The Last Bandoleros celebrate their roots on ‘Tex Flex Folklórico’
The members of the Last Bandoleros, whose bilingual pop/rock was born in San Antonio, say they truly connected with their roots after a summer tour through Germany.
The trio played a host of cities alongside German country act the BossHoss and longtime supporter Sting. They also did their own club shows in the Netherlands. Some of the places had populations in the triple digits.
“I promise you, we’d drive into some of these towns for soundcheck, and it looked like ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ It’s like a tiny little village. There’s probably like 300 people that live here. And then like 6,000 would show up,” says drummer and vocalist Emilio Navaira IV.
Emilio IV and brother/ bandmate Diego Navaira are the sons of the late Tejano crossover star Emilio, who spearheaded a ’90s boom alongside Selena and La Mafia. The Last Bandoleros also features San Antonio native Jerry Fuentes on vocals and guitar. (Guitarist Derek James left in February, writing on Instagram that “my heart is pulling me elsewhere,” leaving the Bandoleros as a trio.)
The reconfigured group wears matching ponchos during a Zoom call from their Nashville home base. Emilio IV says the band was taken aback by the overseas reaction to their music.
“Here we go, we’re going to sing in Spanish and Spanglish now. Let’s see how it goes over. It was so funny to see the connection, and see people dancing and getting into it, and then coming to the merch booth afterwards and barely being able to (communicate with them). That’s a crazy experience,” he says. “I think the reaction that we got gave us the confidence to go, ‘Let’s do more’.”
It was proof of the oft-repeated adage that music is indeed a universal language. Think of the worldwide K-pop takeover. The way Selena was able to sing effortlessly in Spanish but struggle with it during interviews.
The Navaira brothers also witnessed it with their dad, who scored a country hit with the 1995 single “It’s Not the End of the World.”
“He would do the country stuff, and he would sneak in ‘Como le Hare’ and a few of his Spanish songs, and people got into it because it’s danceable, and the music is joyous, and it doesn’t matter really what you’re singing,” Diego Navaira says. “It just was time for us to do it.”
The Last Bandoleros released “Tex Flex,” their first full-length studio album, independently in June. They were previously signed to Warner Music Nashville. It showcases bilingual, Beatlesesque harmonies.
This month sees the release of “Tex Flex Folklórico,” a largely Spanishlanguage counterpart to that first album. It’s out Friday, timed to coincide with Día de los Muertos. The band performed first single “Vamos a Bailar” this month on “Good Morning America.” As charming as the “Tex Flex” album is, “Folklórico” is even better, buoyed by impeccable production and a zippy sense of adventure. The songs draw from ska, flamenco, bolero, bachata and other familiar sounds, packaged within the Bandoleros’ melodic pop/rock signature. It’s easily one of the year’s best listens.
“It’s paying homage to those roots that we grew up with, and sometimes you don’t even realize you grew up with, until you hit later in life and think, ‘This is steeped into my upbringing. This is steeped into my socialization with music, into where my family came from,’” Fuentes says. “It’s us scratching that itch of bringing these traditional-sounding songs to the forefront.”
Among the “Tex Flex Folklórico” highlights is a cover of the late Emilio’s “Naciste Para Mi.” The Bandoleros strip down the accordion-driven original, refashioning it as a bolero. It’s one of the few songs Emilio wrote himself that he recorded.
“Almost every show, my dad would start with that song. That one touches me in many, many ways,” Diego Navaira recalls.
The album includes another trio of smart covers that deftly balance tradition and innovation: “Sin Ti” by trío romántico Los Panchos, “And I Love Her” by the Beatles and “Cancion del Mariachi” by Los Lobos from the “Desperado” soundtrack. A third album that continues the evolution is already in the works for early next year.
It’s clear the independent route is working for the trio. They’ve been more productive in the past year than the entire time they were signed to a major label.
“It feels like we’re finally doing what we’re supposed to do,” Diego Navaira says.
That includes making music in the language, or languages, they want.
The Last Bandoleros reflect a generation of Mexican Americans who straddle both worlds daily, people who primarily speak in English, aren’t always fluent in Spanish but love the music and embrace the culture.
“People of our generation, and Mexicanos like us, they listen to the Smiths and Selena. That’s what it is. It’s part of our culture, to go back and forth that quick, because that’s who we are,” Emilio IV says. “George Strait is just as much a part of our culture as Ramon Ayala.”