Exclusive interview con Los Carnales, Jerardo Lopez 2011.
Cchwnn.
Saginaw, Michigan. Hellllo it’s freezing up here and I am Santa la que canta Cecilie, con this interview del los Carnales, Jerardo Lopez. Let’s get to it now:
Sm: GEE MAN how cold can it get up here. My bicycle does not have cold weather tires, anyhow how are we doing?
JL: Hello Santa Maria, mighty nice of you to brave the
weather and ride your bike all the way up here to the northern country to interview us.
We are doing great and are currently in the process of releasing our next CD entitled "Beyond and Back" which should be available by the end of February. We have many projects in the works and are looking forward to 2011 and have plans to return to Texas to
promote the CD and perform for our fans thru out the state.
Sm: how long have you been en la onda tejana ?
JL: I have been in La Onda for about 20 yrs. and have been
with Los Carnales for about 5 yrs. We actually started out as a
hardcore 4 piece Conjunto band but we were missing the Tejano flavor
that we loved so we did what any Tejano/Conjunto loving band would
do.
we put our drummer on saxaphone, enlisted our current drummer and
a keyboard player and formed the Tejano/Conjunto band that we are
today. We still play both styles of music at our shows because people
up here in the north like to hear a mixture of Tejano and Conjunto at
the bailes.
It is actually beneficial for both of us cause the Raza
gets two styles of music with one band and we in turn get booked more
often because we give them what they want and everyone is pleased.
SM: What makes nuestra raza start their own Tejano/Conjunto band up
here so far in the Midwest?
JL: Tradition. We all come from musical backgrounds and grew up
listening to Tejano music. We had family members that either had their
own bands or just played an instrument and the music just grew on us,
it is like a way of life for us.
When we were kids we would go to the bailes and listen to the bands from
Texas performing and it just gave us more animo to start our own band. We all have our jobs but we look forward to the weekends so we can go out and perform for our Razita.
It gives us an adrenaline rush to be on stage doing what we love to do.
It's a tradition for us and we want to keep it going with our own kids
to keep la onda alive, be it up here in the north or down in Texas.
Tejano is here to stay!
SM: tell us a little bit about your Tejano/Conjunto members
and some of the locations you all jam at?
JL: On drums/lead vocals we have Albert Amador who is from
Pontiac Mi. and has played drums for over 30 yrs. with various bands
thru out the state. On keyboards we have David Arriaga who hails from
San Antonio Tx. and has also played with many bands incuding the Hot
Tamales and Liberty Band and many local bands. On accordian/vocals we
have Isaac "Champ" Garcia who has played with many local bands and also played with Jay Perez for a while. On Saxophone/vocals we have "Mr.
Sexy" Jerardo Lopez Jr. who was the original drummer for the band and
has also played with other local bands.
On Bajo we have Isaih Garcia who has also played with other local bands. And last but not least, you have me, Jerardo Lopez Sr. on bass/vocals and i've put in my time with many bands also.
We perform on weekends anywhere from Saginaw to Detroit, Lansing, Toledo Ohio, Chicago Ill., Dallas Tx., Houston Tx. ,San Antonio Tx. and all places in between.
SM: since you have been in the business for awhile how has it changed
since you started en la onda?
JL: There were a lot more Tejano clubs to perform at here in the
state back when i started out playing. Now there are a lot more Banda/
Duranguense clubs thru out the state and i can’t say it hasn't taken
it's toll on us pero seguimos la lucha to keep our onda alive.
There were times when we were approached to perform at these clubs if we
would be willing to change our format but we decided against it and
stayed with what we love to play. Tejano is making a strong comeback
over this way tho and there are a lot of good Tejano/ Conjunto bands coming out of Michigan.
SM: what is most difficult problem up here in keeping la onda alive?
JL: The problem in keeping la onda alive up here is just
trying to keep the younger generation interested. You have to get them
on your side and get their support cause they will be the next ones to
determine the future of Tejano up here. They will be the ones
supporting the clubs and the bands and we gotta get them involved and
get their support to keep la onda going for generations to come.
SM: do you do much traveling during the cold seasons or do you wait till the spring and it’s a lot more warmer?
JL: No hombre, a little snow dont bother us, we're used to it. If
we have a job to do it doesn't matter if there's a blizzard out, we get
out there con las palas and do what we gotta do. We are a band that is
very dedicated to what we do and we do it rain/snow or shine.
SM : I am not sure if you were aware, but I am an ex migrant worker,
during the migrant seasons lots of conjuntos from down here go there,
have you had the chances to jam with any other conjunto from tejas
lately?
JL: Yes, we've had the pleasure of performing with Michael Salgado,
Jessie Serrata, Eddie Gonzales and many more artists and are currently
in negotiations to be the back up band for a top male vocalist from San
Antonio in September of this year.
SM: how much air time do you get on the radio or on line radio, and
what stations are we on?
JL: With our first cd we were and are still getting air play on
numerous internet stations including B-Net, Tejanofm and Texmexfm just
to name a few and we get air play on kxtn and keda just to mention a
few radio stations. We have a single that we recently released from our
new cd and it is too early yet to see what kind of air play we are
getting but we have had great response to the song which is entitled
"No Soy Jugete"
SM; CAN you share any stories of a time when you guys almost didn’t
make it to place you were schedule to perform due to bad weather?
JL: I can honestly say that there has never been a time when we
didn't make it to a performance due to weather conditions. Now there
have been some times when we almost didn’t make it home for other
reasons....but thats another story!
SM: I bet , we have a question that we always ask and that is what encouragingwords would you use if given the chance to speak to a group of youngpeople?
JL: Finish school and set goals for yourself. Go to college if at all
possible. We need more latinos/latinas in leadership positions. You can
accomplish great things if you are persistent and determined to do so.
SM: let me thank you for your time you have given us, is there anything
you would like to share with your friends in the states (ONDAman)?
JL: Yes, be on the lookout for our new cd to be released by the end of
February and keep on supporting Tejano music, your local Tejano clubs,
Radio stations, Bands, DJ's, Magazines, Newspapers and everything
Tejano in general. "Keep La Onda Alive"
SM; we say thanks again, say do you have any hot choc or a drink to
keep me warm as I plan on hitting the road again?
JL: As a matter of fact I've got some of abuelitas hot chocolate
warming up on the stove right now, add a little brandy to it and you'll
be whistling and cantado all the way back to Texas!
SM: as I try to wipe the snow and ice from my face and mustaches its
hard to realize que this conjuntos really have to try real hard in
getting to gigs in this cold weather. We are proud of them and let them
know que they are the back bone of la onda tejana, I am SANTA la que canta Cecilia .
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