April 26, 2008
The Tejas Brothers are authentic purveyors of a decidedly Lone Star sound.
Not since the Texas Tornados has a band of musical hermanos
so expertly merged country, Tejano, rock and blues. While these four
Fort Worth guys aren't siblings, they sure are kin behind those
instruments. We're talking guitar, accordion, bass and drums. What more
do you need for that real border style?
Guitarist Chris Zalez was
a bluesman. He was even making a living playing it onstage. But it was
time for a change, he thought around 2006. He tapped into his childhood
predilection for Mexican music, as well as a few other genres, and
called in upright bassist John Garza, drummer Danny Cochran and
singer-squeezebox player David Perez. Suddenly, the Tejas Brothers were
born.
One listens to the group's self-titled, 11-song CD and two
quick thoughts come to mind. First, dang, these musicians are a younger
and hipper but just-as-real reincarnation of Texas Tornados, the lauded
ensemble featuring Flaco Jimenez and the late Freddy Fender. And
finally you say to yourself, "What took so long for Texas to produce
another band like this?"
Better late than never, right? Mr. Perez penned most of the tunes on Tejas Brothers,
including the cool, Tex-Mex stomp "Doing a Real Good Job" and the
vintage, bolero-inspired ballad "Love Me or Leave Me Alone."
Respect
for the Tejas Brothers has been almost instantaneous, at least judging
by the guests on the disc. Matt Hillyer of rugged country-rock outfit
Eleven Hundred Springs picks and sings, while bluesman Anson
Funderburgh works his six-string magic on a couple of tracks.
But if you want to encapsulate the Tejas Brothers in three sentences, let Mr. Zalez do the talking.
"We're
not just a cover band," he has said. "These are the kind of songs we
write. This is the kind of music we love – genuine Texas music."
Amen, brothers.Plan your life
Sweet!