The Texas-L.A. Connection

Tremoloco doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a play on the word tremolo that bandleader Tony Zamora and fellow vintage guitar buff Stephen Bruton came up with. Bruton is just one of the many Texas connections that can be found on the Los Angeles-based band’s self-released full-length debut, Dulcinea. It also features appearances by Redd Volkaert, Cindy Cashdollar, Max Baca, Joel Guzman, and Ian McLagan.

Dulcinea follows closely in the steps of the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven, mixing Mexican heritage and American roots rock into a Southwestern stew that’s festive and savory. Zamora claims it’s a combination of his Tex-Mex roots - his mother is from El Paso and his father is Mexican - with youthful influences from growing up in East L.A.

“When we first started in 2002, Los Super Seven and Los Lobos were a huge influence,” the 48-year-old explains. “We were covering some of that stuff at shows because I hadn’t written the songs for this album yet, the Cesar Rosas and Freddie Fender stuff. So when it came time to record, this seemed like a natural progression.”

The disc was recorded with the production assistance of Los Lobos percussionist Cougar Estrada, who brought more of the Texas influence to the proceedings from his work with artists like Guzman and Sisters Morales.

Tremoloco appears throughout Texas this week, making stops here in Austin at Momo’s for an early show tonight and Guero’s on Sunday afternoon. They expect to be joined by some of the Texas artists that performed on the disc, as well as some other local friends.

“We don’t want to advertise names that might not show up,” Zamora states cautiously. “For sure, we’ll have some special guests at all our shows.”

After years of working with on the back line, including with folks like the Wild Colonials, Susanna Hoffs, Delaney Bramlett, and a ton of session work, Zamora is relishing the thought of being out front this time. “Being a sideman for so long, it’s fun to have this project come alive for us and you know when we get on stage, it’s going to be a party.”