One long year

I guess you could say that The Resonators have officially survived and put up with me over the past year. What I am referring to is an obligation to my "day job", one that kept me pretty inaccessible since last July. Sure, we have kept fairly busy and the group continues to put on great shows. However, behind the scenes we have been like a racehorse waiting for the gate to open, anticipating our chance to bolt forward again. That time, thank goodness, has arrived.

You will be able to see lots more attention to detail on the website, plus I hope to get a Facebook page up and running shortly. It should be a great year. It feels good to be back.

Marfa Dance Cancelled

Sorry to everyone planning to ring in the new year with us in Marfa, but the dance has been cancelled. Our good friend, Joe Cabazuela, event organizer said that there were some issues that arose over use of the MAC Building, so they decided to call the event off. Would have been a great time, but we'll just have to wait until 2011 to see everyone again.

It's been a great 2010 and we're looking forward to 2011 even more!

Happy New Year! Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Van Horn on September 24th

Happy September! Having been a high school band director for 20 years, I never really got to "stop and the smell the roses" much during this time of the year. It is generally really busy during September with football games, parades, and marching festivals if you're associated with a high school band. Anyway, September and October in the Big Bend are great months to savor living here, and it helps to have a little more free time.

Playing as a warm-up act for Michael Salgado on September 10th was great fun. The Resonators played with all the passion we could muster, and it appeared the audience enjoyed our two sets. Thanks to the Border Patrol for inviting us to perform. We hope you guys and gals were pleased with the way the evening came out.

Once again, we have a whole new set of ears to play for coming up on September 24th in Van Horn. We'd like to thank Ruben Florez Jr. and the church committee for extending us an invitation to play. You're going to get a great show, the likes you haven't seen in a long time!

As the end of the year nears, it has been so gratifying to look back over the numerous opportunities The Resonators have had to play. The economy still keeps limping along, but people seem to have enough faith in us to justify spending the money for live entertainment. I hope that our friends that we have played for can tell that we are thankful for every opportunity we get to perform. It's been a great year so far, and we still have three months to go!

A consideration that runs parallel to our attitude about playing is our repertoire. Over the years we have evolved in our focus of music: what our audience wants. Goodness knows how many songs get tossed around as additions to our repertoire, within the band. Many times we'll get a request to do a tune from our early days, but for whatever reason we just don't play that song anymore. However those songs that repeatedly get requested, you'll probably see re-appearing in the near future (Black Velvet, This Love are two that get requested a lot). Anyway, our appeal has dramatically increased over the years as we pay more attention to what our audience really wants.

We have a couple of new additions to the face of the group that you'll be seeing more and more. First of all, Jesus Hernandez (Huevo, Eggy) will more and more be handling vocals on some of our hottest tropical repertoire. Jesus has been with us for quite some time, and we are looking forward to your feedback with him handling more of the vocals. Second, is Molly Ferguson. She'll be doing quite a bit of singing as well, freeing up Lucy to play more horn parts on our tropical music.

We hope to see you soon at an upcoming performance. It should be a blast!

It was a terrific summer. Michael Salgado show next!

I remember a while back when it looked like performance opportunities might become few and far between due to a slow economy. What transpired, though, is that we have been busier than ever, and I know why: we love to play and we share that love with our audiences! It probably doesn't hurt to be affordable and to always try to be fresh, but we are thrilled to have been able to play for as many people as we have over the past year.

We played for a wedding reception in Santa Fe, New Mexico over Labor Day weekend for some very wonderful people. They were all so friendly and in good spirits. The evening was just about as fun as it could be. We made the 21 hour round trip up there in the course of 2 days, so we were pretty tired, but glad the "church van" made it in one piece! Nothing like pouring $300 worth of gas into the tank, but I guess that's the price we pay for going on tour!

Next up is the chance to open for Michael Salgado on Friday, September 10th in Alpine. We shared a great show with him just two years ago, so we are honored to do it again. Michael is a really nice guy and he has one of the best norteno bands anywhere. I know how I feel about warm-up acts generally: I came to hear the star, not some upstarts! Therefore, we are going to pour everything we have into getting the audience revved up and make the Gallego Center one rockin' place!

Thanks for stopping by. We look forward to seeing you soon (maybe Friday!).

Return to Padre's on August 13th

It's been a fun summer for The Resonators, and we want to invite everyone to Padre's in Marfa, Texas this coming Friday, August 13th for a great night of music. If you haven't been to Padre's before, you should check it out. Owner David Beebe has created a really soulful place to eat, drink, and dance in Padre's. And if you want to catch The Resonators live in the Big Bend, we can't recommend this place too highly. Before the show, give yourself some time to enjoy some of the delicious fare. So far I've had a bowl of chili and a burger, both of which were great!

Like I said, the band is playing great, and each show is a privilege to be able to put on. Whether it be the extraordinary vocals of Lucy or Alfredo, Marty and Tony ripping it up on guitar, or Taro calling upon his encyclopaedic knowledge of music of Western civilization, getting to be on stage with these guys (and gal) is a treat. We hope you'll enjoy...

July 4th in Alpine, Texas

The Resonators will fill the evening air with a broad spectrum of music this July 4th at Kokernot Park in Alpine, Texas. We normally do our hometown show in Presidio, but I felt it was time Presidio got a slightly different taste on its 4th this year, plus you just can't hardly beat Alpine on a summer evening.

See you there!

Free show on March 20th

The Resonators will join Brian Burns in a free show at Daly Park in Presidio on March 20th. The music begins at 7:00 P.M. and ends at midnight. Daly Park has recently had some improvements which should make it an even better location for community events in Presidio. For persons wishing to enjoy their favorite refreshment, you'll be happy to hear that the event is BYOB. As always, The Resonators will be "pumped" to play a show in front of the locals, but having Brian Burns in town doing his very own Texas country should be a treat.

A Stage With A View

Have you ever had a room with a view? I remember vacationing in Mazatlan and staying at the old Hotel Belmar. Although the hotel is in a slow state of decay, the oceanview rooms are well worth the $45 per night. Especially, I remember waking up in the middle of the night and seeing a full moon setting over the Pacific. Magic.

Every once in a while The Resonators will play a gig in extraordinary locales, as well. Cibolo Creek Ranch, Padre's, and The Granada Theatre come to mind. These settings didn't achieve their special flavor by accident, though. Through a mix of business savvy, attention to numerous details, and lots of money, these west Texas institutions are truly noteworthy.

Living in the Big Bend, any time you can be outdoors, it's the same kind of powerful effect. We just got through playing an engagement at the employee residences at Panther Junction in Big Bend. The gig was held on an outdoor basketball court on a rather chilly February evening. Now before I go any further, answer this question: Have you been to Big Bend National Park? If not, you may not understand where I'm going with this. If so, it will make perfect sense.

Playing in The Resonators is the best. Playing in The Resonators with the Dead Horse Mountains and Sierra del Carmens in the bakground just can't be beat. I told you so. If you've ever been to Big Bend, the imagery is unforgettable. The gig itself was a great one. We're embarking on a string of engagements that are almost weekly until July, so getting in the playing time will have a positive impact on the songbag. For the first time, we did El Taconazo, Borrachera, and Cotton-Eyed Joe. With The Pig coming up on Friday, I'm certain there'll be some wood-shedding of even more tunes.

Hey, it's almost time for the voyage up to Denver to pick up my eBay van! I only paid $1345 for the monster, so I hope it's not too much of a clunker. I just keep getting these Partidge Family visions in my head of all the band piled into the van and off we merrily go to the next gig. Of course that fantasy could have several optional endings, like driving down the highway in July with no air conditioning, or worse yet: stranded on the side of the highway. We'll just have to see. My $5000 eBay equipment truck hasn't let me down so far.

Thanks for visiting!

2010 Starts off busy, then we're back!

So we played a couple of gigs right after Christmas, and both went very well. Great people to play for and the band responded with spirited performances. Once the dust settled, it was time to get back to our "day jobs" and begin a new year. It seemed like things couldn't get any busier than they had been during the closing weeks of 2009--wrong! From the beginning of January until mid-February it just got unbelievably busy once again. So busy that The Resonators never gathered again under one roof until February 14. But that gathering was worth the wait....

We had been asked to play a Valentine's Day dinner show at a soulful place here in Presidio called The Enlightened Bean. Gathered together for the gig were Taro, Alfredo, Manolo, Lucy and John. Our set list was full of some really nice tunes, and they were performed very tastefully. Usually The Resonators blow the roof off volume-wise, but this occasion called for a little restraint. In the end, patrons and the restaurant owners alike seemed to be having a terrific time, and that's essentially what every performance should boil down to. Good job, Enlightened Bean, on putting together a very soulful evening of food and music down here on the border.

On Saturday, February 20 The Resonators played at Padre's in Marfa, Texas for the very first time. WOW! How a place like this can open up and find its groove so quickly is really impressive. Whether it be the ambience, the decor, the food, the management, or the patrons, this place is off to a really great start. We had to first play a short mariachi show--also in Marfa--and Padre's owner was very understanding about getting in a soundcheck once we finished up with Mariachi Santa Cruz.

The patrons who were present (A LOT, by the way) kind of felt us out for the first 30 minutes or so, then with the ice-breaker with the lovely Pam Gaddis, everyone decided the "water was OK." From then on, it was a big pachanga until 12:30 AM. The band filled up every square inch of the stage, as "Eggy" Jesus Hernandez was able to join us on Latin percussion. I love these guys (and gal, especially)! What an immense privilege to be able to play in The Resonators!

Next up: practice! We have about a boat-load-and-a-half of new material we want to start playing. We just need to have a few free minutes to actually be in the same place together. Looking forward to the next gig!

See you soon!

Looking forward to 2010

The Resonators will put 2009 to bed with a couple of private parties coming up. Traditionally we perform in public at New Year's Eve, but this year we will be playing for a wedding party, so come catch us next at Padre's in Marfa on February 20th.

Looking back over this past year, a few notable things come to mind. First, in spite of a really tough economy, we managed to keep playing fairly steadily. That's saying something because when so many national institutions were on the brink, somehow many people felt it was still important enough to have live music. Second, we successfully played a high school prom, which was a pleasant surprise. I guess between playing a good show and having Manolo DJ the rest was just the right combination. And finally, we welcomed Alfredo Santana to the band as our new bassist. Alfredo is the kind of musician that any band would welcome: great player, terrific singer, and a real good guy.

So how will 2010 distinguish itself? Let me make a few predictions:

• The band will have its best year ever (to date). We'll all be a year older and wiser-- emphasis on the wiser part.
• Our song list will have several new additions.
• A recording.
• Our territory will expand to a 250 mile radius (Midland/Odessa, El Paso , southern New Mexico, and Chihuahua).

It's so easy to be a self-promoter and forecast a rosy scenario, but the way things are going, we will have no problem making this all a reality. The mood within the band is that we want to challenge ourselves and always look for ways to grow. Essentially, it boils down to desire, and you, the listener, will be the judge if this is merely hype, or if 2010 really will be something special.

Have a happy holiday and a great new year!

Resonators at Padre's in 2010

Although it may still be a couple of months away, we are excited to tell everyone that we will make our first appearance at Padre's in Marfa, Texas on February 20, 2010. Padre's is an establishment that books live music, and you can grab a bite to eat while you're there, too. Venues like Padre's and Railroad Blues are, without a doubt, THE places in far West Texas to showcase what you can do as a band. For our fans who will be joining us at Padre's, plan on partying 'til you drop. This could be one of our best shows ever. Thanks very much to David Beebe for giving us the opportunity to play at Padre's.

The Resonators will be practicing on Taro's back patio on Sunday at 1:00-3:00 PM, so stop by!

Nos vemos! Everyone take care!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving came and went here in Presidio, Texas. "Thankfully" everything has been real quiet and relaxing. I did loan a fellow musician from Chihuahua some sound equipment so that he could entertain diners at Las Palapas de Aldama, an incredible seafood restaurant here in town. Yesterday I also attended a quinceanera mass in Ojinaga and really enjoyed hearing the choir sing. There are at least two members of the choir who perform in Acuario 90, so the singing was inspiring. Then later we went to the quinceanera and heard Quinta Banda (5ta Banda), a tambora group from Chihuahua. They played well, although I can only take that type of music in smaller doses.

I have a personal blog I started a while back called My Presidio, Texas Dreamworld. It's sometimes my take on things Presidio, and at others, just some rambling thoughts.

Behind the scenes

It seems like the music scene here in Presidio/OJ is feeling the effects of the economic downturn, with nary a paying gig in November. Not even our buds from Revane are playing, and they're just a duo (read "cheap"). But certainly not to worry because we are using the time to augment and polish our repertoire. We have a couple of pretty important private parties coming up in December, and we want everyone to leave at the end with their socks blown off. Once the Resonators come up for air in a public venue, you're going to be impressed.

For the fans of old school Tejano, how about a few covers of Augustin Ramirez or Sunny Ozuna? For the "quince" age group we'll be rolling out some material that may permanently alter the image of the band unlike anything we've done before. We're talking the next chapter of the band's story! All in all, we're really excited about seeing everyone again, and the music will definitely do a better job of speaking for itself than I could ever write here.

As far as the "behind the scenes" title of this posting is concerned, I wanted to share a few details of how the band gets to the point where it's ready to put on a show:

• Rehearsals: Alternate between Taro's back yard in OJ and John and Lucy's "music room" at their house in Presidio.
  
• Equipment: Owned mainly by the John. Expensive! One decent mic cable will run about $25. We normally need around 20 mic cables or more for a show. You do the math...
• Equipment truck: Owned by John. A 1995 GMC box truck bought off eBay from a guy in Colorado Springs, CO. An excellent vehicle, other than a bad radio and slips out of reverse all the time.
• Musical arrangements: Mostly done by John using a vintage Scorewriter program. Taro also has several great arrangements he's done for the band.
• Number of drummers so far: 6
• Webmaster: John's dad, John.
• Band motto: We're lucky enough to have this cool band out in the middle of nowhere, so let's go make some people happy through music.

Take care and thanks for visiting!

Sabados En El Parque (Saturdays in The Park)

The outdoor concert season in Presidio/Ojinaga comes to a close this year on October 31st as The Resonators perform at the final "Sabados En El Parque" in downtown OJ. The plan is: 1) Take the kids trick-or-treating, 2) Stay in costume, and 3) Get thyself to Ojinaga and party hearty with Los Resonadores! The crowds at these events are always good, plus they love free entertainment.

For those of you who are really into "Saturday In The Park", guess what? Chicago is in concert in Chihuas (Chihuahua City) on Saturday, October 17th and it's free! I just might have to get myself a room at the San Francisco, seek out a groovy dinner, then go soak up a legendary band. The concert is at El Palomar, which is walking distance from downtown.

Nos vemos!

An American neither here nor there

One of the most distinct qualities of a Resonators performance set list is that it is ever-changing. Because the group is diverse, and playing in settings ranging from wedding parties, to community celebrations, to high school proms, we never even come close to settling in on a collection of songs that are repeated in a specific order. I sometimes wish we would come up with a set list that doesn't change much, but it would not serve us well at all. There's nothing quite like a gig that includes "Summertime", "500 Novillos", and "Pride and Joy". Or a set list minus any Spanish music at all (Remember that we are on the border!).

Considering this, deciding on what kind of new material to bring aboard is not to be taken lightly. For a white boy raised in the DFW Metroplex in the 70's and 80's, I think I do respectably when it comes to a relative command of musical literature that works for a dance band straddling both sides of the border. If you were wondering what I mean, start with the American side of our repertoire: classic rock, rock-n-roll oldies, soul and R&B, country, and some easy listening for the digestive process. Now let's take a look at the Spanish language side: cumbia, Tejano, nortena, bolero, cha-cha-cha, mambo, and danzon. If you were to ask me three years ago about some of the Spanish music, I wouldn't have been of much help. Fortunately, when the band evolved into a 50/50 mix of ethnicities, the musical floodgates opened up. I think--no, I know--that this revelation of new musical styles has gone both ways in the band.

So now The Resonators have this treasure trove of music from which to select. Pick your decade, starting in about the 1940's and move forward. If the requested song falls within that time frame, it may very well be something we should consider knowing. Other than a few genres that would obviously not work too well for us (speed metal, hard core rap, etc.), we're game for giving most music a try, if that is what the audience is asking for. This very specific aspect of flexibility is what makes The Resonators a sought-after band in west Texas.

Strangely enough, my favorite music that The Resonators perform is Latin. Give me salsa, cumbias, and mambos any day of the week. Of course, this has nothing to do with the fact that the trumpet figures prominently in all three of these genres... Now if I could just retool my vocabulary in order that I could proficiently compose lyrics in Spanish!

Most of us that once-upon-a-time played in the school band, and even fewer who continued on in college pretty much are relegated to playing in the local community band, jazz ensemble, or church orchestra as mature adults. A very elite few made it as a career performing. I feel very fortunate that I get to play like I do. It's not a full-time, lucrative type of performing, but it is a lot of fun. If I weren't playing those cumbias and mambos, I doubt I'd be playing in a group at all. All things considered, living out in the middle of nowhere, I play quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure the demand for our music will just go up.

Here are some tunes making their way through the works and may be heard soon:

• Lo Que Yo Tengo
  
• El Cafetal/Machaca
• Let's Stay Together

Speaking of, come see us on the following dates:

• October 10th, Free Street Dance in downtown Presidio
• October 31, Sabados en el Parque, Ojinaga

And after the mariachis finished...

Well I'm not saying that our Mariachi Santa Cruz is bad luck or anything, but we've had a couple of "what happened next" experiences right after mariachi performances recently that might make you wonder...

It all began at the Marfa Lights Festival on September 6th. Mariachi Santa Cruz played a one-hour set as part of a scheduled four-hour engagement we had to close the festival. The crowd was great, the setting perfect, but with just a few grey clouds rolling in... Hmm, was that a raindrop I just..yep, it sure was. Uh-oh there's some more. And as we played the final note of the final cancion, the heavens opened up with a rousing downpour.

Thirty drenched minutes later the skies cleared and the glorious sun came back out. Unfortunately the sound people felt it was unsafe to "turn the juice back on," and the day came to a premature end. The good news is that we rescheduled that gig for Sunday, September 27th, this time at Vizcaino Park (Marfa). It's free and the time is friendly to the whole family: 5:00-8:00 PM.

Okay, so we played another mariachi gig on "lucky" September 13th in Presidio, along with the La Rondalla de CeTIS 98 (Ojinaga), Ballet Folklorico de UACH (Chihuahua), and some other very terrific musicians from Chihuahua. It was the "Grito de Independencia"--Presidio-style-- held in the parking lot of a defunct grocery store. Mexican Consul Hector Raul Acosta organized the event and did his customary GREAT JOB. A wonderful evening in the old town of Presidio.

A few days later--on Thursday the 17th--we had yet another mariachi gig near Marathon, this time with several students from Presidio High. Once again, the setting was unmatched and with very gracious hosts. The gig went quite well, but rather late. Nevertheless, we arrived safely back in Presidio at 2:30 AM. It was a long day, but a good one.

After crawling in the sack, not more than an hour into La La Land, my tummy-tum-tum awakened me. Living on la frontera, this is not unusual because we eat food on both sides of the border. Sometimes it's spicy, maybe a tad greasy, or who knows why? Anyway, so I have a humdinger of a stomach ache, only this time my side hurts. Oh no, not my kidney! (Family history.) Long story, short: yeah, it was. Miraculously, by Sunday afternoon it was all over. Three little stones kind of doing the "Fantastic Voyage" through "that" part of my body. No fun, but thank goodness it wasn't any worse.

Hey but if this is the worst of my luck, then I'm not doing too bad at all.

Come see us this Sunday, September 27, in Marfa!

Tour 2009: Ft. Stockton and Pecos

That motley bunch of border musicians from the Texas Big Bend and Ojinaga--you know them as The Resonators--just wrapped up their 2009 tour with rave reviews. With an early Friday morning departure on August 14th, the band blazed a musical trail across the expansive Trans-Pecos region of Texas, logging 410 miles, crossing numerous county lines, and bringing economic development to countless eateries, Wal-Marts, and budget hotels. When the group finally rolled back home, we--in our own individual ways--basked in the glow of two triumphant gigs in two days. Wow! I guess it's time to get on eBay and see if there are any tour buses (in the $1000-2000 range) on sale to meet our incredible travel needs which most surely will follow...

Well, actually the two gigs were very cool, and hopefully we'll be playing out and about more often. We played the 2009 Roadrunner Biker Rally in Ft. Stockton on Friday--a first for us. The outdoor venue was excellent, the weather, perfect, and the folks attending lots of fun to play for. Great success! We're hoping to play again next year. Thanks to Joe Schuster and Manny Rodriguez for having us play.

The the tour continued to its final leg in Pecos. One word: PARTY! The band was on and the wedding party was eager to have a great time Saturday night. After all was said and done, it was one more reason to be grateful that we do what we do. We discovered a great restaurant called "El Rodeo" the next morning. Mmm-mmm good! A great time in Pecos.

Tomorrow it's back to school, at least for teachers. Looking forward to working with Lucy, Taro, Julia and Juanito keeping the music alive and well in Presidio.

2009 so far

2009 has been an interesting year for the band thus far. Most importantly, we have had a pretty good run of gigs. We have also had the usual rocky moments a lot of groups go through, but we survived them and are probably stronger for it. One interesting note that has probably been most surprising is how we have continued to line up playing opportunities in spite of the shaky economy. I don't know what exactly to attribute this to, but I'm thankful we still play as much as we do.

Playing at The Granada in Alpine during Fiesta del Sol was a treat. The facility is terrific, plus you get Mark Pollock to run sound. Then we played for the Presidio July 4th. Other than a power glitch midway through the evening, it was a "blast" to entertain the locals. After a little time off, we played a very satisfying party for a nice bunch of folks in Marfa on August 1st. Next up is a motorcycle rally In Ft. Stockton on August 14th--a first for the band. Just like playing for the prom back in May, hopefully we'll have the right stuff. We're sure gonna try!

Fiesta del Sol

A highlight of The Resonators' summer performance calendar is the upcoming Fiesta del Sol in Alpine. The gig will happen at the Granada starting at 8:00 PM, so we'll see you there! If you haven't seen a show at the Granada, it's one of the classiest performance venues around, plus it's smoke-free. Mark Pollock--music biz heavy-hitter extraordinaire--will run sound for us, so we'll be good to go.

Last Friday we played a great show at Railroad Blues. Leading up to the gig we had a ride snafu that was--at the time--pretty unnerving. In a nutshell, Taro, Chino, and Manolo went straight to Alpine, while Lucy, Marty, and I waited in Presidio for them. After two and a half hours passed, we guessed they had gone on their own, which they had. Planning to arrive at the Blues by 5:30, we finally rolled in at 8:00 PM. After hashing it all out, it was determined that the ride arrangements got lost in communication. All in all, I guess you could say it was a scary afteroon wondering what was going on, but it really did seam to get the adrenaline flowing for the show.

Saturday we played a party at La Cienega (Cibolo Crek Ranch). The gig, again, went very well, but not until we spent an hour trying to figure out which ranch gate we were supposed to use. Nothing like staring at a picturesque ranch (with camels!) and knowing you have a job to play, but wondering how everyone else got in, except us! Finally a ranch employee answered the phone and we figured everything out. Hurry up and wait, verse 2!

Once again, we sure hope to see you all this coming Saturday!