INTERVIEW CON DWAYNE VERHEYDEN TEXMEXLO

EXCLISIVE INTERVIEW CON DWAYNE VERHEYDEN.

Hello my name is Gloria Guerra and I presently recovering for that long flight her in the Netherlands. We will make our interview available in Dutch at the conclusion of this interview. We are interview con Dwayne Verheyden. Let us now get to that interview:


GG: I hope you realize it was long flight here and my arms a bit sore?
Dwayne: Yes of course I can understand that. I went 2 times to Texas and I know it’s a very long flight.

GG: on my flight over here I was thinking how in the world de Tejano music reach this far, can you give me a little background on how you got hooked into la onda Tejana?

Dwayne: Yes, since I’ve been born, I hear Tex Mex music. Because my dad always listened to Flaco Jiménez his music. So I grew up with it.

GG: noticing that you have been jamming with a
Piano accordion for a long time and then you switched over to the button accordion, what is the difference and what the change?

Dwayne: According to my own experience, I can play faster on a button accordion, because the buttons are closer to each other. When you’re used to a button accordion, you can play a lot of things easier then on a piano accordion.

GG: how did it feel to have performed with a Flaco Jiménez and your feelings towards him now that you met him and a dream come true?

Dwayne: It was the best moment in my life. It was very special to perform on stage with my idol. Seeing the fact that I was listening to his music since I’ve been born. He is a very humble and special man to me. After I met and performed with Flaco in June 2008, in The Netherlands , the contact between him and me started growing. A couple of months later, I recorded 2 songs with Flaco and Max Baca here in the Netherlands. After I went to Texas for the first time in October 2009. I met Flaco in the hotel where I stayed. It was fantastic! In May 2010 I went to Texas with my band to record our first album, also together with Flaco and Max. And to play at the TCF. On the same day that we played, I performed with Flaco for the second time. That was amazing!

GG: after seeing some of your performances on your website and YouTube, how did you manage to find musicians to make up conjunto of yours? And can you share a bit of back ground on them?

Dwayne: After I played with Flaco for the first time in 2008, he told me through the phone that I had to start my own band. So I began to play with my cousin Geert on guitar. Later on I started to search for a base guitar player and a drummer. Geert played already in a Rockband together with a base guitar player Lynyrd. He liked the Tex Mex music, so from then on I had a base guitar player as well.
While playing with the 3 of us, we bumped into Jacque who became our drummer. He used to play a well knowned band here in the Netherlands.
When you want to play the Tex Mex music like he needs to be played, you need a bajo sexto. So after a few months, Geert bought himself a bajo sexto, now the band Dwayne and the TexMeXplosion was complete.


GG: can you express your feelings on how well you were accepted in Texas the last time you visited us there?

Dwayne: It is amazing! When we played at the TCF, the people went crazy, I felt like a real popstar! They told me that they really appreciate that somebody from the Netherlands is playing their music. I love the people from Texas.

GG: what are some of your plans for 2011 and when you plan on returning to Texas and the states?

Dwayne: I hope I can make it to the Tejano Conjunto Festival this year. Or to play at some other places in Texas.

GG: Dwayne what do think people in Netherlands and other place you have perform, think when they hear your group perform and in a tejano matter (Spanish)?

Dwayne: They love the Tex Mex music. Also they like that young guys like us, play this kind of music.


GG: as a child did you ever think you would have done accomplished what you have so far?

Dwayne: No, never.


GG: Dwayne if given a chance to speak with a group of young people, what encouraging words you say?

Dwayne: I would say, if you want to reach a certain goal, you have to go for it!


GG: as we come to an end of this interview Dwayne, is there anything that you will like to share with your fans from around the world?

Dwayne: I want to thank everybody in the world for supporting me and for listening my music. For the people in Texas: I hope I can make it to the Festival this year, that would be great. Especially I want to thank Flaco for everything he did for me! And that´s a lot.

GG: again Dwayne thanks for the interview and now can we go an check out some of your country sites?

Dwayne: It was my pleasure, I wish you all the best, have fun here, and a safe trip back home! Thank you.


GG: as I plan to board a plane back to Texas it feels good knowing que la onda is worldwide, wow it feels great to be tejano, I am Gloria Guerra.