Los Lonely Boys On Cottonfields and Crossroads

A documentary traces Los Lonely Boys from Texas cantinas to Grammy-winning success.Los Lonely Boys,The Southern Texas band was making a stop in the Triangle and it seemed like a good interruption to my otherwise monotone week.Other than its hit "Heaven," which debuted in 2003 and landed the boys a Grammy Award, I knew little about the trio's music style.As it turns out, I really didn't need to know much beforehand to enjoy the boys in action. As soon as the Garza brothers took the stage - Henry on the guitar, Jojo on the bass and Ringo on the drums - the audience was in for a great ride.

It is hard to define the trio's style in one word. The group's songs evoke familiar sounds one can tie to legendary artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top, Los Lobos and Carlos Santana.The only way to describe it is by using hyphens: Tex-Mex with a hint of blues-rock - in other words, a fusion of Latin rhythms, Texas roots, electric blues and good ol' rock 'n' roll.Los Lonely Boys displayed such energy on stage that it was hard not to be touched by it. The trio opened with "Heart Won't Tell a Lie," a track from its newest album, "Forgiven," released earlier this year.

Throughout the night, the group performed other songs from the same album, including the title track, which has a definite Tex-Mex ring to it, and "Staying with Me," a slow song Santana-style.Henry set the stage on fire with his guitar solos throughout the night and brought claps, howls and cheers from the audience - not to mention an enthusiastic fan who managed to get on stage and hug the long-haired guitarist before being escorted out by security.The brothers had their debut album in 2003 but have been performing together for most of their lives, which explains the intimacy seen on stage.

Growing up in San Angelo, Texas, the brothers were exposed to Tex-Mex music at an early age by their father, Enrique Garza Sr., a longtime conjunto (a genre of Mexican music) and country musician who played with his seven brothers in a band called The Falcones.The brothers began singing backup for their father all through the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. They eventually created their own music style and started their own band. And thus, Los Lonely Boys was born.