What happens when you have two Texas and Mexican proud bands playing together? A Texican takeover! Los Lonely Boys brought the blues, and Giovannie and The Hired Guns brought the punk rock on Saturday, February 18th, to the House of Blues Houston.
Giovannie and The Hired Guns opened the show to a rowdy and ready crowd. Starting with one of my favorite songs, “Bad Habit,” the band took the stage to immediately energize the venue from the pit to the upper balcony. I photographed GTHG around this time last year in Waco, TX. Since then, they have had a number 1 song on the rock charts, signed with a major label, a new record, and a new tour. They have been busy grinding all over the United States.
Their 50-minute set brought Texas rock and punk to Houston. The best part of their show is when they bust out the Ramon Ayala cover before they play their own hit song, “Ramon Ayala.” Gio perfectly bridges the gap between Tejano and rock. This is usually right at the peak of their set, and the crowd is super involved with singing along. Not to give all the secrets away, but bassist Alex Trejo also shows off his tuba skills during this time. Yes, a tuba at a punk rock show.
GTHG wrapped their set with a cover of Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks.” If the House of Blues crowd didn’t know who Giovannie and The Hired Guns were before tonight, they sure as hell became fans during their set.
Band:
Giovannie Yanez – Lead Vocals
Chance Bannister – Electric Guitar
Jerrod Flusche – Electric Guitar
Alex Trejo – Bass Guitar, Tuba
Miles Toles – Drums/Percussion
Setlist:
1.) Bad Habits
2.) Always On Your Mind
3.) I Don’t Mind
4.) Shout
5.) Rock N Roll Part 2 (Gaty Glitter cover)
6.) Overrated
7.) Tragos Amargos (Ramon Ayala cover)
8.) Ramon Ayala
9.) Numb
10.) Pumped Up Kicks (Foster The People)
Around 9:20 pm, Los Lonely Boys took the stage at HOB Houston, and from the first strum of the guitar, the venue’s energy was electric. Los Lonely Boys have been on my bucket list to photograph for well over a decade. My parents first introduced me to Los Lonely Boys, who saw them open up for Willie Nelson in my hometown of San Angelo. They were there to see Willie Nelson but left with Los Lonely Boys t-shirts and CD.
Their first record was played a million times in my house when you heard Vamonos! You know what was about to be played. For the first time, I was introduced to music that blended rock and blues with English and Spanish lyrics. Their sound also had a doo-wop feel, but the songs intertwined with English and Spanish words. I thought it was the coolest thing. My parents bought me my own copy of their first record, and I still have it today.
What is great about Los Lonely Boys is their ability to jam and make you feel their music. They started the show with their song, “Cotton Fields and Crossroads,” they played their first song for 15 straight minutes. You felt every note that was being played. They followed with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Born On A Bayou.” You felt like you were back before everyone recorded the concert on Snapchat or Facebook Live. You were at the show living in the moment of the music.
Midway through the set, they switched to a stripdown acoustic set where they played songs they learned from their dad and told stories about learning how to play music. Audience participation was encouraged as they played “Wooly Bully” and other covers. They played several songs during their acoustic set, making a large venue intimate.
They returned to their electric set and played a couple more songs before ending the night with the song that put them on the map, “Heaven.” Another bucket list artist was checked off the list. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Henry, Joey y Ringo gracias por una noche fantastica llena de musica buena. Vamonos!
Band:
Henry Garza- Guitar
Joey Garza- Bass
Ringo Garza Jr. – Drums
Follow Giovannie and The Hired Guns Online:
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Hi!
I’m Jalys. Music and concert photographer located in Austin, TX. I graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Photocommunications. Pretty cool, right? An Instagram degree before Instagram was cool!
I enjoy traveling around Texas, and taking photos of bands and musicians. Texas has so many awesome venues, and I want to photograph any that I can. Music has always been a major part of my life, and while a student at Texas Tech, I knew that I wanted to specialize in music photography. I have lived in the Austin area for over twelve years and have been able to photograph so many cool bands. Let’s add yours to the list!
When I’m not photographing, I’m probably working at my day job as a University Recruiter for a manufacturing facility. I travel quite often for work and love visiting college campuses! I enjoy hanging out with my husband, our 3 dogs (Ryder, Carter, and Tucker), our adopted cat, Allie, and our families. Follow me on Instagram! You will get to see all the pet photos you can stomach. My handle is @j.bcaro.
