Los Lonely Boys Interview: Through Blood, Sweat and Tears

Over their 18-year career, Los Lonely Boys have proven to themselves and their fans that their strength comes from a tight family bond and guidance from a higher power.

The three Garza brothers, Henry (vocals, guitar), Ringo (drums, vocals), and Jojo (bass, vocals), began their musical journey when their father recruited them to back his band. In the ’90s, the Tex-Mex blues-rock trio began writing and performing their own material. Success came in 2004, when their debut single "Heaven" reached number one on the Billboard adult contemporary chart and the Top 40 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The group eventually won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Los Lonely Boys made a guest appearance on Santana's 2005 album All That I Am. Their 2006 album Sacred earned them two more Grammy nominations. The band seemed unstoppable until a tragic accident in February 2013. After the band's set at Los Angeles' Downey Civic Theater, Henry Garza walked toward the front of the stage to greet fans, but misjudged his step and fell into the orchestra pit. His brothers quickly jumped down to his aid. Fortunately, there was no long-term damage.

Earlier this year, the powerhouse trio returned with their sixth album, Revelation, their first recording since Henry’s accident. 

After a smoking set at the 2014 B.R. Cohn Fall Fest, I interviewed the three brothers. We discussed Revelation, Henry’s accident, their road gear, and future projects. The interview was conducted on September 21, 2014. Click play to listen to the interview.

STEVE ROBY: Tell us about your recent record, Revelation. What was the ‘revelation’?

Henry Garza: For us, the revelation is music. We believe it comes from a higher power and that we believe in God. Every song on the record is like a lightning bolt from God that says, “Here’s a song, guys.” Sometimes we don’t even feel worthy of some of these things. Capturing it on record is one of the toughest things to do. What you hear on Revelation is our hearts and what we were going through in that moment in time.

STEVE ROBY: There must have been challenges in making the record. Tell me about them.

 Jojo Garza: There are always challenges, but this record was about our entire family. When Henry fell off the stage and didn’t realize there was an orchestra pit, he got hurt really badly. That was the biggest challenge on this record, but we always find a way to pull it together. When you’re real family, real blood, it means a lot to me to sit here across from my brothers and know that they’re doing well. It’s all on that record… some tears, blood, and sweat. I’ll let Henry talk about what happened.

Henry: That show [where the accident happened] was great, the fans were great, and the vibe was good, much like today’s show. It was one of those moments when God seemed to wake us up when something bad happened. It affected the fans and everyone around us. We had a lot of people praying.

I fell, landed face first, and lost consciousness twice. I had a complete loss of feeling from my neck down and kept hearing this electric sound in my head, like zzzzzzz! It was really horrible! I couldn’t play guitar or walk after that. But now, when you see me, you wouldn’t even know it. Only the closest ones who know can tell. Like tonight, I had something in my neck that bothered me while I was singing. I was affected physically, but spiritually, we’re as strong as we ever were… probably stronger because of what we went through.

Los Lonely Boys. Photo: Steve Roby

Jojo: This guy’s an ox!

Henry: To be able to capture it on Revelation through all that hardship… We’re amazed as much as anyone else, too! When we listened back to the album, we couldn’t believe we’d gotten it done. There’s so much variety. From “Blame It On Love” to “There’s Always Tomorrow” to…

Jojo and Ringo: To “Rule The World.”

Jojo: We try to do that on every record. We’re not about categorizing ourselves, and on this record, we tapped into that hardcore.

Ringo: People want to call it pop, rock, or country, but it’s all music. When anyone asks what type of music we play, we say, “Texican Rock and Roll.”

Henry: Texican rock and roll is a mixture of whatever comes out of our souls, man. With this record, we didn’t try to give it a specific sound that people thought Los Lonely Boys should have. If the song called for harmony guitar, we added it. If it needed an accordion, we added it.

Jojo: We always try to grow musically and lyrically, and every time we enter the studio, we learn something new.

STEVE ROBY: Let’s talk about your gear for a second. What were you using onstage today?

Jojo: I play through an SWR [amp] and use two 8-by-10 cabs, but I use four when we play huge stages. Tone Tubby is running the speakers.

Henry: I use the same type of speakers and run them through two Fender Twins. On the big stage, I’ll have two JCM 2000s with Marshall heads and four Tone Tubby speakers in each cabinet. I also have a Leslie. As far as footgear goes, I have an [Ibanez] TS9 Tube Screamer and a Vox wah…

Jojo: And a flanger and a…

Henry: I don’t have all that shit! [everyone laughs]

Ringo: I play DW drums with Evans drumheads, Zildjian cymbals, ProMark drumsticks, and LP congas and timbales.

Henry: Our tech team can give you more specifics, but basically, I play a piece of wood with strings on it. [laughs]

STEVE ROBY: Are there any other musicians you’d like to collaborate with on a future project?

ALL: Stevie Wonder… Paul McCartney…

Jojo: We got to work with Willie [Nelson] and Carlos [Santana].

Ringo: We have to do something with Ronnie Milsap. We haven’t done anything in the studio with Los Lobos yet.

Henry: We toured with them!

Ringo: I’d like to do something with George Strait.

STEVE ROBY: Do you feel any connection to the Bay Area?

Henry: The San Francisco Bay Area has always been really good to us… very supportive! It feels like a cooler, hillier Texas, and it feels like home, too, man.

STEVE ROBY: What’s next for you guys?

Jojo: We’re being husbands, brothers, and fathers, and we’ve got some live dates coming at the end of October. For the most part, it’s time to get it back home. We’ve been working hard this year.

Henry: Next year, we will find some time to make a new record… and whenever one of those lightning bolts from God hits us, and he says, “Here’s a song, guys,” it’s time to get to work.