Larry Lange and his Lonely Knights: Press

THE SOUND & THE FURY
One of the stories rarely told by rock historians involves the way Chicano culture in the 1950s and ’60s intersected with early rock ’n’ roll and R&B to create a classic hybrid.

Los Angeles historian Ruben Molina documented this movement last year with his book, Chicano Soul: Recordings & History of an American Culture, acknowledging the key role that San Antonio played in the brown-eyed soul story.

Sam’s Burger Joint promoter Jerry Clayworth has taken inspiration not only from Molina’s book but also the spirited Third Coast roots music of Austin’s Larry Lange & His Lonely Knights, and decided to put together The Legends of Chicano Soul show, featuring four of the all-time Chicano soul greats: Dimas Garza, Rudy T. Gonzalez, Charlie Alvarado, and Sonny Ace. All of these legends but Ace continue to perform regularly, and they’ll be ably backed up by Lange and his band (except for Garza, who’ll be supported by The Sequence).

“This is better history to me than looking at the Battle of the Bulge in a textbook,” Clayworth says, and S&F agrees.

Larry Lange & the Lonely Knights carry on Highway 90 sound In the blues and R&B world, bassist Larry Lange has a résumé that just won't quit. The man has provided the low-end foundation for Delbert McClinton, Junior Medlow, Wes McGhee, Paul Ray & the Cobras, Lou Ann Barton and many others.
A few months ago, Lange put together a band called Larry Lange & the Lonely Knights, an outfit that features several other well-traveled players: sax men Ed Vizard and Brad Andrew, guitarist Hector Watt, drummer Michael Christian and pianist Jack Paine. The Lonely Knights concentrate on the Highway 90 sound, the irresistible, triplet-driven music that has ruled bandstands from New Orleans to San Antonio.
Fats Domino led the way and helped influence Texas and Louisiana artists such as Doug Sahm, Johnny Nicholas, Augie Meyers, Joe Barry, Cookie & the Cupcakes, Little Bob & the Lollipops and many others. Lange and the band are keeping that tradition, and that sound, alive and thriving.
Thursday night, Lange and the Lonely Knights will be the guests of the S.A. Blue Cats during the weekly Thursday showcase/jam session at Sam's Burger Joint. Showtime is 8 p.m. Don't forget your dancing shoes.

LARRY LANGE and his LONELY KNIGHTS – Crazy, Crazy Baby

I wasn’t around to enjoy them, but the years in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s seem to have been absolutely killer times to live in America. The cars were the coolest and the gas was cheap. The Twilight Zone was on prime time, Sandy Koufax and Hank Aaron dominated a steroid-free era of baseball, and the country was being introduced to the new craze of rock n roll. Over time all that turned into bulky SUV’s, Barry Bonds, and people in suits that call music “product.”

The records of that period make you want to shout, kick your heels up, and feel all right, with several exclamation points at the end. Mr. Lange and his Lonely Knights bring you back to that era, when music was about making sure that everybody at the party had a good time, sharing that moment with your special someone, and doing the boogie woogie until the band really had to go home.

Those old records were recorded as live events, having all the musicians in the same room with each other, and captured raw emotion and energy. Crazy, Crazy Baby was made in this fashion, done live in the studio over three days, with no worries of the bass bleeding into the guitar track, or doing fifty vocal takes to patch together one good one. This was all about gassing up that ’60 Thunderbird and cutting it loose, creating a CD that is almost as much fun as the dance party that their performances are known for.

Growing up on the Gulf Coast at a time when regional hits were being spun on the local radio, Mr. Lange is an authority on the type of music he plays and does it with such fervor, you can’t help but get into it. His love for it is infectious, making it hard to sit still, and brings a smile to this girl’s face every time.

As I was waiting in line at the grocery store on my way home from this album’s release party, Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” was playing on the Muzak system. I turned to the customers next to me and commented, “Rock n roll never got better than this, did it?” Everyone happily agreed. Here’s to this band “playing that sound baby, that sound!”

9 Daisy Stars.

Daisy’s favorite lyric: “Everybody’s doing that Corpus Christi rock!!!!”

Live, Music — Chris on November 7, 2007 at 5:19 pm
I received an email from David Beebe about a Doug Sahm show at Casbeers which was last night. David Beebe doing Doug Sahm songs, that is something to see.The lineup for the tribute was The Swindles, Larry Lange and his Lonely Nights, True Stories, The Krayolas, and The Conrads.
I got there as Larry Lange was setting up and realized that I missed The Swindles, sorry Mitch. The Larry Lange set was really good. Take your standard 4 piece band and add two saxaphones and you get some great gulf coast rock and blues.

Larry Lange & the Chicano Soul Revue
Continental Club, Saturday, Dec 6
If it seems these Chicano Soul Revue shows are
increasingly common, they are. Don’t take them
for granted: The recent death of the Royal Jesters’
Dimas Garza left this all-star regional act with a
broken heart. Austin’s Larry Lange & His Lonely Knights
– their sound reminiscent of Doug Sahm with San Antonio’s
West Side Horns in the 1970s – blend with San Antonio’s
legendary Mexican voices for mighty Texas mojo.

The Westside Social Club Pt 2

There’s not really a Westside Social Club but it sure seems like Larry Lange is stepping into Ry Cooder’s role by creating San Antonio’s version of the Buena Vista Social Club. When Lange started the Lonely Knights in Austin several years ago, their direction was aimed directly east, along Highway 90 from the Gulf Coast into Louisiana. Their horn-driven retro sound embraced swamp pop and nuggets from regional radio and local jukeboxes. Somewhere, Lange took a turn into South Texas, and his band took on a whole new purpose. Lange, a veteran bassist on the scene best known for playing with Paul Ray & the Cobras and Delbert McClinton, fell in with many of the musicians written about in Ruben Molina’s 2006 book Chicano Soul. An instant rapport developed with them and thus began a joint effort that culminated in the tribute to Esteban Jordan here during the summer. The combination of Lange’s soulful brass-powered band and these wonderful Chicano vocalists is a match made in cielo.

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On Saturday, the Patio Andaluz reunion takes place in San Antonio at the Plaza Guadalupe. Larry Lange & the Lonely Knights will be the band behind many of the Alamo City’s most famous voices: Little Henry of the Laveers, Sonny Ace of the Twisters, Dimas Garza and Joe Jama from the Royal Jesters, Rene from Rene & Rene, Ernie Garibay, and Sunny Ozuna. Expect Austin’s own Joanna Ramirez to duet with Dimas Garza again. The surrounding streets will be closed for this event, which serves to not only celebrate the music by remembering the beloved, long-shuttered venue Patio Andaluz, but proceeds go toward San Antonio’s Hispanic Veteran’s Memorial, including a sculpture by Jesse Trevino. This is particularly meaningful to the town's Hispanic musicians, whose own ranks were decimated by Vietnam and the draft during the 1960s and 70s. This isn’t accordion-driven norteno, conjunto, or Tejano – these bands had traded the accordion for the more rock & roll sound of farfisas and Vox organs. Lange describes it as “the swamp pop sound of the Gulf Coast and Louisiana with R&B horns and Mexican lyrics.” And it’s not just old school, it’s old school San Antonio, meaning it is from the wellspring of this music and comes with all that corazon and soul. (This weekend in San Antonio, you can also find the best in accordion music a few blocks away at the International Accordion Festival at La Villita.) And wouldn’t this be the perfect set for an Austin City Limits segment? It strikes at the core of everything musical in the Lone Star state as well as the show’s philosophy. ACL has turned to more alt-rock in recent seasons but this is a homegrown sound that may be more ethnically diverse than any other music around. Nowhere but Texas.

Larry Lange & the Chicano Soul Revue
Continental Club, Saturday, Dec 6
If it seems these Chicano Soul Revue shows are
increasingly common, they are. Don’t take them
for granted: The recent death of the Royal Jesters’
Dimas Garza left this all-star regional act with a
broken heart. Austin’s Larry Lange & His Lonely Knights
– their sound reminiscent of Doug Sahm with San Antonio’s
West Side Horns in the 1970s – blend with San Antonio’s
legendary Mexican voices for mighty Texas mojo.

Live Shots
BY MARGARET MOSER

Steve Jordan
Esteban 'Steve' Jordan Tribute
H&H Ballroom, Aug. 10

Esteban "Steve" Jordan and his remarkable accordion were the reason for the tribute, but the eye-popping lineup was a cultural, racial, and musical tour de force, a confluence found only in Texas. It was also a grand pairing of San Antonio and Austin Chicano musicians, who have virtually paved I-35 with years of touring. Sarah Fox & Joel Guzman pulled a surprise opening act, laying down their unconventional sound between Guzman's accordion pageantry and Fox's sultry vocals. Once known as Shorty & the Corvettes, the contemporary version of Mariachi Corbetas, resplendent in crimson and gold, serenaded many of the 40 or so tables throughout the gymlike ballroom before the Texana Dames' lovely harmonies. Johnny Degollado's old-school conjunto brought out the dancers, as did Los Pinkys, featuring Isidro Samilpa. Ernie Garibay's S.A. Chicano blues was as good as it gets, followed by an outstanding crowd-pleaser of a set by Max Baca's Los Texmaniacs that included an incendiary cover of Sir Doug's "She's About a Mover." Baca, once with Flaco Jimenez, unquestionably ranks with Nunie Rubio among the finest young Chicano talents. Former state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos read a proclamation for Jordan from the governor, prompting the ailing Tejano legend's first visit to the stage. Garbed in a purple vest with matching shirt, he gave a quietly emotional thank you to the hundreds gathered, including Jerry Avila, the night's emcee and host of Primetime Tejano; members of the Austin Latino Music Association; Alex Gonzales of Eliseo Productions; Rose Reyes from the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau; and Fiesta Musical host/man-about-town Isodoro Lopez. When co-organizer Larry Lange assembled the Chicano Soul Revue onstage, the evening shifted sweetly into nostalgia. Little Joe's heart-fluttering croon blended with Joanna Ramirez, and the set featured the velvet voice of the Royal Jesters' Dimas Garza. The music is so delicate that it's in constant danger of becoming schmaltz, but the sheer love between the performers and audience kept it visceral. The show was running late when Jordan appeared with his family band, Rio Jordan. He ripped on the accordion a bit before inviting Little Joe up to sing "El Gancho," then "Las Nubes," a Little Joe favorite. Jazzed by the palpable enthusiasm of the all-ages crowd, he played well past the allotted 20 minutes, laying down standards, including the bolero "El Jardinero." El Parche might have gone on forever; instead, he closed with "Ahora Ahora Ahora," an unreleased song, and a glimpse into the future still bright with Steve Jordan.

The Westside Social Club

Tributes and benefits are beautiful things. A while back I was involved with a few that were very successful and one was an epiphany. Right now, I’m on the fringes of another most worthy, the Steve Jordan tribute on Sunday at the H&H Ballroom in Southeast Austin, with the makings of one of those legendary Austin ya-shoulda-been-there nights. Here’s why:
At the Candye Kane benefit in May at Antone’s, Billy Joe Shaver arrived onstage like he always does: ready to entertain. Only this night, he roared like a runaway train bound for hell if he didn’t save himself and the entire audience from damnation and ruination by singing like the devil had come down to Antone’s from Georgia and demanded a duel. Shaver was on fucking fire, blazing and stomping in tent show glory as if the power of music would purify us all. And it did.

In an evening with excellent performances, the realization was that even if the Austin music community is oversaturated with demands on its kind and giving heart, what it gets back is priceless. I’ve seen a dozen fine Billy Joe Shaver performances over the years – this one smoked with an unholy heat. The couple visiting from Belgium was agog and the man from Japan must have filled a memory card with photos. The four folks up from Houston for the weekend danced in a frenzy on the outskirts of the crowd of 200 or so. On that night, Austin delivered its fabled magic to all. Trust me when I say the Steve Jordan tribute will create that same magic, this time laced with the truest Texas music of all, Chicano Soul.
This show didn’t come together without a lot of work from organizers Steve Dean and Deb Fleming of the Oaks, along with Larry Lange and his wife Susie. They ought to dub themselves the Westside Social Club for all their good work. They managed to get assistance from the Austin Latino Music Association, Alex Gonzales at Eliseo Productions, La Voz, and Rock N Roll Rentals, and were smart enough to ask Guero’s Taco Bar, Joey Pena BBQ, and Torchy’s Tacos to help. We at the Chronicle pitched in ad space and organizations such as the Uncle John Turner Foundation have been generous.

Takes place at the H & H Ballroom, 4404 Brandt Road, Sunday, August 10, 3-8pm.



Margaret Moser, Fri Aug 8, 11:36am

Onetime Cobra Larry Lange's love of regional gems and belly-rubbing classics from San Antonio to Lafayette, La., and all Gulf Coast points in between plays like KUT's Twine Time live on this debut CD. Guests such as Little Joe Hernandez and the Lonely Knights' secret weapon, drummer Michael Christian, make this the ultimate date CD for the fiftysomething set or those under-fiftysomethings with good taste.

“Chicano Soul” comes to Threadgill’s June 29

Larry Lange & His Lonely Knights will host several of the 1960s Chicano soul legends that have inspired them at a special show at Threadgill’s South location. Among the guests are Rudy Tee from Rudy and the Reno Bops, Charlie Alvarado from Charlie & the Jives, Dimas Garza of the Royal Jesters, the Sequins, and Sonny Ace.

Interest in the vintage singers has been stoked by a new book called “Chicano Soul” by Ruben Molina.

Lange and his wife Susie are also organizing a benefit for accordion great Steve “Esteban” Jordan, who is undergoing treatment for cancer. Click here to see the greatest Tex Mex accordion player take on some old Johnny Mercer. Little Joe Hernandez has said he’ll perform at the benefit and there are other big names lining up. The Aug. 10 date is tentative.

Austin loves Steve “Esteban” Jordan

The tribute to Steve Jordan, the world’s greatest accordion player, will take place Aug. 10 at the H&H Ballroom (4404 Brandt Rd. 282-1143). Among those saluting the ailing “El Parche” are Los Pinkys, Max Baca & the TexManiacs, Conjunto Aztlan, Ernie Garibay, Mariachi Corbetas (Shorty & the Corvettes), Chicano Soul Revue with Larry Lange & His Lonely Knights featuring Rudy T Gonzales, Sonny Ace, Little Henry, Sauce Gonzalez and Dimus Garza, Ponty Bone, Johnny Degollado y su Conjunto, Latin Legends (formerly Latin Breed), Bobby Fuentes, Texana Dames, and more special guests. But the highlight is sure to be when Jordan and his family band, Rio Jordan, take the stage.

Tickets are $15 at the door. Show starts at 3 p.m. Kudos to Larry and Susie Lange, Steve Dean, Deb Fleming and other Austin music fans for putting together this event.

Here’s the chapter on Jordan from my book “All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas Music.”

Larry Lange and the Lonely Knights serenade Shoal Creek Saloon.
Lange, who grew up in Victoria, hastily assembled the Knights to play a party at Mother Egan's at last year's South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival. "It came to me in a flash, because that's all the time I had," he says. "Why not play the music I grew up on?"
An exceptional bassist who made his name locally backing Stevie Ray Vaughan in the Cobras, Lange has never fronted a band before, but he takes to the Knight-leading role like he was born to it. His voice sometimes struggles with the high notes, but he gets down the feel of the songs. Go see Lange and the Knights at Shoal Creek Saloon, Evangeline Cafe or La Palapa and watch them turn those venues into a San Antonio dance hall circa 1962.
"Doug Sahm and I fished from the same pond," Lange says of the local legend who knew his way around "triplets" (which he called the 6/8-time songs). Where Sahm went on to perform much of those old chestnuts, even ressurecting the career of Freddy Fender, Lange played bass for a succession of bands, including Delbert McClinton for most of the '80s and Mardi Gras rockers the Vanguards.
He's clearly having a blast in the spotlight at last.
Rounded out by drummer Michael Christian and piano thumper Jack Payne, the Knights have already passed a couple of big tests recently. First, they got Roky Erickson up to sing a few songs at the Shoal Creek Saloon a few Wednesdays ago. Then came an even more impressive seal of approval when the Knights, the only Anglo band on a bill of Tejano and conjunto groups, bowled over the crowd with vintage regional pop hits that such cats as Gene Thomas and Sunny Ozuna almost made famous. The twin saxes were crucial.
"You could see it in their eyes," Lange says of that predominantly Hispanic audience. "The memories just came flooding back and the dance floor filled up."
All this band needs are a few more fast songs like the Sunglows' "No One Else But You" to space out the ballads, which can get repetitious over two hours (unless you're on a date).
Relationship losing its zing? Take your sweetie to Shoal Creek Saloon Wednesday night and you can cancel that appointment with the marriage counselor.

AM/PM: for Lange, Highway 90 is also known as memory lane Larry Lange and the Lonely Knights have built up a loyal following in their first year by playing off a simple concept: They celebrate regional hits from the '50s and '60s that traveled U.S. 90 from San Antonio to Lafayette, La. Oh, how the folks love to slow dance to the Knights' 6/8 rhythm (think "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights") and swing to the swamp pop. When the saxes of Ed Vizard and Brad Andrews are soulfully braying and guitarist Hector Watt (ex-Solid Senders) lays down a Johnnie Allan groove, it's a jolt back to the teen canteen days. The Lonely Knights peel away a layers of jaded.
On a recent Wednesday night at Shoal Creek Saloon, which has a nifty new bandstand and very good Cajun food, former Doug Sahm runnin' buddy Speedy Sparks listened to Lange sing the songs of Cookie and the Cupcakes, Bobby Charles, Sunny and the Sunglows and Roy Head and said, "They're playing my record collection.”

“This is simply the best new band in Austin – well, it’s
hard to say “new” since these guys have
been around for many years – but, they are the Best!”