We're headed to San Antonio for a visit this weekend and I'm already in full Texas mode. I visited my friendly neighborhood record store last Saturday and came home with three CDs, all by artists from the Lone Star State: classic Tex-Mex by Santiago Jimenez, Jr.; roadhouse blues by Angela Strehli; and hilarious satire from the Austin Lounge Lizards.
But the soundtrack for my visit will surely be the latest from The Krayolas, "Americano" (available on iTunes). It's another beautifully eclectic effort by the band, which is led by journalist and fellow SA homeboy, Hector Saldaña. The group adroitly pulls off a wide variety of sounds: the Sir Douglas Quintet-inspired "Exit/Salida" (with Augie Meyers on organ); neo-pop balladry on "Home"; the Dylanesque "Piso Diez"; brown-eyed soul on "I'm Not the Man"; a nod to Phil Spector on "Wall of Accordion" (with guest Flaco Jimenez); and "Show a Little Kindness" pays homage to the New Orleans sound that made its way to San Antonio on the IH-10 R&B highway.
Then there's the slightest but sweetest song on the album: "Frutería," which mashes up a simple cumbia with a lovely pop chorus. The song is about a guy asking a girl to meet him at the neighborhood fruit stand, which--as the lyrics state--is located at the intersection of Nogalitos and Zarzamora. If you grew up on the South Side of San Antonio--as I did--that was the center of the universe. Within about a mile radius of there, my brothers and I all attended school, my dad owned a bar that included a magical jukebox, a mysterious African-American enclave was home to a fantastic BBQ spot; and a military base provided civil service jobs to thousands of Mexican-Americans.
We left the neighborhood when I was about 10, but after my dad died nine years ago, my mom moved back. There's a top-notch taquería on every corner and a bittersweet memory at every turn. I'm going to make it a point to get a fruit cup.
(album cover image is by the great San Antonio photographer Rick Hunter)
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