Los Fabulocos Return to Gruene Hall
Back In Town!When Los Fabulocos played Gruene Hall last month, they drew a great crowd of enthusiastic fans, hungry for a taste of genuine Tex-Mex music. Now they are coming back, but this time, they have raised the stakes. A marathon day begins this Saturday March 21.
First they will perform a free show at Gruene Hall at 1pm, and then they will head north to Austin for a 9pm set at Opal Divines followed by an 11:45pm show at the G&S Lounge. That’s right music fans; this hard working band from East Los Angeles will perform three shows in one day. The evening shows will be part of their showcase for the annual South By Southwest Music Conference (SXSW) held each spring in Austin.
Accordion player and vocalist Jesse Cuevas and drummer Mike Molina created the band with the intention of creating a new and innovative sound combining their many influences. This was about four years ago by Cuevas, Molina and bassist James Barrios. Guitarist Big Manny was an original member but decided to leave the band to pursue other interests. Enter David Ramos, better known as Kid Ramos. As a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ramos had often played gigs with Cuevas, who was once a member of the East LA band, The Blazers.
Ramos remembers when Jesse called him with the question. “Jesse and I were buddies, we both liked old Harleys, both played in similar bands and many of the same interests. He called and asked if I knew any guitar players that might want to join his new band, Los Fabulocos. I told him I didn’t know any available guitar players, but I might be interested. He said, ‘Really?’ So I went to one of their shows and was impressed with their sound. Big Manny left and I stepped in. When we play around the Los Angeles area, Manny often sits in with us.”
“One drawback was that I had never played a bajo sexto, which we really wanted in the band. It’s a traditional Mexican instrument and Jesse had one I could borrow. He taught me a few chords and I picked up the rest on my own. The cool thing is that we’re all from the LA area; we all have similar interests in music, so it’s a great experience. We even rehearse, which isn’t that common in some past bands I’ve been in. Not long ago, we learned an old Fats Domino tune. We’re writing new songs for our next album, which we hope to start recording it soon. Hopefully we’ll have more time in the studio than on the first CD. We actually cut it live in the studio in just a few days.”
Ramos sings lead vocals on ‘Lonesome Tears in My Eyes,’ proving that being a master of the 6-string isn’t his only talent. They hadn’t played Texas in several years so the entire band was pumped about returning to the Lone Star State. They performed three shows, one in San Antonio, one in Austin and ended the Tejas tour at the famous Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas. Ramos remembers playing there during his days as a T-Bird. “I love playing there; it was a lot of fun. The crowds were really into the band and we played some great shows there.”
The strength of Los Fabulocos lies in their diversity. Each band member has a wide variety of tastes in music, which means they each bring a unique twist to the band. Ramos loves the traditional blues, mixed with some classic rock and country, Barrios was influenced by traditional country artists like Buck Owens, Molina lists Jasper Thomas, drummer for Chuck Berry, as one of his main influences and Cuevas loves the accordion-based Zydeco of Louisiana. Add it all up and you have a band that appeals to a wide variety of fans, a band that has something for everyone. Pick up a copy of their debut CD, out now on the Delta Groove label and catch them at one of their upcoming Texas shows.
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James Barrios, Bassman for Los Fabulocos, Gruene Hall, New Braunfels, Texas Feb. 15, 2009
