Chicano Powerhouse Los Lonely Boys recently visited one of the Pulse’s favorite venues, the War Memorial Auditorium, for a killer show with Alejandro Escovedo and Los Lobos. Jojo Garza, brother in the power trio and bassist/vocalist for Los Lonely Boys, was kind enough to chat with the Pulse before the show.

And do be sure to check out the War Memorial Auditorium’s website for some killer shows lined up this year: wmarocks.com

Murfreesboro Pulse: Thanks for sitting down with us, Jojo. Our first question: “How far is Heaven?”
Jojo Garza: [laughs] It’s 120,000 kilometers. Kidding, of course. No, Heaven is . . . it’s a breath away. It’s here, it’s in us, the way we live every day, and the way we give everything. I think it’s about giving, not taking. I think if you live in that frame of art, in that frame of mind that, pretty much, you’re in a Heaven-like place.

MP: So would you say that Heaven is a state of mind?
Garza: Well, don’t quote me on that, but I think it has a lot to do with what’s here on this Earth. What we do on this Earth. I mean, no one knows where we really go when we die. We hope, we believe that there is a better place, but when we realize that life is good in the place that we’re in now, I think that brings us closer to a place like that.

MP: Right on. So, Los Lonely Boys is a trio of former Nashville residents. You all are another example of a massive success story that Music City has seen. What advice do you think you would have for a younger version of yourself? For younger musicians in the area that are starving to succeed?
Garza: Basically, it’s the same advice I would give anyone. I mean, not just as a musician, but really advice I would give for life. It turns over to what we find ourselves doing with our life. You have to be true with yourself. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. You have to be true to yourself so that you can be true to others. And when you apply that to music, if you’re true to what you feel and what you see . . . I mean, I guess you can exaggerate and throw some imagination in there. Things like that. I’m sure we all wish we could fly. But, you talk about certain things like that with your aspirations and dreams, and you have to be true to those dreams and aspirations for them to become reality. Don’t give up. That’s key. One of the main keys is to never give up, no matter what anyone says. You know, a lot of people did it against the grain, as well as ourselves. There is a set grain for a lot of things in this world. Sometimes you really find yourself having no choice other than to go against that grain to prove your point. To prove that what you’re talking about has significance. I think that if you stay true to roots, you hold on to where the tree has grown from, that adds for a better and more beautiful tree. I don’t want to tell anyone how far to dream or imagine, but remember we do live in this place and this time called “reality,” so you wanna talk about things others can relate to. And that has everything to do with being true to who you are and what you are. Also, know that it’s okay to talk about what’s in your heart, and not just what’s on your mind. Even though we are skin and tissue, there is a soul there. That has to be nurtured, and you have to be true to that. You gotta realize that there’s a struggle that comes with this. It’s not about fame or fortune, or other things musicians talk about because they can make a buck. That’s the easy road. We’re looking for the narrow road. The hard road. The road that looks like “I don’t even wanna go down that road,” because that road builds character in people. It adds mileage. You’re able to experience more. The music has been created long before our existence. So don’t feel like you’re doing something that’s never been done before, or has been done, because you’re doing it and you’re doing it at your best.

MP: That’s interesting, because it brings us to a sentiment people echo about there being “no originality left.” Personally, I disagree with that. Otherwise, what would be the point of watching another football game, going to another restaurant, making another movie.
Garza: That’s a good point. But, talking about the music, it really is like air, like water, like food. It’s something that was given to us by nature. Almost everyone has the ability to sing and dance. Everyone has music in their blood . . . to what extent and degree you’re applying yourself is a whole other thing. I hear a lot of people saying that, as an artist. There’s nothing really original out there until you take the pieces that were left behind and you turn it into your own puzzle. When you learn to fit the pieces in an area [where] it normally wasn’t supposed to be. That’s what makes it our own. You’re trying to express your point of view to everybody.

MP: I couldn’t agree more. Now, you’re playing at the TPAC’S War Memorial Auditorium, which is one of the coolest venues out there. Being from Nashville, what other parts do you miss? Do you have a favorite venue you like to visit when you come to Music City?
Garza: Well, the lives we lived, growing up in Goodlettsville and Madison, mostly around those areas. Every now and then we got to go downtown to experience the scene in Nashville. There is 3rd & Lindsley, which, growing up, was one of the better places we played at. We played at the Elvis Presley Museum, which, I don’t know if it’s still there on Music Row. Man, we played all over Music Row, a bunch of little shops. Every hole in the wall, places you probably don’t even know exist. We were playing on Dickerson Road, and Murfreesboro Road, and some tougher parts of Nashville. But 3rd & Lindsley is one of those places . . .  it gave us something. I remember we felt like we had a great show there. Every night we would walk out, it felt like there were fireworks going off, and we always felt it was a sign that things were building and it was going to explode. We lived in Nashville off and on for six, maybe eight years. Something like that. What it gave us most was practice, honing on our craft. We will always be thankful to Nashville for that.

As far as what chances we got, it wasn’t about that. It was all about the experiences we got. It’s still that today, but on a bigger scale. We always have a great experience in Nashville, and every time we come back we just feel at home.

MP: With your permission, I would like to discuss the specifics of your vocal cord injury. Would you care to tell us what happened?
Garza: What happened, we were on tour. I lost my voice. I actually lost my voice in the studio when we were working on the record Rockpango. We had to stop production on the record for almost a year because of the whole situation. We noticed my voice was really raspy, and rest wasn’t [helping]. We were about to do a five-week run, and we just happened to be in Colorado. And it was just so bad that we needed to get it checked out to see what was going on. So we went to a clinic, and they were like, “You have got to stop singing. You have got to stop touring.” We were like, “What are you talking about?” and they explained that I was going to ruin my voice in the long run. They were saying that one of my vocal cords had lost its tension, I guess, like an overstretched muscle. It was not working to its fullest extent. They said “If you stop for a certain amount of time, we can go in and do some corrections, within three to six months you should be good enough to start working up again. And they gave me this whole regimen of what not to do. For a long time I couldn’t talk, I had to write on a board with a marker and stuff. And even when we did shows after that, I couldn’t talk after shows. I quit smoking cigarettes for a very long time as well. I wasn’t drinking sodas . . .  a whole diet change. The vocal cord was overworked, and just needed major rest. I was around 26 when it happened. That’s a pretty long time to do something over and over and over, and that vocal cord was the weakest link [laughs]. So to speak. But we got through it. We give God all the thanks for the mercy that he gave for us to be able to do this again. We were very scared. What if I was never able to do this again?

I remember listening to the tracks on the recording we had done, and I just felt insignificant. Looking back, maybe I shouldn’t have felt that way as a bass player, but I also sing. If I could never have my full craft again, I don’t know what it would feel like. But it worked out for the best.

MP: It’s awful to have to be put in a situation where you are told you not only can’t do what you love, but can’t express yourself. That’s terrifying.
Garza: In a way you can see it as terrifying, but you can also see it as divine. Like a divine intervention. We could easily look at it and go “Why?” but there was a reason for it. It’s just like what happened recently with my brother. It’s the same type of thing. We know a whole lot of people haven’t heard about it.

MP: You’ll have to forgive me, but I don’t think I’m familiar.
Garza: When you stare into the face of adversity, that’s when your true character is built. What you are is really shown. Our brother Henry had a horrible accident and nearly died. We didn’t really talk about it, but a few people got wind of it and it got picked up in the papers. He fell into an orchestra pit 12 feet down and was hurt really bad. He was near death. And for anyone else I know it would have been death, or would have become quadriplegic. It was one of the most horrific experiences of our lives. It was like my vocal cords, but to an nth degree. He couldn’t play guitar, he couldn’t talk, he could barely walk. Such a horrible nightmare.

After a while, we get back with our families, and we’re all together in a circle. We’re praying and we’re talking, and realized that it was divine intervention. We believe and we feel that way. That it was . . . time for a pause, and we’re the kind of guys who work hard, man. We’re out here, we’re doing it. We’re on the front lines and just dishing it out. And we feel the only way we would be able to have some kind of stop or true rest was for divine intervention to happen. And we were concerned, not just for Henry being the guitar player for Los Lonely Boys, but it was such a bad incident we were concerned with him just being Henry Garza, a person. That was the main focus of him, as well as the whole family. It’s gonna take as much time as it takes for you to become half the person you were. And I’m telling you, it was nothing short of a miracle. The incident of the injury, the extent of the injury, and for him to be out here now doing this, it’s . . .  like I said, it’s a miracle, man. You know? He went to a few doctors, they weren’t much help. He took some holistic type-healing from a friend of ours, Samuel Kwok, who basically took him into a series of sessions. With some acupuncture, a lot of herbs, things like that. Very pure stuff. It’s just like with the music, it comes from a very pure place that was before any of us. So talking about the medicine that was used to get into this point. He can tell you himself, but I’ve heard him say it many times. He’s just glad to be alive, and we’re all just glad to be alive too. We’ve been hitting the stage, we’ve done a few shows recently. And the very first show that we did, the very first note, brother, I’m telling you, and I kid you not, it was just full of tears.

Brothers and bandmates (from left) Jojo, Ringo and Henry Garza

MP: Wow.
Garza: We had to do a turnaround. We had to turn around a few times just so that we could cry. And the fans that were out in the audience, they were crying. We made sure that people were well aware that Henry had just become well enough to be on stage that night. It was a big night. And every night now for me is. We live every day, we drink water, we eat food, and we care for ourselves in a certain way. But in a moment’s time, you see just how much you take things for granted. I’m talking about things like this. I’ve been playing with my brothers all my life. I don’t know what I’d do without the guys. I don’t know where I’d be, if I would ever play music again. But as much as I felt and thought about that, it never occurred to me what it would really be like. And this was one of those divine interventions that put life into a whole different perspective. It also helps what each one of us gives to Los Lonely Boys. And I’m telling you right now, it wouldn’t be Los Lonely Boys without any one of us. God made it this way and that’s what we are. Sooner or later, reality will slap you in the face, and you have to adjust and adapt or you fail. We want to give thanks to Samuel Kwok and Dr. Jingyu Gu for helping us adapt.

MP: In the spirit of progress, let’s talk Rockpango. I have a quote from you saying “It’s just progress, maturation, and growth.” Let’s talk about what being older means for you as a musician.
Garza: It’s like we talked about earlier. It’s knowing all of this was created before my time. Music, to me and my brothers, was one of those things created at the time by God as what our souls need for nourishment. You know that when you hear a good song, and I’m talking lyrically and melodically, it touches your brain and your heart. You start think, to contemplate. And from that realization comes reality. So, for me, growing older, you have to realize that you’re just another branch on the tree that is music. But you can bloom different flowers on the same tree.

MP: Right, it all comes from somewhere. We were discussing your music with a few of our readers via social media, and they cited an influence of Stevie Ray Vaughan. That’s not to say that your music is derivative, but that it all stems from another place.
Garza: You know, it’s really poignant that you bring up Stevie Ray Vaughan. My brothers and I were just talking about him. There have been several major artists who have played a part in what Los Lonely Boys are and are still becoming. Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of the biggest. First and foremost, we give our thanks to God. Our other major influence is our father. He was born in 1950, he saw Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones . . . we also learned about bands that people had never heard of. He introduced us to so many types of musics, and those worlds introduce you to so many other musics. And as we started coming into our own, Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of those major influences. Richie Valens is another. But there’s also people like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, the Traveling Wilburys, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder. I could go on and on and on. But with Vaughan, you can feel a sense of what he gave music, and what music gave to him. If you’re a true music lover, you can hear that in everything we do. There’s a piece of Santana, there’s a piece of Los Lobos, Ronnie Milsap, The Beatles. There’s an endless supply of musical information.

MP: You mention The Beatles. Having covered one or two of their songs, have you encountered any negative reaction from music purists?
Garza: To be honest with you, we only listen to what people say so much. We believe in what we do, and our belief in that will make it what it is. I can’t remember getting a negative reaction to that song in particular. We’ve heard things like “The Beatles would be proud.” We’ve heard things like, and like I said, these aren’t my quotes, but we’ve heard people say like, “Man, you guys are like a Mexican version of The Beatles.” [laughs]

MP: Those are big shoes to fill.
Garza: They’re some of the biggest. And we don’t focus on trying to fill anyone’s shoes. We focus on just being able to feel what we feel inside. Stevie Ray Vaughan is gone. And we ask ourselves, “Would he be proud?” Like, Carlos Santana, we were just with him a week ago, we were in the room talking with him. And he said, “You guys are the ones. I’ve been passing the torch to you guys.” And this is coming from Carlos Santana, who also [gives us] very big shoes to fill. He’s telling us that we can fill that. And we’re telling him, “Look, there’s no way! You’re Carlos Santana!” You know, it’s the same when we talked to Paul McCartney. I mean, we were in such awe that we barely got a word out. We showed him a couple of tunes as well.

But you know, we hear things too, like, “These guys don’t know how to write a song, or these guys don’t know how to structure songs” . . . I mean, I guess it’s balance, because you have to take the good with the bad, and the bad with the good. Otherwise, we don’t evolve.

MP: Let’s talk about Willie Nelson and his involvement with the family. How has he influenced you?
Garza: Our father loved Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings, and Willie and the boys. We were always doing his songs growing up. Once again, major shoes to fill because of what he brought to music and what music brought to him. He’s really been an influence in the last ten years of our lives . . . and that guy never stops! I mean, he is playing and playing, and now his sons are playing. And when you can have someone who has run the track, they can come back around and tell you “There’s a little pothole over here,” that’s the influence he brings. When we sit and talk with him, you have to remember, we’re still in awe every time he says something like, “Come on over to the house.”

He invited us to Maui, just to come hang out. And we’re asking, “What? Are you joking? Are you serious? Of course we’ll come!” That’s influence enough, man, when he looks at you and says, “I respect what you’re doing, and what you’re doing is right. You’re doing it the right way. Just remember to keep your heart true.” All these people are major influences . . . you can probably find some interviews with Santana, or Nelson, or even Stone Cold Steve Austin where you can find some things in relation to. I say Stone Cold Steve Austin because he’s a friend of ours. And he was another major influence. We met him through another friend of ours, Diamond Dallas Page, who introduced us to Stone Cold Steve Austin, who is the reason we got involved with the WWE; and people ask “How did Stone Cold influence you guys musically?” Well, once again, I say it transfers to just living. But when we saw him wrestling, it got us through another week. They bring the essence of “you have to fight to survive. You have to make a stance” . . . We have to have a fight inside us to survive. To do better as people. You have to want this world to get better before you go. Existing is one thing. But how many of us actually live?

MP: That’s a wonderful quote.
Garza: I can’t take credit for it. I’m sure I read it somewhere.

MP: Moving to your live performances, when can the fans expect another live DVD from Los Lonely Boys?
Garza: We definitely want to have a lot of new songs before we do something like that again. And right now, we’re recording song after song. Actually making an album is something . . .  we just don’t feel we’re there yet. We’re gonna release a single on July 30. But for the DVD, we have to feel like the time is right to capture that moment in time. Any time we did a DVD, it was about that.

MP: In terms of conceptualizing Rockpango, your latest album, how do you feel that that stands out from other albums in your career?
Garza: Once again, it comes down to knowing where we were in that moment in time. When you can listen, and hear it’s still you. But you feel like you shed a skin, in a sense. You hear it in your voices, but the abilities have changed. The ideas have changed. You have to learn to change to adapt. And adapt to change. But listening back, we know we’re in the producer’s shoes as well. We’re working harder. We want to show ourselves. We’re not trying to prove it to anybody else. We want to show ourselves that we can do all the aspects of music. We can create. We are Los Lonely Boys naturally, but we can create heavy metal, country, hip-hop and worldwide Latin percussion. We can create music. It’s all about capturing that experience.

MP: You mentioned a new single. What can the fans expect?
Garza: When we did the first record, I was like “Awww.” We did the second record, and I was like “Wow. That changed.” With each record, it changed. Once again, it’s evolving. It is so Los Lonely Boys. It is so roots, but it’s fresh. . . . When a plant rests for the winter, and then all of a sudden that new, green piece comes out of the dirt? Even when the branches are falling off . . .  it’s still connected to the tree, the roots, the tree of music, but it’s got a fresh sound to it, man. It’s got a fresh taste for your ears. Even if we’re using the same flavors.

MP: [laughs] Just like your Christmas album, Christmas Spirit.
Garza: Yeah, that was fun to do. We’re big Christmas cats. It’s fun being with the family, and when everyone’s got their ribbons up. Everyone’s trying to get their house a certain way. The days are happier, they’re cooler. It was really fun. We actually did that record in May, and we did a setup with Christmas presents and everything.

MP: Now, love is a major theme in music as a whole, but also in many of the songs from Los Lonely Boys. In the dawn of the digital age, with social media, the Internet, et cetera, do you feel that love is changing? Is there a difference between how generations experience love?
Garza: There’s a time for everything. There’s a time for happiness. There’s a time for sadness. There’s even a true time to be upset. But there is always a time to love. And we feel like there’s a certain group of people, and we can’t really say what group it is, what age it is . . . I really don’t know. But you can hear certain people saying things that weren’t being said five years ago. Ten years ago. As far as the level of consciousness, I think that’s happening every day. It’s kind of like a “pay it forward’ kind of thing. Los Lonely Boys believes that love is real, no matter how hard times may seem. Love exists in every one of those moments. The more we keep bringing it up and talking about it, the more it’s going to raise that level of consciousness across the globe.

MP: Speaking of love, you’re playing in a major band with your brothers. Is there a sibling rivalry there? We know you love your brothers . . .
Garza: Of course, very much. We love each other very dearly. We can see some families that aren’t that close, and we just don’t understand that. But there’s no rivalry whatsoever.

MP: No practical jokes or anything?
Garza: Well, you could classify it as that, but we inspire one another to do better. To me, that’s not in any sense the word “rivalry.” That’s influence and inspiration. All that rivalry stuff . . . we can’t understand how that happens. We did a lot of fighting as youngsters, we were young.

Henry: (interrupting) You’re still the little brother . . .
Jojo: (childishly) No I’m not, Henry! [laughs] No, it really is a beautiful thing for us. And we realize that we’re very lucky. We’re very blessed to be able to do this with other people. Those kinds of things, they just don’t exist with Los Lonely Boys. It’s all about giving. Not taking.

For more on Los Lonely Boys, visit loslonelyboys.com.