music

Yes, that’s one of my favorite films! Les Blank was a genius. I love the fact that San Antonio has never lost its Mexican influence. It’s always been the main focus of the culture. It’s pretty rewarding. I do a version of “Cancion Mixteca” (a song from the film) that I learned from Harry Dean Stanton.

Have you heard the iconic San Antonio singer Lydia Mendoza?

Yes! Found out about her on a postage stamp. She’s in Chulas Fronteras making tamales. Fucking awesome.

I have to ask about this. You were an actor in Road House. That movie was such a staple of my childhood. I refer to that movie as the most expensive B-movie ever made. You have no idea how surreal that was.

How’d you get involved?

I went in and auditioned. The director liked the way I yelled when I was supposed to get my nose broken.

You were related to Ben Gazzara in the film?

I was his nephew. The degrees of separation between him and me and

[legendary director] John Cassavetes were not lost on me. Patrick Swayze was a particularly generous and hardworking leader. That was the main thing that I took away from that experience. When you have a leader that shows up prepared, ready to work hard, then everybody else is inspired. I’ve been in some other situations where the leader is not, and it’s no fun.

Are acting and music two different parts of your brain?

No, it’s all part of the general creativity, and I’m lucky enough to get to do more things than most. You just focus whatever creative abilities you have. I did a lot of, uh, on-the-job learning. (Laughs.) It was never a secret desire. It just happened. I give [director] Allison Anders a lot of credit for that. She put me in this movie called Border Radio That was the first “real movie” I’d ever done. And it went on from there.

You moved to Texas?

I’ve been in Austin for six years. I’ve been coming to Austin since 1980, played with the Big Boys a dozen times at least. Played with The Dicks, Scratch Acid. I knew the Butthole Surfers but never played with them. And, of course,

Alejandro [Escovedo], and Jon Dee Graham was on my first solo record. My wife Krissy is a native Texan and we just decided to move.

Do you think Texas music is a stron- ger strain because it’s created in a more conservative, repressive atmosphere?

I guess. That’s like saying the “Latino vote is a block.” There’s no such thing as Texas music. There’s stuff I don’t get at all, like bro country, and then people like Terry Allen, who defy all definitions. He and I wrote a song on my latest record.

There’s a lot of those first-name, last-name guys that nobody knows outside of Texas, but they can draw 3,000 people in small towns. And that’s awesome. It’s truly regional music. I may not understand the music ... but I’m for it. Probably wouldn’t agree with their politics but whatever. You gotta live and let live.

But yes, some types of Texas music have to fight harder. I think being an underdog can motivate you. There’s a lot of space here, and you have to fill that up. Whether it’s the Flaming Lips coming from where they came from or The Dicks or Roky Erikson. Space is good.

$25, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 4, The Echo Bridge, 2617 Texas 536 Spur (under the Mrs. Frank W. Sorrell Bridge), echobridge2.eventbrite.com.

Wednesday, May 31