Courtesy of Cherrytree Music
San Antonio trio The Last Bandoleros release their new album Tex Flex Folklórico today, just in time for their Día de los Muertos commemoration and hometown headline show at the prestigious Tobin Center tonight. Fresh off their recent live performance of their first single “Vamos a Bailar” on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and an appearance at the San Antonio SpiritLandia River Parade yesterday, The Last Bandoleros are proud to be placing the focus on their culture with the release of Tex Flex Folkórico.
“Tex Flex Folklórico a companion to our album Tex Flex which came out in June,” explains the group’s vocalist/guitarist Jerry Fuentes. “It’s a deeper dive into our Mexican-American roots, a nod to the Southern Texas melting pot that informs our musicianship and a glimpse into the anchors our ‘Tex Flex’ sound.”
“It’s like a prequel to Tex Flex!” chimes in Emilio Navaira IV, vocalist/drummer in The Last Bandoleros and, along with his brother, vocalist/bassist Diego Navaira, the sons of legendary Tejano singer Emilio Navaira.
“We’re singing in Spanish and English,” Diego elaborates. “It’s what we grew up doing with my dad.”
The Last Bandoleros have been earning effusive praise for their accomplished musicianship and impressive harmonies opening for respected artists such as Sting, The Mavericks, Los Lobos, The Boss Hoss, and Dwight Yoakum. The trio lovingly refers to their unique new sound – a mix of Rock, Pop, and Latin flavor – as “Tex Flex.” The group will be taking its energetic show to the Stagecoach Festival having just been announced on the line-up for next May. They’ll also be headlining at The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia this February 24, 2023.
Tex Flex is a delicious sonic “guiso” infusing elements of Bolero, Cumbia, Tejano, Bachata, and Salsa into modern rock and pop production, and its new, sibling album Tex Flex Folklórico further explores those proclivities.
From Spanish renditions of band-penned originals such as the effervescent “Vamos a Bailar,” the sultry Maldita,” and romantic bachata “Siempre Me Enamoré” to modern takes on classics such as “La Malagueña” and Los Panchos’ “Sin Ti,” The Last Bandoleros’ Tex Flex Folklórico album is an inviting soundtrack to the many moods of a magical stroll down San Antonio’s Riverwalk. Moreover, who else but The Last Bandoleros could interpret a Bolero version of The Beatles’ “And I Love Her,” deliver a lovingly delicate take on Emilio Navaira’s “Naciste Para Mi” and bring Los Lobos’ cinematic “Canción de Mariachi” into the 21st Century?
The Tex Flex Folklórico album is out today. Download or stream it on your favorite digital platform.
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