AI
Sunday, August 11, 2002 11:56:33 PM
The Mavericks
Super Colossal Smash Hits of the 90’s
Some bands embody a genre. Some bands embody a place. A few bands transcend both genre and place to embody an entire era. The Mavericks -- four guys with outlandish costumes and a penchant for speaking their minds (occasionally in foreign languages) -- may be the most unlikely band to come out of Nashville in the 1990s. But after ten years, four million records, three Academy of Country Music awards, two Country Music Association awards, and one Grammy, they are certainly the most important band to come out of Nashville this decade. The Mavericks' breakthrough mix of honky-tonk guitar licks from the Mississippi Delta, South Beach-influenced Latin energy, and occasional hors d'oeuvres from Rat Pack-era Las Vegas have made them the signature band for a new kind of Nashville sound: a countrypolitan mix of cowboy hats and red-velvet smoking gowns. Martini country: where all the music will make you dance -- swing, two-step, salsa, shag -- and all the drinks are on the house.
In honor of their 10-year anniversary, the band has cut four new songs and is revisiting some past favorites. The result is a 12-song collection, their fifth major-label release and first on Mercury, called Super Colossal Smash Hits of the ‘90s: The Best of the Mavericks.
"I feel better about the band today than I have in two or three years," says bass player Robert Reynolds, who along with singer-songwriter Raul Malo, and drummer Paul Deakin, formed the Mavericks in Miami, Florida in 1989. Guitarist Nick Kane joined them in 1993. "There's a peace that's formed as partners and as individuals," Reynolds says. "We made the 10-year mark and we're comfortable. We can make records the way we want, when we want. We've got a new team working with the group. There's an energy and a vigor we haven't had for years."
From the beginning the Mavericks challenged convention. Originally their music verged on proto rock-and- roll as they mixed roots icons like Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash into their own version of throwback country. The result was a critically acclaimed first album, From Hell to Paradise (MCA, 1992), which contained a spellbinding title cut about Malo's urban roots and their signature ballad, "This Broken Heart."
After moving to Nashville, they hooked up with Don Cook, one of the masterminds of the mainstream country sound of the 1990s, and produced What A Crying Shame, a more mature, occasionally mournful album that included the lanky "There Goes My Heart" and the haunting "I Should Have Been True." The album sold over one million copies. "It's a selfish thing," says Deakin, "but I've always said, ‘Self-indulgence in a positive way.' Pleasing ourselves first has always been our blueprint for success."
With more freedom, the Mavericks ventured further afield, adding elements of 1960s moody pop into their 1995 album, Music For All Occasions, which contains the Grammy winning single "Here Comes The Rain," and the band's biggest U.S. hit, "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down." A brass and horn section on the 1998 release, Trampoline, added another layer to their sound and produced the infectious "Dance The Night Away," which soared into the top 5 of the pop chart in England propelling that album to triple platinum in the U.K.
For their new material, the band has blended elements from various parts of their career. "I think what happened was we fell in love again with the roots stuff," says Reynolds. "Now we're merging the swing and the horns with Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson."
"Super Colossal" finds the Mavericks with something else they've rarely had: personal satisfaction. All four have married in the last ten years; Malo and Kane have had children. Says Deakin: "A little bit of personal contentment can go a long way in a band like us. We've always been about enjoying music. We still have the same passion, but I think being happy in your personal life gives you the confidence to go on.
And will they still be in existence ten years from now? "Who knows?" says Deakin. "I'll be happy to be on this side of the grass," says Reynolds. "I hope so," says Malo. "Why not?"
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1066
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1124
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1142
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1148
Super Colossal Smash Hits of the 90’s
Some bands embody a genre. Some bands embody a place. A few bands transcend both genre and place to embody an entire era. The Mavericks -- four guys with outlandish costumes and a penchant for speaking their minds (occasionally in foreign languages) -- may be the most unlikely band to come out of Nashville in the 1990s. But after ten years, four million records, three Academy of Country Music awards, two Country Music Association awards, and one Grammy, they are certainly the most important band to come out of Nashville this decade. The Mavericks' breakthrough mix of honky-tonk guitar licks from the Mississippi Delta, South Beach-influenced Latin energy, and occasional hors d'oeuvres from Rat Pack-era Las Vegas have made them the signature band for a new kind of Nashville sound: a countrypolitan mix of cowboy hats and red-velvet smoking gowns. Martini country: where all the music will make you dance -- swing, two-step, salsa, shag -- and all the drinks are on the house.
In honor of their 10-year anniversary, the band has cut four new songs and is revisiting some past favorites. The result is a 12-song collection, their fifth major-label release and first on Mercury, called Super Colossal Smash Hits of the ‘90s: The Best of the Mavericks.
"I feel better about the band today than I have in two or three years," says bass player Robert Reynolds, who along with singer-songwriter Raul Malo, and drummer Paul Deakin, formed the Mavericks in Miami, Florida in 1989. Guitarist Nick Kane joined them in 1993. "There's a peace that's formed as partners and as individuals," Reynolds says. "We made the 10-year mark and we're comfortable. We can make records the way we want, when we want. We've got a new team working with the group. There's an energy and a vigor we haven't had for years."
From the beginning the Mavericks challenged convention. Originally their music verged on proto rock-and- roll as they mixed roots icons like Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash into their own version of throwback country. The result was a critically acclaimed first album, From Hell to Paradise (MCA, 1992), which contained a spellbinding title cut about Malo's urban roots and their signature ballad, "This Broken Heart."
After moving to Nashville, they hooked up with Don Cook, one of the masterminds of the mainstream country sound of the 1990s, and produced What A Crying Shame, a more mature, occasionally mournful album that included the lanky "There Goes My Heart" and the haunting "I Should Have Been True." The album sold over one million copies. "It's a selfish thing," says Deakin, "but I've always said, ‘Self-indulgence in a positive way.' Pleasing ourselves first has always been our blueprint for success."
With more freedom, the Mavericks ventured further afield, adding elements of 1960s moody pop into their 1995 album, Music For All Occasions, which contains the Grammy winning single "Here Comes The Rain," and the band's biggest U.S. hit, "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down." A brass and horn section on the 1998 release, Trampoline, added another layer to their sound and produced the infectious "Dance The Night Away," which soared into the top 5 of the pop chart in England propelling that album to triple platinum in the U.K.
For their new material, the band has blended elements from various parts of their career. "I think what happened was we fell in love again with the roots stuff," says Reynolds. "Now we're merging the swing and the horns with Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson."
"Super Colossal" finds the Mavericks with something else they've rarely had: personal satisfaction. All four have married in the last ten years; Malo and Kane have had children. Says Deakin: "A little bit of personal contentment can go a long way in a band like us. We've always been about enjoying music. We still have the same passion, but I think being happy in your personal life gives you the confidence to go on.
And will they still be in existence ten years from now? "Who knows?" says Deakin. "I'll be happy to be on this side of the grass," says Reynolds. "I hope so," says Malo. "Why not?"
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1066
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1124
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1142
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=1148
Join the InvestorsHub Community
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
