"I like to keep things changing, keep the music new. I want young people to hear it," Flaco says. "I don't want them only to think of all those old polka guys when they hear, 'accordion.'"
The success of the Tornados and Flaco is affecting a number of rock acts. The accordion and the dance-hall spirit of Tex-Mex have been heard in three recent albums.
Released in mid-1992 Chris Gaffney's Mi Vida Loca, is a country-roots disc with a distinct Tex-Mex flair courtesy of the Dave Alvin-penned title cut. Described by some as the "great hope of country music in California," Gaffney is a superb singer-songwriter, who along with Rosie Flores and a few others form the cutting edge of country music. Wielding a piano accordion rather than the usual button model, Gaffney gives the squeezebox a prominent place on this disc.
"My Tex-Mex comes from Flaco, but it also comes from growing up in Tucson," Gaffney says from his home in L.A. "I started out playing accordion when I was 8. Doing the Welk thing you know. In the past few years, though, I've gotten into Flaco and the other Texas players."
Set for a February release is Dressed to Swill, the sophomore album by San Diego's Forbidden Pigs. A rockabilly trio that is best known for its bass-slappin' front man Billy Bacon, the Pigs have a distinct Tex-Mex flavor on their new album. Tunes like "Nogales," Bacon's cracked ode to Arizona's border town, feature Gaffney on accordion. "Nogales"--an Anglo rock/Tex-Mex hybrid--is indicative of the genre's growing influence.
"We've actually been doing Tex-Mex for years," Bacon says from San Diego. "I wrote the song 'Una Mas Cerveza' before there even was a Forbidden Pigs. There's more on this album because Tex-Mex isn't a dirty word anymore."
The last new rock recording to show a Tex-Mex twang is by New Orleans' Iguanas. Led by a two-tenor-sax attack, the Iguanas are an eclectic act whose material varies from sweaty, honkin' rock tunes to "Help Me Make It Through the Night." Tex-Mex-flavored tunes have always been a part of this band's repertoire. But unlike Gaffney and the Forbidden Pigs--who are on indies Hightone and Triple XXX, respectively--the Iguanas are signed to a major label, Margaritaville/MCA. Produced by Justin Neibank, their self-titled debut will hit the racks February 16. To Iguana leader Joe Cabral, including Tex-Mex tunes like "Para Donda Vas" and "Por Mi Camino" on the band's debut was a big deal.
"Being of Spanish descent, I've heard this kind of music all my life," Cabral says. "It's always been part of our live shows. When it came to making the record, we weren't so sure that the label was going to go for it, but it did. I guess that says a lot about where Tex-Mex is today."
There is even a renewed interest in Tex-Mex reissues. For those who want to dig into the music's purest form, Rounder Records' recent four-volume series Conjunto!, Texas-Mexican Border Music is an excellent survey of contemporary performers like Flaco, Steve Jordan and Tony de la Rosa.
