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Los Lonely Boys

Los Lonely Boys are the kind of guys that make Mexican mothers coo, "Ay, mi'jito -- I want you to meet my sister's daughter's cousin!" In gringo-speak, that means the brothers -- Henry, Joey (Jojo), and Ringo Garza -- are good boys with jobs, rooted in family.

"Our familia, our culture -- we hold on to that," says the eldest, Henry, prior to a Steamboat gig. Or maybe it was Jojo. The brothers tend to finish each other's sentences. When they really get going, they launch into a hilarious schtick that comes from spending way too much time together and watching way too many mobster movies. You had to be there.

Unless it's all a well-spun act, the boys are as they seem: close-knit, hardworking brothers who've been paying their dues, rocking and wailing in venues across Texas and beyond. Watching the nimbleness of Henry on guitar, Jojo on bass, and Ringo making his sticks fly on drums, it's clear what they say of themselves is true: "Music is in our blood, it's thick."

Their musical apprenticeship comes from their father, Ringo Sr., a musician who played with his seven-brother conjunto group, the Backroads. Convinced of his brood's talent, Ringo Sr. moved the family from San Angelo to Nashville, where the boys spent their formative years backing their father, playing mostly country music. As the boys matured musically and literally, Ringo Sr. stepped back and let Los Lonely Boys evolve into their own groove.

And groove they do. Just when you hear a whiff of Santana or the ghost of Stevie Ray Vaughan, they streak into their own onda with heavy doses of rock & roll and rock en Español. And to hear them deliver the Texas blues ("Baby, I'm from Texas ..."), damn -- it's like ice water on a hot comal.

So, where's their CD? A couple of demos are floating around, and a 1998 self-titled CD is now unavailable. That will soon change.

"It was Willie Nelson's nephew we met first," says Jojo about their well-publicized "musical adoption" by the legendary Texan. "He showed Willie a tape of us, and we invited him to a show at Momos -- and he came!"

That encounter gained an invitation to play Nelson's Farm Aid Concert and other gigs. Nelson opened his Pedernales Studio to the boys, where they'll begin recording their first serious CD with producer John Porter (Keb Mo, Taj Mahal) in March.

In the meantime, Los Lonely Boys call San Angelo home. What would they be doing if they weren't doing music? The same blank look crosses all three of their faces.

"Flipping burgers, digging ditches -- yeah, they make good money. ... Being with the kids and our family ... there's always PlayStation!"

Then, with an honesty that comes from knowing you're living your destiny,

"Hey, we just like to play."

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SXSW showcase: Steamboat, Friday, March 14, 11pm