheer and emerge feeling cleansed of divisive hatred and racism that threatens to tear this country apart. I for one left feeling better about the land I know and love and proud to call Los Lonely Boys, mis hermanos. ——————– About the Author – Don Henry Ford, Jr. When Don’s not writing books he lends out his talent to Americana Roots to put together great articles like this. If you’ve enjoyed what you read, then pick up Don’s latest book Contrabando: Confessions of a Drug Smuggling Cowboy at your local bookstore or online at Cinco Puntos Press.
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