Fruit from the Texican tree

Los Lonely Boys prove that brothers who stay together can play together

HAWAII residents will get a lesson in Texican pride next week, when San Angelo, Texas, trio Los Lonely Boys arrive for a concert at Aloha Tower Marketplace next Thursday, Sept. 20.

Most people discovered the trio via "Heaven," their Grammy Award-winning single that topped the Billboard charts and remains a favorite in local karaoke bars. But Henry, Jojo and Ringo Garza started playing together when they were just a few years out of diapers, with a recording career that dates back to the mid-'90s.

Los Lonely Boys With local opener John Cruz On stage: 8 p.m. Sept. 20 Place: Events at the Tower, Aloha Tower Marketplace Tickets: $40 advance and $47 at the door Call: (877) 750-4400 or online at ticketmaster.com

Jojo Garza spoke with the Star-Bulletin last week from California, where the brothers were spending some time outside tossing a football around and taking care of media requests.

Question: What has life been like for Los Lonely Boys since "Sacred" was released last year?

Answer: We've just been working hard, man. Staying pretty busy, touring a lot.

We're also writing, preparing ourselves for the next record. Hopefully we'll get to work on it in the fall and early winter and stuff. Everything's been really good for us lately.

Q: So you guys haven't had to endure the dreaded "sophomore slump," then.

A: You know what, I would say only the people who are looking forward to doing something huge with their album, then it might be considered a slump.

Even with our first album, we weren't out trying to achieve any Grammys or anything like that. We pretty much did what we did, which was create, record and give it to the world. If it doesn't get a Grammy, that doesn't bother the Los Lonely Boys.

What does bother us is the fact that it's a little hard to get music out there. But it never brings us down to the point where it's going to stop us.

Q: Does the sheer volume of new artists make it hard to get your music to fans?

A: It's got a lot to do with that, but it's also the amount of processed music that they're coming out with. It's like Chips Ahoy (as) opposed to your mama's homemade cookies.

There's a lot of Chips Ahoy out there, man.

Q: What does it mean when you tell people Los Lonely Boys plays Texican music?

A: The word Texican, all it means is that you're Mexican from Texas, pretty much being who we were. It's a way of life ... you're good to people, you do what you gotta do to survive, and if you do play music, it's usually pretty good stuff.

Growing up, we pretty much heard it all. There's some funk in there, some rock 'n' roll and some blues. It's even got the Latin feel, and goes as far as country music. There's no boundaries in our music.

Q: You grew up in San Angelo, Texas, but moved to Nashville, Tenn., with your father, right?

A: He wanted to be the first Mexican-American country singer. And then when he had us, he wanted us to be the first Mexican-American family country band. We started playing at 4 and 5 years old.

The way my brother Henry puts it, our dad basically showed us how to put the gloves on, and then he cut us loose in the ring.

Q: So you've been playing with your brothers since you were 4 years old? Doesn't that get tedious after a while?

A: It doesn't, actually. It really doesn't.

Most people won't believe it, but we do everything together. We were out throwing the football together before you called. We go fishing, even when we're on tour.

When we get home, we're right back there cooking at each others' houses and getting ready for the big Dallas Cowboys game.

Q: Back to the music, did the Los Lonely Boys' sound change at all on "Sacred"?

A: The honesty of it all is that it does change. The leaves fall off the tree. But at the same time, it's the same tree and you're going to get the same fruit from it.

There's definitely going to be some growth in the music because there's all kinds of music in this world. What it all comes down to is what we've gathered over the years and what we're still gathering now.

The fact that we're able to be three brothers with our own individual minds is a big part of inspiration for Los Lonely Boys.

Q: One of the most interesting songs on the album is "Outlaws," with guest appearances by your father and Willie Nelson. What was that experience like?

A: Our dad always considered himself the missing outlaw. So Henry came up with this little groove that talks about being Texican with Johnny Cash as an influence.

We were able to have Willie Nelson as a friend, and we were able to tell our dad it was time for him to sing. So it was a dream come true for all of us.

Q: Scoring a megahit with "Heaven" must be another dream come true, but the song also got overplayed in the minds of some listeners. Were there any negatives that came with such a successful single?

A: Like I was saying, we're still the same tree. It's OK to enjoy the fruit it bears.

I think being able to reach the amount of people we were able to reach was a hand up. They're with us now, and we're still the same band as we were when we released that song.

Q: When can we expect new material from you guys? Next year?

A: That's what we're shooting for. We're hoping for a spring album so that when summer comes, we're back out there hitting it hard (on tour).