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.