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Updated June 2008
Dave Gonzalez of the Hacienda Brothers will be touring this summer to celebrate the life of his friend and musical partner Chris Gaffney. The touring will be difficult yet cathartic for Gonzalez. There hasnt' been a tour in the past six years, since his days in the Paladins, that Gaffney hasn't been there right by his side. Yet there is no better way to honor the memory of Chris then to go out and play to the audience that loved him so. This will be a chance for all of Chris’ friends and fans to gather and pay tribute to one of the greatest American music performers in the past 20 years. Gonzalez will also be out supporting the release of the last studio album from the Hacienda Brothers titled Arizona Motel. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to helpgaff.com to aid the family of Chris Gaffney
Updated Bio The drop-dead gorgeous title song one of the records several instant classicsmarks the second time Gonzalez and Penn have written together, following the first albums soulful "Looking for Loneliness."
The Hacienda Brothers took shape in the most natural way imaginable. While working as a roots music promoter, Tucson resident Schoonover formed a friendship with longtime Paladins bandleader Dave Gonzalez, whose guitar playing hed long admired, and the two got together whenever Gonzalez was in Tucson to spin obscure platters theyd picked up in thrift shops and talk about music. "On one such night of nonstop record listening," Schoonover recalls, "we started off with the saddest of sad honky-tonkers, only to end up at about 2 a.m. listening to a string of down-and-out soul singers. Dave and I looked at each other and said, Man if only a band could play what weve been listening to tonight, and how cool would that be? Of course, the next question was Who would be the singer? In unison we answered, Chris Gaffney."
Gaffney split his time between Dave Alvins Guilty Men and his own band the Cold Hard Facts before becoming a Hacienda Brother. The veteran musician, who cut his teeth on the eclectic fare spun by Wolfman Jack on XERB before getting his start backing the likes of Webb Pierce and Ferlin Husky in a Toronto bar, explains that, "I was always a big R&B fan, and I also like steel guitar, so I couldnt see why the combination wouldnt work." Gaffney is a colorful character who throws out one-liners the way he once threw left jabs as the 1967 Los Angeles Golden Gloves champ.
Discussing Gonzalez and Penns mutual passion for working on cars, Gaffney offers, "Theyre both greasers. Theyll spot some ol pile of shit in the middle of a field and act like theyve seen a girl for the first time." Although he plays the accordion and acoustic guitar, Gaffney is a closet hard rocker. "Our drummer," he notes, "has a bunch of songs on one of those Pod things that hes labeled Gaffneys ChoicesAC/DC, UFO and the Pogues." But when this inveterate wise-ass steps up to the mic and opens his mouth, he can break your heart in the first four bars.
Western Soul couldnt be defined any more clearly than it is on the timeless opener, "Midnight Dream," with David Berzanskys sighing pedal steel Gonzalezs crisply stroked Telecaster cruising along over a simmering Stax/Volt groove laid down by drummer Dale Daniel and bassist Hank Maninger, and a Gaffney vocal that sounds like it was cut late at night in the back seat of Hank Williams Cadillac. The impression deepens with each successive song.
While "Whats Wrong With Right" would seem to bring out Alabama-born producer Penns inner hillbilly, it isnt hard to imagine this country heartbreak ballad becoming its R&B equivalent if he were to hand it to a soul man like Bobby Purify.
Who wouldve thought that Country Road and Soul Boulevard would intersect out in the Arizona desert? You wont find this crossroads on any map, but its right here in the grooves of Whats Wrong With Right.