Barry Rillera- Barry Rillera is a music vet in the truest sense of the word. After graduating college and teaching grammar school for two years, he went on the road with two hometown friends, The Righteous Brothers, and never looked back.  In a touring career with The Righteous Brothers which spanned some 30 years, he served as their lead guitarist, bandleader and tour manager.  During some quiet periods in their career, Barry took time off to tour with two bands of which he was particularly proud - Ray Charles (1 year) and the Southern R&B/ Rock Group, White Trash.  He also recorded with Ray Charles amongst many others, and did an album with Jerry LaCroix & White Trash for Columbia.  But, his heart has always been with the blues ever since he first learned to play by listening to B. B. King 78 records. This opened his mind to the possibilities the electric guitar had in store for the changing music scene at that time.  Barry has stopped touring as a sideman for other singers, to pursue a solo career, firmly believing he has something to offer.  Barry continues to follow his passions, which are performing live and writing more blues material.  Barry Rillera CD is availabe at www.cdbaby.com.
 

"From Where I Stand" Barry Rillera (2005)

Thee Undertakers- East L.A. punk band of the late 70s and early 80s.  Were part of the Eastside punk scene, along with Los Illegals, The Brat, and others.  They recorded this album in 1981, but was not released at the time.  It's very fortunate that it was issued by Grand Theft Audio Records in 2001.  These guys have the punk attitude and spirit and can play their instruments well.  This isn't always the case with punk bands, regardless of ethnicity.  The songs are also well arranged and well recorded.  The members of the band are Art Reyes, lead vocals; Tracy Lee (Skull) Garcia, bass; Tony (Fingers) Naranjo, lead guitar; and Mike Chaidez, drums.  Some of their song titles are "Master Race," "Zombies," "Acne," and the title track, "Crucify Me."  They sound as good as any non-Chicano punk band I've heard and their lyrics reflect the angst of the era.  Their lyrics touch on their East L.A. roots and are very socio-political.  I'm glad Grand Theft Auto saw fit to release this CD, which once again shows that Chicanos can artistically succeed in any musical genre in any era.  For more info on Thee Undertakers' CD or their label, visit www.grandtheftaudiorecords.com.
 

Mancha Negra- a one-man band comprised of Luis Accorsi, from Buffalo, New York.  I would describe the music as punk metal bilingual rock.  Luis can play and sing and writes good songs in his genre.  Some of the interesting titles are:  "Destrozaste Mi Subconciente," "Gusanos," and "Destruction."  The music sounds as if it would easily fit into the Southern California Latino punk metal scene.  For more information, contact Luis at luis@musicaloca.com.
 

"Reflejo de un Zombie" Mancha Negra (2004)

Johnny Meza- A Palm Springs, California Latin jazz vocalist/keyboardist.  His "Kokopelli" CD is a mostly-instrumental jazz album with Southwestern overtones.  Johnny plays acoustic piano, Hammond B3 organ, and percussion, in addition to his vocals.  He produced the album and his wife, Lola Rossi, was executive producer and provided some vocals.  Johnny wrote all the songs for the collection but one, and composed several with Lola.  My favorite track is "Cruisin' On Palm Canyon," which is a funky instrumental piece.  I also particularly liked another instrumental called "Taquitz Canyon Shuffle."  Palm Canyon and Taquitz Canyon are both landmarks of his and my hometown of Palm Springs.  Johnny is a fine musician and good friend, who I've worked with many times here in the desert.  His CD also features some of the best musicians Palm Springs has to offer such as Pat Rizzo, who's played with Sly & the Family Stone and Frank Sinatra; bassist Jeff Stover; and great sax/flute/clarinet man Steve Alaniz, who also often plays with my band Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán.  Johnny Meza performs at clubs and jazz festivals, including the famous Idyllwild Jazz Festival, with his band Johnny Meza and Kokopelli featuring Lola Rossi.  For more info contact Johnny Meza at johnnymeza@dc.rr.com.
 

"Kokopelli" Johnny Meza (2003)

Cubanacan- an excellent San Francisco bay area salsa band made up of veteran musicians who know how to play the music.  The music is authentic Afro-Cuban music with a touch of funk, jazz, and rap thrown into the mix.  The CD is mostly in Spanish, with a few English language moments integrated.  One track, "Buringanga," is heavy on the African side of Afro-Cuban.  According to their promo, "Cubanacan portrays the spirit of early Cuban music forms such as Rumba, Guaganco, and Comparsa expressing it's authenticity while adding a contemporary feeling to it."  I agree with the statement and quoted it since I couldn't have said it any better.  This album will make you want to get up and dance.  Even if you don't know how to do the authentic Salsa dance styles, you'll have to move one way or another.  They often play on the bill with other top bay area Latin artists such as Pet Escovedo and the Jorge Santana Band.  For more information on Cubanacan and their CD, visit www.cubanito.org.
   

"Cafe Society" Cubanacan (2004)

Rick Chavez- Excellent guitarist/composer based in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Rick lived in the Alhambra area on the Eastside of Los Angeles when I first met and worked with him in the early 80s.  We played in a band together for about six months and he did several sessions with me on a couple of my dad's children's albums of Las Ardillitas de Lalo Guerrero.  His latest CD, "Calor" is an instrumental album I would describe as smooth jazz, with Latin, blues, and funk elements.  Rick wrote all the songs and plays electric and nylon string guitars, keyboards, and does the midi programming. My favorite cuts are "Summer Morning" and "Two Miles to L.A."  "Calor" by Rick Chavez is available at www.cdbaby.com.
  

"Calor" Rick Chavez

Dean Acevedo- East Los Angeles based singer/songwriter who has two CDs out on Layla Records.  The first, "Just Another Dude from Montebello," and the latest, "Chicali."  Some of the songs on the latter CD are comic and others are not, but my favorites are the humorous ones.  The titles are self-explanatory, "Soy un Cheaple," "Jail for Christmas," and "Como Friegas Mujer."  Some of his music is in the Tex Mex style, but there are songs with folk elements and even a reggae song.  Dean is capably backed on the Tejano cuts by the Garza Family Band.  He's received airplay on Tejano radio stations throughout the Southwest and some of his songs from his latest CD have been on the MP3.COM Tex Mex and Tejano charts.  For more information visit www.laylarecords.com or e mail Dean at deansowhat@aol.com.
 

Brown Bag- a young Chicano rock band from Pico Rivera, California, produced by Bob Keane and Billy Cardenas, have a CD out entitled "Brown Bag" on the legendary Del-Fi label.  Bob Keane produced Ritchie Valens on the same label in the 50s.  Billy Cardenas produced many of the East L.A. bands of the 60s including the Blendells, Premiers, and my band, Mark & the Escorts.  The music on Brown Bag's debut CD is funky, bilingual, and has a strong lead vocalist.  You can read about Brown Bag and order their CD at www.del-fi.com.

 

"Brown Bag" Brown Bag (2001)