Written by Eddie Ferranti

Some good old rip snortin’ blues rock always seems to fit for a select group of music lovers in Houston. Nobody fills that bill better than theTex Mex brother trio called Los Lonely Boys. The band consists of Jojo Garza (bass,vocals),  Ringo Garza (drums,vocals) and Henry Garza (guitar,vocals). They have been together since the mid-90’s,but hit it big in 2004 with the mega hit “Heaven”. That tune does not personify what people come to see though.  Henry’s “Texican Rock n’ Roll” blazing style leans towards Stevie Ray Vaughn big time.  His scorching solos are always a treat to witness live.

This night would be no different as LLB ignited the audience with Texas flavored blues songs such as “Don’t’ Walk Away”, “Blame It On Love” complete with their cousin on accordion, and “Give A Little More” where Henry showcased his exceptional talent brandishing electric sparks on his solos! The band can slip into Southern rock, too like “So Sensual” where Ringo did double duty on skins and conga. Jojo never stops moving even though he had a heavy leather coat on. You get it all with this threesome from Latino Blues to Chicano spiced rock.  The brothers tour constantly and even though they are somewhat under the radar these days they continue to have a cult like following. The crowd was out to enjoy the holidays right down to the encore of what else-“Heaven”.  I’ve seen these cats since they used to blow the walls down at the Continental Club in downtown Houston and they still pack a killer punch.

The nostalgia night started with old buds Sisters Morales. I’ve seen this act so much over the years and this was a comeback performance of sorts.  Roberta Morales had left the band and now they have gotten back together heavily promoting their Spanish flavored songs. Her lovely sister Lisa and killer lead guitarist David Spencer were in tow and sounded very good filling the big stage. Their sugar sweet harmonies combined with Spencer’s low key monster guitar solos have been around for over 20 years. This night they did almost all Spanish songs which seems to be what they want to pursue for now. It was great to hear Lisa’s emotional heartfelt style mixing with Roberta’s bluesy delivery from song to song.  They have that excellent stage “thing” going strong after all these years and hopefully they’ll continue to play as Sisters Morales.

Eddie Ferranti