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July 31-August 6, 2008
buzz@boulderweekly.com
Band of brothers
Los Lonely Boys in good company with Los Lobos on the road
by Dave Kirby
Home on the Front Range
Yonder Mountain String Band has created their own Colorado community
by Ruth Jacobs and Julia Sallo
Band of brothers
Los Lonely Boys in good company with Los Lobos on the road
by Dave Kirby
We rang up Los Lonely Boys’ tour manager late last week for an interview with one of the Garza brothers at the appointed time, but the guy sounded a bit ambushed, like he wasn’t expecting our call. Tour managers are tireless conductors of chaos; it sounded like our call landed at just the wrong time. He put us on hold for a minute or two, probably to chase down one the principals, and then put guitarist Henry on the line.
But that’s the thing about the Garza brothers — brimming with enthusiasm and lovin’ every minute of the tour life, they always sound ready to share the buzz.
“We just left Oxnard,” Garza beamed. “We sang the national anthem at the Cowboys’ training camp. That was cool.”
Next step was the Greek Theater in LA, opening for Los Lobos.
“The tour’s going fantastic, even… even unexpectedly fantastic. The music, the crowds, the vibe — it’s like a dream come true for us. It really is.”
Opening up for Los Lobos seems like a natural gig for the Texas trio. Both share a heavy pedigree of classic rock, keen trans-lingual pop sensibilities, a broad streak of blues and a unique gift for gritty, vibey barrio soul, usually patrolling the inner perimeter of commercial accessibility. The fact that Los Lobos are pretty much old enough to be los padres de los hermanos Garza is either irrelevant, or, for Henry, maybe part of the point.
“Oh man, they were like a complete inspiration for us. We really didn’t know who they were until they did La Bamba. We all knew about Ritchie [Valens], of course, he’s been a hero to the Latino community for years, but once we saw Los Lobos, man, they also became heroes for us. They became teachers for us, they still are. It’s just unbelievable for us to be up there on a stage with them, you know?”
The Garza brothers, who grew up backing their musician father on the road, landed a multi-platinum hit with “Heaven,” a breezy and perfectly wrought pop-rock single off their debut CD in 2003. Starting at the top isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be, and just as everyone predicted a sophomore slump, the Garza brothers followed up the CD with Sacred, much anticipated but packing a more subdued commercial arc. Garza sounded like he wouldn’t mind getting a chance to throw that pitch again.
“Yeah, that album seemed rushed, and it was a little more difficult coming after the success of the first one. I mean, we were still touring off the one before, and it seemed like there were timing issues and all kinds of uncertainties happening, all at once.”
For their latest, Forgiven, longtime veteran producer Steve Jordan came in and pretty much tore up the studio-album playbook, and just had the trio play live on a soundstage. The difference is palpable — no longer stood up like poised studio craftsmen, the band just had a chance to show off their muscular pop and groove sensibilities — the addition of guest artist Dr. John on a handful of cuts adds spice around the edges, but the fact is, Los Lonely Boys have become a very tight unit and Jordan was smart enough to just get out of the way and let them prove it.
“You know, the thing is, we’re pretty much a live band anyway, so it was a natural thing for us to just get up there on a soundstage and play. We knew that the last CD didn’t do so great. Steve brought his years of musical knowledge and we brought ours, and it just seemed like everything just flowed from there. I think the whole thing was done in three and a half days.
“If you play all three of these albums back to back, you can definitely tell the difference. It’s definitely going back to roots for us.”
You guys are a better band than you were in 2003.
“Yeah, of course. Anything you do, if you’re a doctor or lawyer or a musician, you like to think that you’re getting better all the time. We’ve been playing music together as brothers for years, but I like to think we’re still learning and improving all the time.”
And what about playing in a band with your brothers — rock ’n’ roll regales in the stories of brawling, litigating brothers. How have the brothers Garza held up?
“You know, our father taught us a long time ago that family was the most important thing, number one above everything else. That was his greatest lesson for us. So, yeah, we keep it tight. We’re all working toward the same dream.
“I mean, we get off tour, months riding in the bus together and onstage and everything, and we get home, and like the next day, one of us will call up one of the other ones and just say, ‘Hey, man, what’s happening? Let’s get together and do something today’ — just like we hadn’t seen each other in six months.”
On the Bill
Los Lonely Boys perform with Los Lobos at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, at the Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St., Denver,
303-837-1482.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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Home on the Front Range
Yonder Mountain String Band has created their own Colorado community
by Ruth Jacobs and Julia Sallo
This coming September, Boulder’s “Best Local Band” (as voted by Boulder Weekly readers in our 2008 B.O.B. poll), Yonder Mountain String Band, will have true cause for celebration. To begin with, the band will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first time Jeff Austin (mandolin), Adam Aijala (guitar), Ben Kaufmann (bass) and Dave Johnston (banjo) blended their enormous musical talents at a small bar outside of Boulder. During the ensuing 10 years, their success has grown monumentally, with the band now playing regular gigs at mega festivals such as Bonnaroo and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, as well as headlining their own routinely sold-out shows. This Saturday, Yonder will celebrate a triumphant return to the almost-9,000 capacity Red Rocks Amphitheatre, headlining a show that includes opener Keller Williams. But achieving Red Rocks-sized fame didn’t come overnight. Austin describes the journey: “You can play the Mountain Sun until you pack it, and then you can play a little club until you pack it, and then you get to play the Fox. Then you do two nights at the Fox.” Now the band regularly sells out Red Rocks and the Fillmore, along with numerous concert venues across the country. But for a local band that has gained national recognition, playing Red Rocks represents more than their growth to fame; it means coming home.
Although none of the band members are originally from the Front Range, Colorado is definitely Yonder’s home state. Austin explains, “It’s not where I’m from as far as where I was born or where I feel home ties to, but as far as a musician and the music we’ve developed, it’s music from Colorado.” The band returns to Colorado in the midst of a coast-to-coast tour, and Austin promises the band will be “lubed.” The time spent on the road only increases the anticipation for the home performance and the community that surrounds it. “There is a comfort level because you look in the crowd and you see those people… I remember when they were in the front row at the Boulder Theater,” says Austin. Much of Yonder’s success is connected to the community their music inspires. It is not unusual for fans to attend two or three Yonder shows in a row, reminiscent of ’60s jam bands, especially the Grateful Dead, which Yonder cites as a major influence.
That influence falls into two realms: the “stretched-out” musical style, as Austin describes it, and the unprecedented community-building capability of the Grateful Dead, which was the envy of every band of their era.
“It wasn’t, ‘I want to sound like this, or I want to be like this.’ It was, ‘wouldn’t it be great to create your own thing like they did, but also have this community that surrounds it,’” Austin explains.
Yonder’s 10-year ascent proves that they have succeeded in walking down both sides of “Shakedown Street,” blending musical artistry with a Dead-like community.
But Yonder doesn’t take this community for granted. They maintain their fan base by carefully planning their set lists so that no two shows are the same. When traveling out of town, they research the previous years’ set lists and always vary the music. And while improvisation is an important part of their style, their musical craftsmanship is more important. “Now that we’re maturing as performers, our improvisation is more beholden to playing with good tone, good feel, good timing,” Johnston explains. Over the past 10 years, the musicianship of their addictive style has matured.
By design, Yonder has built its success by prioritizing the live concert experience. As evidence, the band has released five Mountain Tracks live recordings, with the latest installment this past April, on the band’s own Frog Pad Records. Austin describes his love of the live setting, the “seat of the pants” rush and energy of the crowd, and the improvisational tradition. Yonder’s identity isn’t tied to the recording studio; instead, they thrive on partnership with their audience.
During last year’s Red Rocks show, the band posed at the front of the stage for a photo with an audience of captivated fans, whom they credit for their success. Austin refers to this photo as the band’s motivation for the past year of hard work. He describes the band members’ expressions as symbolizing the pinnacle of their success at Colorado’s most famous concert venue, against the backdrop of the exuberant faces in the crowd. “I’ll remember every moment like that and every face in that picture from Red Rocks. It will be something I will always remember. I’m embracing the present because you don’t know what kind of future there is.”
In the Box:
Yonder Mountain String Band will perform at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug.1, at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, 303-786-7030 and at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2, at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison, 720-865-2494.
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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