Photos by: Alan Sheckter
It was hard to tell who had more fun at Redding, CA’s Cascade
Theatre on the afternoon of Sept. 7, the Big Brothers Big Sisters kids who
received free guitars, private lessons and gift packs from Los Lonely Boys—or the band members themselves.
In partnership with guitar maker First Act, Los Lonely Boys not only
bestowed brand new acoustic guitars on the children—their mentors were also present
for the meet-and-greet—but signed them and chatted with them about music and
achieving their goals, in music and in life.
For one magical hour, in the quiet confines of the ornate theater’s
second-floor lobby, band members spent some one-on-one time with ten
north-state children ages 9 to 15, tuning their new guitars and showing them
chords.
Los Lonely Boys, who play a fiery mix of what they call Texican
rock ‘n’ roll, are best known for Henry
Garza’s searing guitar jams and their Billboard No. 1 single “Heaven,”
which won them a Grammy Award in 2005.
The three brothers who make up the band—Henry Garza,
guitar/vocals; Jojo Garza,
bass/vocals; and Ringo Garza, drums—come
from humble, rural Texas roots. All in their 20s, the Garza brothers have been playing
together since they were children, when they were under the tutelage of their
father, Enrique.
“You just gotta practice,” Henry Garza said while handing off a
newly tuned guitar to one of the young attendees. “When I wanted to learn a
song, I used to put on a CD and listen to it all day ‘til I got it.”
Nine-year-old Veronica Guillen of Chico, who was there with her
mentor, got a personal lesson from Jojo Garza, who helped show the fledgling
player a chord.
“Here’s a ‘G,’” Jojo said as Veronica struggled to wrap her small
hand around the fret board. “Yeah, it’s gonna feel weird if you’re not used to
putting your fingers like that,” he added, comforting the child.
“They are positive role models, especially for the
Hispanic-American population,” said Kate Cahill, one of the program managers at
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butte County (Calif.). “Getting kids interested in
music is wonderful and they get to see a little backstage experience in the
[professional] music world. And it’s very cool; they get guitars.”
Los Lonely Boys performed a
sold-out show at the theater later that evening.
PHOTOS BY ALAN SHECKTER
1. Los Lonely Boys bass player Jojo Garza (left) gives 9-year-old Veronica Guillen, a lesson Sept. 7, 2007 at the Cascade Theatre in Redding, CA.
2. Los Lonely Boys guitarist Henry Garza (second from left) and
bassist Jojo Garza (second from right) sign guitars for Shawna Clark, 9,
(left) and Bobby Lerma, 9 (right).
3. During Los Lonely Boys soundcheck, Marsellous Allen, 10, holds
Jojo Garza’s bass on stage as Jojo chats with Evan Adams, 12, at the
Cascade Theatre.
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