By M. Trevor Higgins
Staff Writer
Jojo Garza is happy to talk about the music of his band, Los Lonely Boys. There is plenty of good music news to talk about for the three brothers —; Jojo on bass, Henry on guitar, Ringo on drums —; that make up Los Lonely.
“Sacred,” the follow-up to the band’s self-titled, multiplatinum debut, hits stores next month. That debut spawned the hit single “Heaven,” and won the 2005 Grammy for best pop vocal by a duo or group. Late last week, Mr. Garza was shooting the video for “Diamonds,” the first single off “Sacred.”
But Mr. Garza is a passionate man, and sometimes his passions overlap.
“That’s Ringo’s ’67 GTO,” he said, laughing with the roar of his brother’s car. The “Diamonds” video was shot at Los Lonely Boys’ custom car shop, The Texican Chop Shop.
“We love old cars, muscle cars. We like the old ’69 Camaros. Henry’s got a couple ’72 Cutlasses, ’72 Chevy pickup, ’56 Chevelle. We basically turn them inside out. We do some work on them. I like to take them to the bone,” he said.
It only makes sense that Los Lonely Boys make their cars like their music: Texican flourishes and brotherly harmonies over a classically inspired body.
Or, as they sing in “My Way,” the first track on “Sacred”: “Don’t tell me how to live my life/Don’t tell me how to pray/Don’t tell me how to sing my song/Don’t tell me what to say/I believe in miracles every day/I don’t care what you say/I’m going to do it my way.”
If Los Lonely Boys are taking their own path, they at least followed some large footsteps. The brothers from San Angelo, Texas, learned music from their father, Enrique, who played in the conjunto band the Falcones.
Their style draws from Texas’ rich musical history —; the guitar influence of Stevie Ray Vaughn is clear, but so are Hispanic trailblazers Santana and Los Lobos.
“Roots are where the nutrients are really at it,” Jojo said. “If you feed that to the people, it can only be good.”
Los Lonely Boys’ circle of influence comes around on “Outlaws,” a track on their new album that features vocals from Enrique and Willie Nelson.
“It’s just talking about that (outlaws) are the people who don’t take a bunch of crap from the man,” Jojo said. “We’re that way as well. We want to do what’s right and not be forced.
“We’re very grounded people. We know where we come from. We know where our roots are. We know what we stand for and what we’re going to fight for. It’s all really a lot of things. People don’t like to talk about God, and there are problems that need to be solved. We’re not being political, just talking about humans.”
Staying grounded starts with the Garzas, or as Jojo said: “Family’s forever, it runs deep.” Los Lonely Boys were originally the backing band for their father, and toured with him for many years. Jojo has only been on tour with his band of brothers.
“He always taught us to be respectful of people outside the family,” Jojo said of his father. “But he made sure we were well kept and looking out for each other.”
The deep connection can be heard in the way the band falls together. It extends to their fans, Jojo said, and it can be heard in the perspective offered up on “Sacred.”
“It talks about a lot of the problems we have in this world as people and how to deal with them and keeping the faith and keep looking towards the light,” he said. “That’s basically what Los Lonely Boys like to spread: There’s always light at the end of the dark tunnel.”
E-mail M. Trevor Higgins at thiggins@timesfreepress.com
Staff Writer
Jojo Garza is happy to talk about the music of his band, Los Lonely Boys. There is plenty of good music news to talk about for the three brothers —; Jojo on bass, Henry on guitar, Ringo on drums —; that make up Los Lonely.
“Sacred,” the follow-up to the band’s self-titled, multiplatinum debut, hits stores next month. That debut spawned the hit single “Heaven,” and won the 2005 Grammy for best pop vocal by a duo or group. Late last week, Mr. Garza was shooting the video for “Diamonds,” the first single off “Sacred.”
But Mr. Garza is a passionate man, and sometimes his passions overlap.
“That’s Ringo’s ’67 GTO,” he said, laughing with the roar of his brother’s car. The “Diamonds” video was shot at Los Lonely Boys’ custom car shop, The Texican Chop Shop.
“We love old cars, muscle cars. We like the old ’69 Camaros. Henry’s got a couple ’72 Cutlasses, ’72 Chevy pickup, ’56 Chevelle. We basically turn them inside out. We do some work on them. I like to take them to the bone,” he said.
It only makes sense that Los Lonely Boys make their cars like their music: Texican flourishes and brotherly harmonies over a classically inspired body.
Or, as they sing in “My Way,” the first track on “Sacred”: “Don’t tell me how to live my life/Don’t tell me how to pray/Don’t tell me how to sing my song/Don’t tell me what to say/I believe in miracles every day/I don’t care what you say/I’m going to do it my way.”
If Los Lonely Boys are taking their own path, they at least followed some large footsteps. The brothers from San Angelo, Texas, learned music from their father, Enrique, who played in the conjunto band the Falcones.
Their style draws from Texas’ rich musical history —; the guitar influence of Stevie Ray Vaughn is clear, but so are Hispanic trailblazers Santana and Los Lobos.
“Roots are where the nutrients are really at it,” Jojo said. “If you feed that to the people, it can only be good.”
Los Lonely Boys’ circle of influence comes around on “Outlaws,” a track on their new album that features vocals from Enrique and Willie Nelson.
“It’s just talking about that (outlaws) are the people who don’t take a bunch of crap from the man,” Jojo said. “We’re that way as well. We want to do what’s right and not be forced.
“We’re very grounded people. We know where we come from. We know where our roots are. We know what we stand for and what we’re going to fight for. It’s all really a lot of things. People don’t like to talk about God, and there are problems that need to be solved. We’re not being political, just talking about humans.”
Staying grounded starts with the Garzas, or as Jojo said: “Family’s forever, it runs deep.” Los Lonely Boys were originally the backing band for their father, and toured with him for many years. Jojo has only been on tour with his band of brothers.
“He always taught us to be respectful of people outside the family,” Jojo said of his father. “But he made sure we were well kept and looking out for each other.”
The deep connection can be heard in the way the band falls together. It extends to their fans, Jojo said, and it can be heard in the perspective offered up on “Sacred.”
“It talks about a lot of the problems we have in this world as people and how to deal with them and keeping the faith and keep looking towards the light,” he said. “That’s basically what Los Lonely Boys like to spread: There’s always light at the end of the dark tunnel.”
E-mail M. Trevor Higgins at thiggins@timesfreepress.com
