There's nothing like the joy of a truly stellar rock power trio, within which no average musician can reside, or hide. San Angelo's Los Lonely Boys epitomize all the joys and thrills of the form, filling the musical space and putting it to exceptional use. The three singing Garza Brothers (drummer Ringo, 6-string bassist Jojo, and guitarist Henry) play together with practiced polish, familiarity, and most of importantly, joy and enthusiasm.
Now touring on their fourth excellent studio release, the boys show off total mastery of their craft with thrilling improvisation and a healthy infusion of astonishingly well chosen influences overlaid on top of their vibrant Texican roots. These border region roots are a proud foundation of splendid vocal harmonies, occasional bilingual lyrics, and well integrated parts that include great guitar work. As they continue to mature and grow, they are integrating an even broader range of tasty musical flavors.
Friday 6/17/2011's show was great from start to finish and filled with highlights. The sound at the Paradise was perfect, plenty loud but with nothing obscured. LLB's original material is very strong both musically and lyrically, so their own catalog was a mainstay. Within this they drew liberally on Hendrix, Stevie Ray, Cream, Creedence, and even quoted on Sanford and Son. An early showcase was "Man to Beat," where all three boys showed their strengths and announced they were ready to rock. "Friday Night" started out with Henry's delicious scat mirroring his soloing, evolved into a vibrant retro swing blues, and then expanded into a mind-bending detour of Jimi's Third Stone from the Sun. "16 Monkeys" from off of the latest release, Rockpango, was a ripping blend of their best flavors with some modern elements mixed in. Some of Rockpango's songs even draw expertly and judiciously upon hip-hop. Rockpango BTW is a true rock bargain for only a $5.99 download (at a site that rhymes with Schmamazon), so how can you miss?
Let no mistakenly think LLR are (or really, ever were) a cute poppy boy act due to the success of their best-known hit "How Far is Heaven." Though this catchy and well-deserved hit displays an admirable wedge of talent, the full richness of the band goes quite far beyond this. And their continued growth and obvious joy and committment strongly suggests years and years of more listening pleasure for the fans of an already great and quintessentially American great rock and roll. I have seen LLB live 4 times now since 2005, and they are undoubtedly a band that deserves much greater acclaim and popularity than they have thus far achieved. For on top of their stellar skills and wonderful live playing, they have an earthy authenticity that some popular music sorely lacks. Viva los Garzas! Their live shows are not to be missed, especially given the opportunity to see such an awesome band in an intimate setting.