First of all...I would like to apologize for my absence, I have had quite a few things to deal with over the last few months, even though I havent posted anything I do come in here and check on things, just to make sure you guys are not acting up....LOL...
Everyone likes to argue that thier area is the hot bed for CONJUNTO music...Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I respect that....but here is my argument as to why HOUSTON is the place to be on a Saturday night, cuando traes ganas to drink some COLD BUD LIGHT, listen to some bad ass music, and dance with the pretty senoritas....
HALLABALOOS....Houston's longest tenured tejano/conjunto venue held a spectacular event this past Saturday.....4 bands.....$10.00 all night long....the lineup went something like this......
First up on stage was Houston's own GALAXY band....this was my first time seeing this band play, and PLAY they did!!! They definately would have to be considered a TEJANO band, not conjunto at all, but these guys really have honed their craft well...band consisted of a bass player, keyboards, percussion section, drums, guitar, and one guy who played sax and accordion....GALAXY band played a good mixture of CUMBIAS and RANCHERAS and even thru in some COUNTRY for good measure...very good band and a good way to start off the evening.....
Second up was Houston's own... BIG LOU AND THE BOYS.....this was probably the 3rd time I have had the pleasure of seeing BL&TB perform, and saturday night was the best of the shows that I have attended, I have to give props to the sound man, the guy had the sound perfect!!! the bass was thumping, the accordion was sounding nice and clear, drums where hittin', and the bajo was pickin' but most impressive was the VOCALS...and believe me guys, LOU, does not need any help there, the man can flat out SING...no ifs ands or buts about it....Show started with a stunning rendetion of "EL SONADOR", I know this song was a big hit for David Olivares back in the day, but i think if he heard LOU's version of it, he would defintely step back and say "LOU, you can have it bro...its all yours"....and so went the rest of the evening, LOU and the Boys covered a wide range of material....from Jay Perez, David Lee Garza, Mafia, Grupo Mazz, 2 G'S....all music that has been done before, but never done the way BL&TB do it....Thanks to Lou for the shout out to CANASTA RECORDS....as always its nice to be acknowledged...and YES, he rememered the review I did of his CD "DOING IT BIGG" if you dont have a copy yet, call Carlos and order it today...its going to be one of those all time classics...OH, one more thing....BIG LOU AND THE BOYS...was the only band of the evening that was asked back out for an ENCORE.....very impressive GUYS....see ya next show....
THIRD UP...was Houston's own... JOHNNY "EL BRUJO" CRUZ and the TEXAS CHAIN GANG...these guys might be "CONJUNTOS MOST HATED" but they are also "CONJUNTOS MOST RESPECTED".... JC & TCG...bring it and they bring it harder than a right cross from MIKE TYSON...Nothing spectacular, no fancy lights, no fancy electronics, and at one point in the show "El BRUJO" asked for the lights to be turned down, and when they did, all it did was enhance what I was hearing, kind of like sitting in the dark listening at the sounds of nature...everything was amplified....Munchie handled it on Bajo like always, Mr. Freddie Cuellar thumped the bass, Mr. Danny Martinez was great on the drums (this man is definately underated as a drummer) but he probably likes it that way....and of course Mr. Cruz did his thing on Vocals and Accordion....If there was a rating for conjunto....this would definately be XXX hardcore, I am talking about midgets (sorry Rick) and drug snorting donkey's hardcore....LMAO...I am looking forward to some new music from these guys....hopefully soon....
FOURTH UP....was Houston's own....LOS HERMANOS CORTEZ....What can you say about LOS HERMANOS CORTEZ? These guys have been around for 25 years in the conjunto industry, and night in and night out you know exactly what you are going to get....AN ENERGETIC, FUN, AND ALWAYS SMOOTH performance, LOS HERMANOS CORTEZ was definately worked hard at perfecting the craft...One thing I enjoyed the most was the interaction amongst the band members....Monico Sr and Monico Jr., shared some funny moments, El Pato (accordion) and the Bajo player pushed each other all night, not physically, but musically....each one was trying to out do the other and all being done within the spectrum of the song....this was an excellent choice to close out the show....the anticipation was built up by the previous 3 bands and LOS HERMANOS CORTEZ.....did not dissapoint!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a wonderful evening full of bad ass music, with great company and great friends....so if you were home on Saturday night, in your little pueblo bored because there was nothing to do, then it really sucks to be you....lol...JUST KIDDING...but seriously, pack your bags and move to Houston!!! and your boring weekends will be a thing of the past....come out and jam with "HOUSTON'S OWN" and you wont be dissapointed.....until next time.....AYE LOS WACHO!!!!!!
Just wanted to comment on your review. It was my first time out at Hallaballoos and I must admit it is definitely a pretty AWESOME club. I hadn't danced in quite some time because here in Dallas we have no clubs that play this type of music. Best part about Galaxy was the sax...I just absolutely enjoy the sax! Bigg Lou and the Boyz ROCKED the stage!! That wasn't my first time enjoying their music. I have their cd and let me tell you guys, what you hear is what you get! And as for your comment about Bigg Lou being able to sing...YOWSA!!! The best part was definitely the the encore and for their band only...now if they can only come to Dallas and show these folks what they're missing then I wouldn't have to travel to H-town every other weekend!!! Big props to to them and the rest of the bands =)
Thanks for taking the time to read the review guys....it really means alot to me and the bands that are being reviewed, this is just a small way of getting their names out there, we gotta support our conjunto music just like every other genre gets supported.....
Sounds like Big Lou & The Boys were awesome! as they were when I saw them Live this yr. @ Fan Fair! Got their CD & A T~Shirt! The CD is off the hook,,, & if I still lived in Pasadena Luis, I wouldn't of missed it. I was a regular @ Hallabaloos. I do miss all the good music! Well Luis U & the Boys keep doing a G8 job out there. Thanx for all the G8 jamzz. My Favorite is, "Lost Without You" <3 ;))
So stunned by the news of Johnnys passing, I am at a loss for words....just had to find this old review that i did....just to remember the mans contibution to my love affair with conjunto music...
Hey bro, this was an awesome review. I was wondering if you were willing since you have a great way with words and and you knew Johnny better than i did, if you were willing to write something for the little tribute i am planning. Let me know. Thanks brotha.
"Conjunto's Most Hated" is actually a moniker that I personally gave to John. Most people dont understand what it means so I just want to clarify. The name came about after a show John did. It's something that I had seen happen numerous times. John had released his first cd and had a loyal following here in the Houston area. So when John had a show, you could be sure his fans were front and center. Anyways, during a show the sound man for another band for some reason could not get the sound right. John was upset, but as I mentioned, this was a common occurence so John played through it. After the set I was hanging with John and the band, whose sound john was using began to play and magically, the sound was fixed. A coincidence, I think NOT. So I tell John, man why do all these bands hate on you. He's like man I dont know but I'm used to it. To which I replied, man you're like "Conjunto's Most Hated". Meaning hated by other bands not fans!! He said, "dude I love it". When it came time to record his second cd we were hanging in the studio and he tells me he's gonna title his cd "Conjunto's Most Hated". As you can imagine I was estatic!! I said "bro that would be badass"!! So that's the story behind "Conjunto's Most Hated"!!
