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Los Lonely Boys

<div align="center"><span class="Title">LOS LONELY BOYS
Forgiven</span>
</div>

The essence of Forgiven, the gripping third album by Texas trio Los Lonely Boys? “Familia! That’s what I think it represents. Three brothers. True American spirit – or Texican spirit.” It’s as simple as that, says guitarist Henry Garza of the artistic and emotional breakthrough achieved by him and his siblings, bass player Jojo and drummer Ringo Jr. From the bluesy groove of the opening song “Heart Won’t Tell a Lie” through the yearning plea of the title song, the heartfelt faith of “Love Don’t Care About Me” and a rollicking version of the Steve Winwood/Spencer Davis Group chestnut “I’m a Man,” Los Lonely Boys has fully realized the potential shown as its first two studio albums, the multi-platinum 2003 debut Los Lonely Boys and 2006’s Sacred (a No. 2 arrival on the Billboard albums chart), made the Texas trio one of the most beloved and acclaimed new arrivals in rock. Each of the three reaches new levels in their playing and singing, Henry and Jojo alternating lead duties and all three joining in both the group musical dynamics and vocal harmonies that can only come with genetic bonds. And there are some new turns as well, including Ringo’s recording debut as a lead singer on the song “Superman.” Powered by passion and true brotherly love, Forgiven is in every note a rock ‘n’ roll classic. But getting it in the grooves is not a simple matter at all. And that’s where producer Steve Jordan (John Mayer’s Continuum, Herbie Hancock, the music for the upcoming movie Cadillac Records) came in. The plan: Forget the conventional recording studio. Book a soundstage, have the band play. A quick three weeks of sessions, and that’s it! Jordan assembled an ace team of sound artists, headed by renowned engineer Niko Bolas (producer of various Neil Young albums, engineer for Melissa Etheridge, James Taylor, Billy Joel and many others). Together they designed a series of set-ups specifically built to get the most out of the Boys. “When I saw the room and the whole set-up I was really excited,” Jojo says. “ It was kind of like scientists, a whole new experiment. The vibes we got playing the songs were so much more live, able to be more in tune with each other rather than focusing on other things. It came down to having a good time and being able to play without playing, kind of like the theory of Bruce Lee and martial arts – playing without playing, thinking without thinking, knowing without knowing, being fluid like water.” Certainly it’s no surprise to anyone who embraced the band’s initial, global hit “Heaven,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart and earned a Grammy Award for best pop performance with vocal, or who has seen the group tear up concert stages around the world. Forgiven is what Los Lonely Boys has been building toward, the fulfillment of the belief and support of not just millions of fans, but such notable mentors as Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana (joining him on tour, as well as writing and playing with him on “I Don’t Want to Lose Your Love” on his 2005 album All That I Am) and Los Lobos (with whom they’ll team for the 2008 edition of the Boys’ Brotherhood Tour). And it builds on the expanding breadth and range shown on such spotlights as their searing version of “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” for the 2006 John Lennon tribute album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. “They’re for real – the Brothers Garza are for real,” Jordan exclaims. “When they play they only play what they really believe in. Nothing’s ever contrived. And they have the support system to help them get where they’re going. They love making music, really love to do it, and are only getting better.” For Jordan, the course of action was clear. “Obviously from ‘Heaven’ we knew what great songwriters they are and what kind of sound the group has,” says Jordan, who in addition to his status as an in-demand producer is an elite drummer (Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and too many others to mention). “They sing wonderfully together, three brothers with this chemistry. I went to see them live at the Fillmore last year and it was a great show. They play all-out live. So I thought the best way to capture them, where I would be satisfied and to instill some fun in the process was to capture that live energy and the groove of them playing.” And Jordan stepped right in with the same passion. “He had ways to keep the flow going, capture the mood,” Jojo says. “He’d be there with us, standing there and jamming with this percussion thing he made, like a microphone shaker thing. And he’d play football with us and everything! When we got together with him he was one of the guys. His last name when he was with us wasn’t Jordan. He was Steve Garza!” It wouldn’t have mattered who he was, though, if Los Lonely Boys couldn’t deliver. And in this batch of songs they’ve established their own distinctive voices as writers and performers, while staying connected to the solid grounding of their musical roots. Though reluctant to single out any one song as the keystone, the brothers all say it’s no accident which one provided the collection’s title. “They were all so magical, but for me the one that is the foundation is the name of the album, ‘Forgiven,’ ” says Henry. “When we played that song, for me in my heart and I hope my brothers too, I got that vibe that we knew what this was all about again, what we’re all about. It’s an actual prayer that’s turned into a song, purposefully made that way. For me it was just that whole experience. Felt like a cleansing.” Typically, the Garzas each speak of their achievements in terms of the others’ contributions. “Whenever my brothers would come and show me melodies they were coming up with, they were amazing,” says Ringo. “We’ve been playing a long time, but they still amaze me with things that are in their souls and hearts and minds. There’s one song, ‘Love Don’t Care About Me,’ that Jojo wrote. That song is something else! I can literally see my brother’s heart, where he’s coming from. It makes me cry. It’s crazy about how they can create a song and it’s what I feel, when I pray or am talking to myself.” Of “Staying With Me,” the album’s first single, Henry says, “I went to Jojo’s house and he showed me this song. I got goose bumps. My brother had created something right from the soul.” For Henry and Jojo, the proudest moment on the album may be “Superman,” Ringo’s lead singing debut. “Ringo’s gonna be heard now!” Henry says. “It’s a song I wanted to write for my wife,” Ringo explains. “And Henry suggested the Superman theme, and I took if from there. I never sang lead vocals before. I enjoy singing with my brothers. They would always ask me if I wanted to sing lead, but I just wasn’t ready. Third album, I guess.”Another very brotherly instance came with the roaring version of “I’m a Man” – this time with “brother” Steve Jordan fully in the fold. “That was one of those moments – it was just ‘Holy crap, man!’ ” says Henry. “We were jamming on something we had been working on and all of a sudden I started singing ‘I’m a Man.’ I was just joking around. And Steve was there freaking out.” Explains Jordan, “It was one song I always thought they could do that was really cool. But I was going to take my time approaching them with it – they’re songwriters, and you don’t want to go in pitching a tune when they haven’t finished their own yet. But one day we’re setting up, and Henry started playing if and I said, ‘I can’t believe you’re playing this tune!’ Henry said, ‘My dad used to play this for us.’ So it was incredible.” That the song came to them via their father ties everything together for Los Lonely Boys. While they cite a wide range of influences, from Buddy Guy and Texas icon Stevie Ray Vaughan to mentors Santana and Nelson to the Beatles (listen to “Make It Better” for a taste of how they blend the Fab Four into Texas blues), the biggest influence on them will always be Enrique “Ringo” Garza Sr., who had his own group, the Falcones, with his brothers playing the Texas conjunto circuit in the ‘70s and ‘80s. His sons’ first public performances, in fact, came singing backup with their father as children. “Our father is our big inspiration, of course,” says Ringo. “We had a picture of him taped up through the whole recording process. I just kept staring at it, thinking what kind of sounds he’d hear. I do all this to impress my father and my brothers.” Los Lonely Boys formed when the Garzas were in their teens, moving briefly from their home in San Angelo, Texas, to Nashville. After returning to their home state, the trio recorded its first album at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio, the redhead making a guest appearance (as well as on the follow-up album, on which Ringo Sr. also guested with a featured vocal). But with all the heights they’ve reached, they’ve never taken for granted what they view as blessings from above manifest in both their talents and the affection for them from millions of fans. “We want to let everybody know that we’ve worked the hardest, really trying to please each other and the fans,” says Ringo. “We thank the good Lord that we’re able to. Out of all the success we’ve had, it’s still amazing to hear fans sing the words to the songs we’ve written with our hearts. We write them and think probably nobody will like this. But we play them and people sing them back to us! Amazing! It’s pretty crazy and we appreciate it so much. If I could give a hug to every crowd member, it wouldn’t be enough.” He pauses to consider the journey.” We came from a town with nothing. Came from nothing but love – and brotherhood. Familia. That’s what drove us.”

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Latest bulletin 10.13.09

Los Lonely Boys "1969" Available Today!

The highly anticipated independent debut from Los Lonely Boys has arrived! Experience 5 classic songs from America's most hallowed year.
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LLB give "Heart and Soul" Dec 2

Los Lonely Boys in Rolling STone Nov 4

Los Lonely Boys new EP now available on iTunes! Oct 1

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Dec 02, 01:47 PM

LLB give "Heart and Soul"

Los Lonely Boys teamed up with Austin-based Community Tech-Knowledge for their "Heart and Soul" grant to develop a song for one deserving non-profit organization, as you read this summer in "LLB team up with CTK for the Heart and Soul Grant".

"Solid Ground," is a tribute to the Family Justice Center of Erie County, an organization that provides services for victims of domestic violence. A song of hope, the lyrics to the soulful but upbeat tune were chosen from among roughly 750 contest entries.

My spirit is unbroken, though my body bears a scar.
Sometimes, I swear I doubted I would ever get this far.

The poem was one the band could identify with, said Jim Tulio, who produced the song and served as one of the contest judges.

"The sentiment of it, I think, their music and their lyrics have a very similar vibe in terms of hope," he said. "And I think they feel the same things. They've been through a lot of hardships in their lives. I think they can really relate to this."

The song's local unveiling will take place Tuesday in front of some donors and other friends of the Family Justice Center at the American Red Cross headquarters on Delaware Avenue.

The center's involvement is the end result of the 2009 Heart and Soul Grant Award Program, developed by the Texas-based CTK Foundation. The foundation sent out a nationwide call for entries to nonprofit agencies, asking them to send in a four-to-eight line poem about the mission of their organization.

The winner would have their song produced by Los Lonely Boys and be accompanied by a $10,000 grant. Of the hundreds of entries, one poem was chosen by a Grammy-award winning panel of judges.

Nancy Ghoston, a quality assurance coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Western New York, e-mailed the agency her poem after reading an e-mail soliciting poems from friends of the organization.

Ghoston, who hasn't written much poetry since high school, said she was inspired to write this one because of family and friends she cared about who never had a place like the Family Justice Center to turn to when they were victims of abuse.

The Kenmore woman went on a tour of the center at 237 Main St. earlier in the year and was astonished at how warm and welcoming the facility is, she said.

A huge mural lines the entry hall and inside, the secure center projects a comfortable, home-like environment, complete with four cozy "living rooms" where victims and their families can meet with law enforcement and social services personnel and other victim advocates. There's even a space for children, filled with toys and books, rivaling any day care center.

On the double doors leading into the main area, beneath the name of the agency, reads a single sentence: "You're safe here."

"What it would be like to walk through those doors and be greeted in that way, and just feel like it was a very safe place to be," said Ghoston, who dwelled on the thought when she wrote her poem. "So many social services agencies are poorly funded, they're on a shoe string, and they're kind of depressing no matter how kind the staff is. I was just astounded, I really was."

While Ghoston declined to fly to Texas for the premiere of the song on Saturday at the Austin Museum of Art, Linda Ray, executive director of the Family Justice Center, did go with another agency volunteer.

When Ray first heard Los Lonely Boys play the song at the live event, she cried.

"The words are so sweet," she said. "When I was listening to it, I could picture the women in our waiting room."

The song will be played at every Family Justice Center event and shared with the roughly 50 Family Justice Centers that now exist coast to coast, Ray said. The $10,000 will go toward helping to market the agency, which has very few dollars to spend on such priorities, she said.

Los Lonely Boys had originally created the song as a do-good effort, with no plans to launch it as a single. However, Ray said, the band ended up liking the song so much that the three brothers are considering marketing the song nationwide.

One of the band members, Henry Garza, said the song was "a way to express our music through someone else's feelings and show what song and music is about, somebody's tragic life experience put down on paper. It's a beautiful thing to be part of that. And for us to be a part of that and to bring this woman's poem to life with the song, it's just an honor."

Read the inspirational story about the woman behind the lyrics and see behind the scenes footage of the recording here.
Nov 04, 12:30 PM

Los Lonely Boys in Rolling STone

Flip to the back page of this month's Rolling Stone magazine and find Los Lonely Boys in the "Local Favorites" blurb along with The Flaming Lips and Phoenix!
Oct 01, 01:19 PM

Los Lonely Boys new EP now available on iTunes!

Los Lonely Boys announce that pre-orders for their new EP 1969 are now available from iTunes! Click the below image to go directly there.
Sep 25, 04:54 PM

Los Lonely Boys launch "Roadie for a Day" contest!
Los Lonely Boys are pleased to launch the "Roadie for a Day" Contest!

This contest lets fans and street team members get the word out about the new release, 1969 and become eligible to:

*Become a crew member for one of America's hardest working rock bands for a day!
*Win an autographed copy of the album and tickets to a show of your choice!
*Host your own listening party a week before anyone has the music!
*Help us make the band's first independent release a landslide success!

Here's how you can participate:
1) Visit www.reverbnation.com, and signup for a free account.

2) Once signed up, visit www.reverbnation.com/loslonelyboys, become a fan of Los Lonely Boys and join the the LLB street team, La Onda.

3) Then, click the Street Team tab, and click the Join button next to the "ROADIE FOR A DAY" CONTEST. Follow the instructions and help the team spread the word!
Jun 26, 01:15 AM

Foundation Teams Up With Grammy Award-Winners for Upcoming Nonprofit Grant Award

AUSTIN, Texas, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- (www.ctkfoundation.org) - The CTK Foundation Philanthropic Fund and Los Lonely Boys announce a unique nonprofit grant opportunity -- The Heart and Soul Grant Award Program.
Starting on July 1, 2009, nonprofit organizations from across the U.S. will go online to submit an original poem that expresses the "heart and soul" of their nonprofit mission.
After the August 15, 2009 deadline, a jury panel of recognized independent music artists and producers from around the country will select a winner based on the quality and impact of the lyrics. The selected nonprofit organization will win a $10,000 cash grant and Grammy Award-winning recording artists Los Lonely Boys will create a song, based upon the poem, which will be professionally produced in a recording studio.
"We think that the process of writing lyrics to a song, and submitting it as the basis for a grant, will be an inspirational process in every community," said Jim Tullio - an internationally known musician and the producer of the upcoming Heart and Soul Grant Award recording. "Our goal is that both the song and the accompanying $10,000 grant will help the selected nonprofit to better educate the public about their important work."
To qualify for the grant, submitting nonprofits are required to be a registered U.S. 501(c)3 organization. Beginning July 1, 2009, Heart and Soul grant applications will be accepted on the CTK Foundation website at www.ctkfoundation.org. Grant applications close on August 15, 2009. The winner will be announced on September 21st, after which time key members of the winning nonprofit will be flown to Austin, Texas, for an evening gala where the song will be premiered by Los Lonely Boys.
For more information about the Heart and Soul Grant Award and application guidelines, nonprofits are encouraged to visit the Foundation website and click on the gold Foundation tab.
About the CTK Foundation
Texas-based CTK Foundation Philanthropic Fund is committed to the recognition and celebration of nonprofit service and seeks to promote the use of technology in addressing the root causes of societal issues. The CTK Foundation was founded by Community TechKnowledge, Inc., a leading technology company that provides software and services exclusively to over 6,000 nonprofits in the U.S. and the U.K.

Press/Media Contact
Elizabeth Kennedy
ekennedy@communitytech.net
1-877-441-2111 [toll-free]
Jun 21, 04:50 PM

Los Lonely Boys Return to Pedernales Studio in Austin, TX to Reignite the Magic.

It's Full Circle for Los Lonely Boys as They Return to the Studio.

Los Lonely Boys heads to Pedernales Studios in Austin, TX tomorrow with producer Chris "Frenchie" Smith (JET, Dandy Warhols) for a "top secret" session. Some might know that the visit marks a homecoming to the studio where LLB started in 2000. Channeling their own platinum success, the boys record in a hallowed live room that produced grand slams like Willie Nelson's "Stardust," Sublime's "Sublime," and Frank Sinatra's "Duets II." We say it's a proper way to get on the good foot as LLB ramps up to their first Playing in Traffic release.

Did I mention to keep this on the DL? Shhh...It's supposedly top secret!
Aug 25 2008, 06:55 PM

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