The Caliente Column

Gavino: Stepping Out Of The Shadow
By Doug Shannon (tmaxgroup@yahoo.com)

Gavino kicked off his first solo tour April 21 in San Antonio with a
new four-piece band.  His fourth solo album "Que Le Voy Hacer" was
released in November 1994, producing three chart singles; "Que Le Voy
Hacer," "Te Extran~o," and "Toca Mi Alma."  He is now 26 and resides
in Corpus Christi with his wife, Inocencia vocalist Gina Guerrero.
After four years with Fonovisa, Gavino just signed a new recording
contract with EMI Latin.

Q: Congratulations on your new daughter! How is she?
A: She weighed nine pounds.  Her name is Giana Gabriela Guerrero.
   I call her my new toy.

Q: What sets your music apart from everyone else?
A: I do a variety of music.  It doesn't just stop at cumbias and
   rancheras.  We do rock and international ballads and pop music,
   all in the taste of the Spanish language.

Q: Since your style and dress is different from that of most Tejano
   acts, do you ever feel like an outsider?
A: No, we're all Mexicans no matter what.  I really don't feel left
   out.  Some people call themselves Tejanos because they were born
   in Texas, but the way I see it we're all Mexicanos, all one race.
   Everybody comes to see me; they may be wearing kicker boots; they
   may be wearing a cowboy hat.  They come for the music.

Q: Did "Que Le Voy Hacer" target any market in particular, or the
   entire Spanish market?
A: All Spanish markets.  I wrote that song.  I wanted to experiment
   with a variety of songs.  My brother, Tony Guerrero, helped me out
   a lot.

Q: Is Tony still working with you, or just with La Sombra?
A: Tony's just working with La Sombra now.  He advised me to get a
   new producer and a new musical director so that I would have my
   own sound.  When I did my solo albums with Tony, La Sombra would
   record the background music.  Now I've hired a new producer, Cesar
   Mojica (from Inocencia), so I sound totally different.

Q: How have your live shows changed since you went out on your own?
A: It's totally different from La Sombra.  It's more musical.
   There's more of a light show but less dancing.

Q: You have a tradition of releasing about two albums every year,
   more than almost everyone else.  Do you ever feel rushed?
A: Sometimes I do.  But I enjoy it because I'm bringing out music to
   the people.

Q: Is it easy for you to find new songs to record?
A: We have a lot of people who call and send songs to my brother's
   studio and of course my sister, Maria Luisa G. Ramirez, write a
   lot of big hits for La Sombra and me.  You have to go through a
   lot of tape, but at the end it helps out.  I'm using a lot of
   outside songwriters on my next album.

Q: What musical trends will influence La Onda in the next few years?
A: I see it coming back to the accordion.  A while back there was a
   lot of cumbia, but the accordion tradition is more powerful now.

Q: What's the next level for your career?
A: To come out on my own and tour, just as Gavino.  And I'd like to
   say hi and thanks to all my fans.  I hope they'll come out and
   support me on my tour.