This past Friday, the first thing we did after driving all Thursday night and Friday morning was stop and pay a visit to Tejas Records where we are always welcome to come in and shoot the breeze. Art Guillermo was busy stuffing envelopes with Tejas VIP party tickets and Mrs. Torres of Los Amables was there as well. We had a great time talking to Mrs. Torres and catching up on how her boys are doing. She had to leave and get on the road and that left us with Art. Art was gracious enough to take some time out of his busy schedule and allowed us to preview the new Ram Herrera cd. The cd is currently in manufacturing and they are pushing to have the cds ready for fan fair.
Ram’s new cd is a revisit to the keyboard sounds of the late 80s and early 90s that made Ram popular. There are a couple of songs that feature accordion and conjunto style with one song in particular featuring David Lee and a couple of other Musicales. We also heard a couple of cumbias having the keyboard sounds of back in the early 90s and a Christian song which will be a favorite among Ram fans. All in all, I am excited to get my hands on the final product and I think this is a good cd coming at a good time in La Onda when musical quality needs to be at an all time high.
RUBEN RAMOS NEW CD
Now, speaking of quality, we were able to get a very good listen to the brand new cd by El Gato Negro…Ruben Ramos and the Mexican Revolution. But first, here is the back story. Tomas and I sat in a traffic jam in south Austin Saturday afternoon on our way back from San Anto to Dallas. While waiting, we decided to give Rick “Slick Rick” Fuentes a call. Rick told us to come on over and he would let us listen to the new Ruben Ramos tracks for their upcoming cd. Well, how could we turn that down? The traffic couldn’t move fast enough. Twenty minutes later we were free and on our way to Rick’s house.
Rick played all the tracks from the upcoming Ruben Ramos and the Mexican Revolution cd titled “XXXV Anos” marking 35 great years of making music by El Gato Negro. The tracks are pretty much done unless an extra grito should be added here or there and should go to manufacturing this week barring any unforeseen circumstances. The cd should be available at your favorite Tejano music store in about two or three weeks.
The “XXXV Anos” features some new members to the Mexican Revolution in the horn section and a new drummer. From the absolute beginning on the first track, a drum fill kicks off the signature brass sound of the Mexican Revolution and a Gato Negro growl ramps up the excitement and sets the tone for the entire cd as the keyboards fill in the background. “XXXV Anos” was absolute listening pleasure from start to finish with several high-powered Onda Chicana tracks. This cd takes a slight turn in a different direction than past Ruben Ramos cds featuring organ sounds and triple harmony vocalizations harking of days long past of Los Unicos and Los Chachos. “XXXV Anos” is a throwback to the good old days, the brass section is tight as ever and their new drummer does not miss a beat. A couple of slower songs are featured with one having a mariachi trio feel to it and the other is a jazzy tune at the end highlighting the Mexican Revolution’s talented saxophone player and also featuring Chente Barrera and Henry Brun on drums and percussion. This cd, undoubtedly, is a sure shot for El Gato Negro fans or diehard Onda Chicana fans. With Gilbert Velasquez applying the finishing touches, the tracks are of such incredible quality and musicianship that anyone who has an ear will want to buy this cd. Keep your ears open for the new single when it hits the airwaves soon and be on the lookout at music stores the next few weeks for Ruben Ramos and the Mexican Revolution “XXXV Anos” cd.
A NEW YOUNG, HOT BAND AND A NEW CD
We finally arrived in Dallas just in time to catch Veronica y Avance at Sweetwaters on Saturday night. Veronica y Avance are a young and energetic Tejano band from Grand Prairie, TX and they represent the possibilities any young musician can have if they dedicate themselves to the art of music. Hot off their 2006 Tejano Vegas Showcase Show Band of the Year award and Austin's South by Tex Mex Rising Star nomination (could that be the South by Southwest? not sure), they are preparing to dazzle fans again and make a name for themselves at this year’s TTMA Fan Fair in San Antonio. Veronica y Avance’s arrival to the Tejano scene comes at a crucial point in time for La Onda and many are beginning to look around and take notice and are asking themselves who is going to take La Onda into the future? Ruben Ramos and Little Joe aren’t going to be around forever. Imagine David Lee or Jay Perez on stage in a wheel chair or walker 30 years from now? Veronica y Avance and young bands like theirs give La Onda hope that the youth can embrace our beautiful genre of music and take it to the next generation.
Veronica y Avance played several songs from their upcoming cd due to drop at fan fair. The cd is produced by Gilbert Velasquez and from what the songs I heard Saturday night, Veronica y Avance have an entertaining cd on their hands. But, as good as the cd may be, it doesn’t compare to their live shows. Coordinated movements and some brass are reminiscent of the days of La Sombra who were once a young and energetic band back in the day. Their bass player puts feeling and passion into each beat as the music grooves and their sax player pushes a clean and strong sound hitting note after note along with their new trumpet player. And their accordion player adds another dimension as they break it down conjunto style. But the center of attention is the adoring voice of the sweet and lovely Veronica. Avance definitely is a promising up and coming band in La Onda and they are working hard to make their mark in the industry which, we have all seen time after time, is a challenging task for a band with a female lead. All I have to say is they have my attention and I am excited to see what heights this band can reach.
That's it for now!
-DJ Ritmo
