Los Lonely Boys are back in town!

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Faith and family keep Los Lonely Boys going strong.
               
And for brothers – Jojo, bass / vocals; Henry, vocals / guitar, and Ringo Garza, drums – there’s no shaking that foundation.
           
Appearing live at The Majestic Fox Theater on August 4, 2010 at 8 p.m., these proud purveyors of “Texican rock n’ roll,” are true believers in the brotherhood they’ve been blessed with.


Above: Ringo, Henry, and JoJo Garza

“We share all of our accomplishments,” said Jojo, the 30-year-old via telephone during a tour stop in Massachusetts on the group’s formula for continued success. “It comes with a lot of craziness, but a lot more love than most people are used to, even in their own families.”



Growing up as young musicians in their hometown of San Angelo, Texas, their musical upbringing took them from bars to the big time after being discovered by country legend Willie Nelson and scoring major label success in ’04. Touring the world and making TV appearances much in part to their Grammy-winning hit, “Heaven,” their highly publicized rags to riches tale also became the topic of a critically acclaimed 2007 documentary titled, “Cornfields and Crossroads.” 

Unfazed by the music industry’s overzealous, fickle nature, the brothers took it all in stride.

“It all happened so fast,” he said. “Seeing the whole country, meeting a lot of different people – and seeing other parts of the world. We’ve had the opportunity the Lord blessed us with, and we’re very thankful for that.”

Producing more studio albums for Epic Records, including a set of holiday classics, they showed the world they were here to stay. Now, rocking on as independent artists with a new label and imprint, Lonely Tone Records, they find themselves in the driver’s seat once again.



“We’re still playing as much as ever. As far as how many people are at the shows – that’s a whole different thing, and where we’re playing too. But, we’re also making new fans left and right,” he said. “Believe it or not, we’re still playing about 200-250 days of the year.”

Releasing a six-song EP of cover songs titled, “1969,” last October, recent plans to finish a new full-length release were put on hold, after Jojo was forced to stop performing this past April. Developing lesions on his busy vocal cords, doctors told Jojo it was time to take a rest or risk losing his livelihood.



“My progress is coming along,” he explained. “We were actually in the studio when the whole thing happened with my throat, so it’s going to take awhile to get back to that. I’m trying to sing as much as I can, trying to feel normal.”



Still residing in San Angelo, regular weekend outings with wives and children often become one big Garza gathering, depending on who’s cooking.

“We get our families together and BBQ all the time,” he said. “Our kids are getting a lot older. My oldest is 12 years old now, Henry’s as well, and Ringo’s got his little kids there. We still go fishing, play golf…”

And what about the beloved Texas town they helped put on the map?


“It’s a nice little place. Not too busy or too small,” he said. “We have all the big name stores you get in big cities, but we also got the hometown flavor – places like Rosa’s Café and Hidalgo’s. I’ll tell you this much, there wasn’t a whole lot going on in San Angelo, until Los Lonely Boys came outta there.”

And thankfully they did. Those who have seen this musical power trio will testify to their outstanding electrifying live show. From Henry’s powerful vocals and intense blues guitar slinging, to Ringo’s impeccable backbeat, and of course Jojo’s thumping bass lines, this finely tuned power trio is unstoppable.

Songs like “Oye Mamacita,” “Staying With Me” and “La Onda,” are sure to be performed live with all the sabor of their recordings plus added spices guaranteed to make you jump out of your seat and into the Fox aisles.



“We’re gonna bring the music that we play, man,” he said. “And pour some Texican sauce on Bakersfield.” (he laughs)

Switching to a more serious subject, the topic of immigration continues to be the source of heated debate in the music industry with the passing of Arizona’s SB1070 immigration bill. Signed into law this past April, and scheduled to go into effect on July 28, it would allow Arizona law enforcement officers to ask for legal citizenship status of those people with whom they believe may be illegal aliens. Although challenged by President Obama over its constitutionality, a growing swell of professional artists have chosen to boycott Arizona canceling tour stops within the state.

For Los Lonely Boys, this is a matter of the heart, not politics.



“We feel for the familias, the kids, the hard workers,” he explained. “We feel for the people who are trying to better their lives. As far as boycotting, we don’t really turn our back on anybody, man. People are people, and we’re for the human race. As far as how we feel about this - we just hope that people can find places in their heart to make the right choices. We really try not to be very political, but it’s getting kind of tough these days with a lot of the things that are going on.”

Looking forward to many more years of music making, Jojo has some advice for fellow musicians before hitting the road again. 

“Stay true to your music and what you believe in,” he said. “Spread a positive message across the world and think about more than just yourself. People that have an ability to play and sing – if we spread a positive message, we could change a lot of things in this world.” 

-Los Lonely Boys official website
-Related article - The 'Sacred Meaning of Los Lonely Boys
MAS Magazine presents…
Los Lonely Boys
w/ The Delgado Brothers
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
8 p.m.
Bakersfield Fox Theater, 2001 H St.
Tickets: $45, $35 and $25
www.vallitix.com
661-324-1369

As featured in the July 2010 edition of MAS - available FREE all over Bakersfield!
(CLICK ON COVER BELOW TO FIND A FREE RACK LOCATION NEAR YOU)


OR Click on cover below to read digital version online!