Tex-mex meets rock & roll meets country in The Last Bandoleros, a four-piece band composed of Jerry Fuentes, Derek James, and brothers Diego and Emilio Navaira. Though they’re a newly formed group, their edgy authenticity breathes life into their music in a way that makes them sound as if they’re a long established act. They recently were invited to play at the iconic Webster Hall in New York, as part of Cherrytree Record’s 10th anniversary bash. To keep the celebration rolling, we’re exclusivly premiering the live performance of latest single, “Where Do You Go?” from the evening at Webster Hall. Diego and Derek also took time to tell us more about the band’s story, their music, and the performance!
How did you all meet each other? From there, how did you decide to form a band?
Derek: Jerry and Diego are San Antonio natives where they grew up working at the same recording studio, only years apart. The producers there suggested Jerry use Diego and his brother Emilio as his backing band, and that relationship has grown ever since. I met Jerry when he moved to New York, where we now share an apartment and music studio in Brooklyn. A little over a year ago, Jerry started writing tunes with the boys in SA and we were already writing a lot in New York, and the thought to collaborate all together came naturally. Once we got in a room together and started writing, the music came out so quickly and effortlessly, we knew we had something special.
How did you select the name, The Last Bandoleros?
Diego: We called ourselves The Last Bandoleros because The Bandoleros was already taken.
Derek: We wanted a name that matched the music, a mix of tex-mex, rock and country, all with an edge. Band names are tough for many reasons, one being if its good and simple its probably taken. The Federales and The Bandoleros were early contenders, but both taken. And if we couldn’t be the first, we thought we’d be the last.
Did you write “Where Do You Go?” and what was the inspiration behind the song?
Derek: We write our own music, and the inspiration Sent from my iPhone and that informs all of our writing.
Diego: I like saying that the song is inspired from the third verse of Day Tripper… “she’s a big teaser, she took me half the way there”
Why did you select WDYG as your first single?
Diego: It guess it made the most sense to pick WDYG as our first single because when we wrote it we realized how special and unique “the last bandoleros” sound was.
Derek: It’s got all of the ingredients that have become key parts of our sound: guitar riffs, ripping accordian solos, lush vocal harmonies, train beats, all wrapped up in an upbeat pop tune dressed like a cowboy.
Tell us about being presented with the opportunity to play at Webster Hall.
Derek: This year we got our first big break when Martin Kierszenbaum signed us to Cherrytree Management. Martin’s been behind some of the biggest artists of the last decade, including Feist, Lady Gaga, and many others. This year marked the 10 year anniversary of the record label side of his company, Cherrytree Records, and they celebrated with an incredible lineup of Cherrytree artists at Webster Hall, included one of our personal favorites, Feist. We were lucky enough to be chosen to open the show.
How would you describe the experience of performing in such an iconic venue? -Have you performed or you attended shows at Webster Hall before?
Diego: It was actually a bit strange for me to perform Webster Hall after only playing 3 or 4 club shows as a band. I was excited and grateful for the opportunity but also very shocked that we were playing this iconic venue, which I had never been to, without ever having been in a van together.
Derek: Growing up in New York, I’ve seen a lot of incredible shows at Webster Hall. Getting to play the MainStage was a dream come true. The sound there is huge, music comes to life in a way that doesn’t happen in smaller venues. Playing smaller venues can be great, very intimate, like an acoustic guitar. But playing Webster is like plugging in your 335 to a half stack and letting it wail, it’s glorious.