Courtesy of M Group
Longtime Tejano favoritesLos Desperadozhave officially returned to the stage this month, and in addition to touring again after the pandemic, the group has released their latest single, “Un Milagro,” from theCalm Before the Stormalbum.
Mike Villarreal, accordionist and vocalist of Los Desperadoz, said the group was ready to perform again after such a long absence.
“We’re really excited about getting back out on the road and getting reacquainted with ourselves and each other, because we’ve been apart for so long,” Villarreal said. “Due to the pandemic, we did what we needed to do…to make sure we were protecting ourselves and our families.”
He also provided a medical update on his brother,Lee Villarreal, vocalist and bajo sexto player for Los Desperadoz, who last April was hospitalized for several days. Mike said the family believes Lee probably had the coronavirus, but there were no definitive test results.
“It gave us a scare,” Mike said. “He’s doing a lot better. He’s doing really good.”
Despite the hardships that the pandemic caused, the time off proved eye-opening as it helped him realize what a blessing life is.
“It did give us a chance to get reacquainted with the things that are really precious in our lives, because we’re always on the road,” he said. “We’re out on the road pretty much every weekend. We were able to do some family bonding, just have special time with the family. I can’t remember the last time I went on a walk down the street with my family and we were doing that.”
Los Desperadoz have entertained fans for more than three decades. The touring over the years has caused them to miss a lot of family occasions, but now that the band handles their own booking, they can decide when they will be away from home.
“We’ve been in the business going on almost 35 years,” Villarreal said. “So we missed a lot of birthdays. We missed a lot of Mother’s Days, Father’s Days, Christmases, Christmas Eves, Thanksgivings and a whole bunch of stuff because we were always out on the road.”
When Los Desperadoz come to a town near you, fans can expect to hear hits that the group has recorded over the span of their career, including during their time with Capitol EMI and Tejas Records.
“We’re doing a little something different,” Lee said. “We’re bringing back a lot of the old school stuff that we’ve recorded in previous CDs. We’re actually having a lot of fun doing that because it’s bringing back a lot of memories.”
But as always, the group has new music for their fans, such as their latest single, “Un Milagro,” which Mike described as classic Los Desperadoz style.
“It’s the traditional Los Desperadoz vocal duo style with myself and my brother, Lee, singing together,” he said. “It’s been a while that we’ve actually released a song that’s been a duo that way. And from what I hear, it’s doing really well.”
The accordion-driven ranchera, “Un Milagro,” features the beautiful harmonies of Mike and Lee, the Villarreal brothers, and will have fans singing and dancing along.
“Un Milagro” — Los Desperadoz
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After such an extended time away, Mike said he can see how the band members are rejuvenated and ready to entertain fans again.
“I can see the excitement in everybody,” he said. “The excitement is back and we’re a little anxious to get back to work and to get back to, like I said, getting reacquainted with each other. Not only that but our friends and our fans that are out there that have always supported us. Not only Los Desperadoz, but all the bands.”
He encouraged Tejano music fans to support all the bands, especially the up-and-coming artists, as well as educating the younger generation about the Tejano music and culture.
“Introduce the Tejano music to your younger children, your teenage children, so they can be aware of where the music comes from,” Lee said.
In closing, Mike reminded fans to stay safe and said he is a proponent of getting vaccinated to help stop the COVID virus.
“All of the guys in the band, we all got our vaccines and that was one of the agreements that we all had,” he said. “We were going to make sure that we all got vaccines so we could get back out on the road. So you could be that wall and stop the spread of this virus.”
For booking information for Los Desperadoz, contact 210-624-2500. The group will soon have an Instagram page but you can follow Mike Villarreal and Los Desperadoz on Facebook, too.
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