Arts
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January 18 - 31, 2014
57
Los Lonely Boys return to stage after heartbreaking injury BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Bassist Jojo Garza can’t help but smile when he thinks about returning to the stage with Los Lonely Boys, the band he shares with his brothers, singer Henry and drummer Ringo. It’s been a rough year for the Texas-based Chicano power rock trio. Henry fell off a Los Angeles stage in February 2013 after walking toward the front to greet fans. Henry, Jojo says, hyperextended his spine. “When you’re dealing with a back injury, there’s nothing like it,” says Jojo, via telephone from his Texas home. “The way it happened was very horrific. We’re very lucky and very blessed as a family— we’re musical brothers besides being a family—to have him back on the track to getting all his health back.” Jojo says that Henry is “doing a heck of a lot better.” “He’s getting really strong again. I think he’s ready to tackle this tour coming up and many more to come. We’re very blessed and very, very lucky to have Henry where he’s at right now.” The aforementioned tour hits the Chandler Center for the Arts on Sat., Feb. 8. The jaunt is in support of Los Lonely Boys’ album “Revelation,” which is due in stores Tue., Jan. 21. The songs for “Revelation” were written a bit different than efforts in
the past. Los Lonely Boys collaborated with an eclectic cast of co-writers, including alt-country icon Radney Foster, in-demand pop tunesmiths Matthew Gerrard and David Quiñones, Black Eyed Peas collaborators George Pajon Jr. and Keith Harris, and Raul Pacheco of Ozomatli. “Radney Foster, first off, he’s a really good guy,” Jojo says. “He’s a really cool person. He’s a regular cat with a great musical mind and great musical abilities. “Henry did a lot of the writing with Radney, as well as Ringo. I, personally, did a lot of the writing out in L.A. with a lot of the L.A. cats. I came here to work on a couple of tunes. He’s a great guy and constantly just spitting out music and lyrics. It’s cool to be around people like that and Radney’s no exception.” Writing “Revelation” was a learning experience for the trio. “One of the things that I can say I learned is something we were always hesitant about—involving other people in the music that we create,” Jojo says. “It’s kind of hard to believe that a lot of people can look at it from our perspective, or hear it from our perspective. When you get in there and you’re rolling with the punches, it shows how dynamic we are as musicians and creators of music. It was a great experience all together.”
TRIUMPHANT RETURN: The brothers Garza—otherwise known as Los Lonely Boys—perform at the Chandler Center for the Arts on Sat., Feb. 8. It’s the Texas band’s first show in the area since frontman Henry Garza fell off the stage in Los Angeles, severely injuring his back. Submitted photo
Consequently, “Revelation” explores new sonic elements such as the conjunto touches of “Blame It on Love,” the reggae groove of “Give A Little More,” the rustic acoustic textures of “It’s Just My Heart Talkin’” and the baroque pop elements of “There’s Always Tomorrow.” The songwriting process may have been different, but Los Lonely Boys stuck to the recording routine. “It’s just us three in the studio,” he says. “We’re working with rough spots— high spots, low spots—and trying to get it as level as possible.” Jojo explains that he’s now looking forward to playing the tunes for fans. “Whenever and wherever we can jam, it’s always fun for us,” he says. “When people take the time to come out and buy tickets and sit there and listen to
Los Lonely Boys, we try to make it as fun as we can. “Sometimes the music, for a period of time, will stay the same throughout a tour or a record release. When we can do something a little bit different or do something the same, the people who view the concerts always make us feel real good about what we’re doing.” Los Lonely Boys perform at 7:30 p.m. Sat., Feb. 8, at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Tickets are $34 to $44. For more information, call 480-782-2680 or visit chandlercenter.org. Christina Fuoco-Karasinski is the editor of the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at christina@santansun.com.