Big Red And Barbacoa

The idea was born of desperation. In 1964, in the midst of the British Invasion, Texas musicians steeped in blues and country had a hard time being heard on the radio. So Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers dressed themselves up in British suits, bought a British Vox organ and renamed themselves the Sir Douglas Quintet. Sahm may have been playing Texas R&B on his new guitar and Meyers may have been playing conjunto accordion licks on his new organ, but the addition of Beatlesque melodic hooks and 4/4 propulsion created something that didn’t sound like Liverpool and didn’t sound like San Antonio’s West Side but something entirely new and different. The magic of that Tex-Mex garage-rock sound hasn’t diminished with the years and is now enjoying a renaissance thanks to two terrific bands from San Antonio: Hacienda and the Krayolas. As Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers once did, these newer bands are also using bleating organ/accordion riffs to glue the funkiness of conjunto R&B to the pop glories of ‘60s rock’n'roll. The new album’s 11 original songs (credited to the whole band and supplemented only by the Everly Brothers’ 'You’re My Girl') are extremely well crafted. The lead-off track, 'Who’s Heart Are You Breaking,' may have a misspelled title, but it boasts a bottom as dangerous as a riptide undertow. On top is not one but two catchy guitar figures and a lazy sing-along that asks an ex-lover, 'Whose heart are you breaking now?' The elements are simple but each one is so attractive and so well executed that the effect is mesmerizing, especially within the resounding echo that Auerbach has given the track. 'Apples' compares true love to fruit out of reach on a tree, and the reacher’s agitation is reflected in the nervous, relentless rhythm, chanting vocals and steel-guitar solo. 'Prisoner' advises a friend behind bars to 'let your mind drift away' and provides the means of transportation on its hypnotic hand-clap rhythm and low-pitched guitar figure. 'As You Like It' is a Mexican folk dance tune translated to overdriven amps, while 'I Keep Waiting' is a classic surf number, featuring sumptuous Beach Boys harmonies with a Mexican-American accent. 'Hound Dog' is not the Leiber & Stoller song but a dreamy pop tune about a jilted lover who feels like a dog but whose longing still takes the form of a chiming harpsichord, pealing slide guitar and keening tenor. When Auerbach did a solo tour in early 2009, he took along Hacienda as both his opening act and backing band and did it again earlier this spring. You can hear Hacienda’s playing chops on the new album’s two instrumentals, 'Big Red' and 'Barbacoa,' but the quartet is most interesting when they’re singing about their 'Younger Days' or their 'Mama’s Cookin’.' There’s something about the close vocal harmonies of a family band that you just can’t beat–whether it’s the Everly brothers of Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Wilson brothers of Hawthorne, California, or the Villanueva brothers of San Antonio, Texas. – Geoffrey Himes / Sonic Boomers