Raul Malo, The Mavericks and Me…

I call it a beautiful mess, that's kind of what it is. Obviously, I'm tied to it in a personal way. My parents are Cuban, and so I grew up in Miami with Cuban family. I'm a first-generation Cuban American and going back there is hard. It's hard to see suffering and going without, knowing the history of the place, you just want to do something. Politics are what they are, and we can affect only what we can affect. I figured with music, it's that sort of grand equalizer, and if we can affect some musicians' lives, get their music out into the world, that's a positive thing. That's really the whole mission statement with Mono Mundo and what we're doing with all these Cuban musicians.
Raul Malo on his record label, Mono Mundo Recordings
I think it's important to be open. You can have your rituals, have your comfort zone, but I think it's also important to be open to the fact that it could happen at any time. I like that, I like that about music. I like that about what we do. I keep it open that way. Yeah, there's a certain guitar I like to write with but, honestly, if that guitar is not around, you've got to get the job done and find something else... You could be at the most luxurious spa with a hot tub and serenity, and you think 'Oh man, it's going to be great for writing, and nothing gets done. You can be in the most chaotic downtown pub and the napkin and the waitress' pen might be the best options at that point. You take it as it comes, I think. At least I do. I'm disciplined enough to write every day or create every day, so when it happens, it happens.
Raul Malo

***Hey! Merry Christmas! (2018) signed by Raul Malo, Eddie Perez, Paul Deakin, Jerry Dale McFadden***

Sure, and in many ways Nashville has shown me what not to do as well. We’re not part of the country music mainstream here. We were maybe admitted on the playground for about five minutes, but Nashville is a great place to be. I know that mainstream country leaves creativity by the side, but there’s still a lot of great music that gets made here, and there’s certainly not a shortage of great musicians and studios. I’m sure it has affected me. I love being here, I think it’s a great city and my kids have been born and raised here. Musically speaking, I don’t draw a lot of inspiration from it, but that’s okay, it’s still a wonderful town to be in.
Raul Malo
As musicians, you are always listening to other songs and you find inspiration and you talk about, ‘Oh man, one day we’re going to record this.’ But other things get in the way. You hear every reason in the world as to why not do a covers record, but now we’re in charge, so if we’re not going to do it now, when the hell are we going to? You see those in truck stops, ‘So and So of Yesteryear Plays The Hits,’ and it’s some awful recording they were forced to do, and they’re selling for $3.99. This is basically our version of that record, but, hopefully, with a little more care, and certainly more thought put into it.
Raul Malo

***The Mavericks Play The Hits (2019) signed by Raul, Eddie, Paul, Jerry Dale***

Raul Malo is best known as the lead singer and principal songwriter of The Mavericks who have sold millions of records since their founding in Miami in 1989. Their music defies categorization: blues, country, rock, soul and even Tex Me mixed in a swirling cauldron, both invigorating and intoxicating. As Raul recently observed, “ The hardest question always is ‘What kind of music do The Mavericks play?’ We always kid about that with fans. We know we haven’t always made it easy on them. I told somebody this the other day, we’ll never be in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, we’ll never be in the Country Music Hall of Fame, or any other sort of hall of fame. At some point along the line, we betrayed both of these ethos. We didn’t stay true to any one of them, we did what we wanted. In a way, I guess that’s the rock ‘n’ roll approach. That’s what rock and roll always was, just a blend of R&B, gospel, jazz, swing. To me, that’s not too far-fetched from how we approach things. We don’t care where it comes from, if it sounds good in our song, we’re going to use those elements . It’s a beautiful gumbo.” Indeed, Raul and his Mavericks appear to be fervent believers in Duke Ellington’s famous dictum: “There are just two kinds of music: good and the other kind.”

***What A Crying Shame (1995) signed by Raul***

Surrounded by music, Raul Malo grew up in Miami, "There was always music. My mother still plays beautiful piano, and there was always a piano around. My granddad sang, and my aunt sang and played guitar. Nobody played professionally but there was always music around. If someone wasn't physically playing it, there was always the stereo and records." These were the diverse sounds which Raul absorbed, from the country music that his father preferred to his mother's passion for opera to the punk rock sounds of his teen years. As he revealed, "Both my parents, I would say, they had good taste in music. But my dad liked country... I don't think people realize how much. I remember a lot of Cuban friends of his that actually listened to the country radio station. And not only what was on the radio, but the old stuff like Johnny Cash and Ray Price. My mom liked Patsy Cline. It was a lot of discovery, too. Discovery, honestly through Elvis. Elvis was a great cementer of all these genres, he made it all possible to connect them all together. That was my gateway. He recorded Hank Williams songs and Kris Kristofferson songs. He would record a lot of the country hits and do it his way."

When he heard Elvis sing “It’s Now Or Never” the first time, it was a formative experience. Raul recalled, “That’s right, when I first heard that record as a kid, it really set the tone for me. To me, it was rock ‘n’ roll personified. I know that most people think of rock ‘n’ roll as the early 50s Elvis, and that was cool and earth shattering, but when I heard “It’s Now Or Never” it brought so much together. I remember listening to it and my mum going, “You know that’s an old Italian song, “O Sole Mio,” and that just really blew my mind. Here’s opera, here’s rock ‘n’ roll, here’s country and it’s all brought together by Elvis and his voice. What a glorious combination. I’ve been trying to emulate it ever since!” So Elvis was the gateway drug and, subsequently, we have all been blessed by the extraordinary gifts and talents of Raul Malo.

***Music For All Occasions (1995) signed by Raul***

The Mavericks released their eponymous debut in 1990 on Cross Three, an independent label, which didn't fully capture their combustible live shows. Their live performances were not the music of your father's Grand Ol' Opry, they were loud, had plenty of guitars and twang, and featured the incredible vocal range of Raul Malo who had the soaring timbre of Roy Orbison infused with the grit and soul of Elvis. Soon, the major label MCA signed The Mavericks and they released five highly acclaimed albums in the ensuing decade, playing ever bigger venues.

Around 2003, Raul and his band mates were restless for change, "Everybody went their separate ways... I call it my musical quest years where I went on a journey. I learned a lot. I threw myself into situations like Los Super Seven that was a Latin supergroup with members of Los Lobos and Calexico. I threw myself into that situation, which led me to playing with all these great Cuban musicians. Today, my solo record, all these musical collaborations opened up my world musically and creatively. I think all that and everything the guys did in that time off - that wealth of knowledge - it all informed this new version of The Mavericks. I think that the reason we've been around is because we like to keep it interesting for ourselves. When we got back together in 2012, I told the guys I didn't want to get back together and play the old stuff and collect a paycheck. That wasn't what interested me, what interested me was making new music. I think if you have that attitude, that's going to carry on to your fans, your live performances and into what you're doing now. Always looking for the muse for that different combination, always listening to music and finding a way to do stuff differently, or to find something that inspires you. It's that quest, that thirst. That's what's kept us going.”

***En Espanol (2020) signed by Raul, Eddie, Paul, Jerry Dale***

Since 2012 when they regrouped, The Mavericks have been very busy attempting to slake that insatiable thirst, releasing six albums including their most recent En Espanol, an all Spanish language record which debuted at Number 1 on the Latin Billboard charts, an awfully impressive achievement for their first non-English effort. They added a very talented new guitarist, Eddie Perez, who added a whole ‘nother shredding component to their sound. As Eddie commented, “I was twelve years old and my father took me to see ZZ Top and it blew my mind. I was never the same after that... You wouldn’t think that an influence of Jimmy Page or Angus Young of AC/DC would fit into The Mavericks, but somehow it does.” Raul also started Mono Mundo Recordings in 2017 to distribute The Mavericks releases as well as champion the Sweet Lizzy Project, a Cuban rock band which has benefited from his tireless promotion and sponsorship.

While Raul was on hiatus from The Mavericks, he released five solo albums, including Today which featured Cuban musicians, and a Christmas album Marshmallow World & Other Holiday Favorites. He did a small thirteen city tour in support, and Erin and I went to see the show billed as Raul Malo's Christmas Party on November 28, 2007 at the Ridgefield Playhouse, an intimate theater with five-hundred seats.

The stage was decorated with holiday trimmings, accented with pink flamingos and palm trees to give it the proper Florida kitsch. Raul’s band was tight and featured a horn section. They started playing holiday songs,the usual holiday fare, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” Jingle Bells,” “Santa Claus Is Back In Town,” and a swank version of “Marshmallow World” which even Dean Martin would have died (again) for. The audience was not impressed. Restlessness turned into a smattering of boos which caught Raul completely unaware. Evidently, the crowd was expecting the onslaught of a full throttle Mavericks show, not a holiday special. I guess no one read the ticket - Raul Malo’s Christmas Party - what else were they expecting?! Raul and his band soldiered on for a few more holiday songs, then switched over to some of his best known Mavericks songs, and a cover of Rodney Crowell’s “Till I Gain Control Again,” J.D. Souther’s Orbisonesque “You’re Only Lonely” and the Marty Robbins tearjerker “You Gave Me A Mountain,” a beautiful melody telling us terrible things. Though the crowd was happier with the secular music, Erin and I were no less embarrassed with their initial response.

***The Nashville Acoustic Sessions (2004) signed by Raul***

After the show, Raul emerged from his dressing room and came out to the lobby to see his fans and sign autographs. He couldn’t have been nicer or more affable. I heard a fan ask him if he had ever taken singing lessons as his pitch and diction was so precise. “Nah, I never have, I just like singing.” When Erin and I met him, we apologized for the fan’s initial boorish behavior. Raul shrugged it off, “Thank you, you know I was wondering if they read the ticket, maybe they were at the wrong show?!” I mentioned that I loved his version of “You Gave Me A Mountain,” that his soaring vocals were the perfect balance for the sad, though life affirming, content. “Thank you, that is a beautiful song, I have always loved Elvis’ version. I’m just trying to do it justice.” When he signed The Nashville Acoustic Sessions, I told him that I loved his take on the Louvin Brothers’ classic “When I Stop Dreaming.” He said, “You know, that’s just a great song, it was fun, we had a great band.” Erin and I thanked him again for his brilliant artistry and we were especially delighted that he signed a Raul Malo ornament which has adorned our Christmas tree ever since.

The Mavericks are so talented and so much fun, we can’t wait to see them again when this dreaded, cloistered Covid-19 existence abates. Their music is so much more than a beautiful gumbo.