Just want to dance the night away? Here’s your chance with carefree country rockers The Mavericks.
Bouncing back with their platinum-selling Trampoline they will be serenading Brighton with a selection of sunshine swing and Latino melodies. After what bassist Robert Reynolds describes as: “more of a break than a break up,” the group return for a full UK tour.
Founding member Paul Deakin is on drums while Eddie Perez is on lead guitar. Emerging out of the Miami music scene, singer/songwriter Raul Malo grew up to honky-tonk and rockabilly roots. A tenor of Cuban descent, Raol is just as much at home crooning to rock and roll as he is swinging to the mambo: “Living in Nashville made me appreciate my roots,” he says: “Being away from your family and friends makes you aware of your heritage”
With a history that includes the heart-breaking blues and romantic naivety of sixties Americana, The Mavericks are not your average yokels: “Our interpretation of country has always been a little looser,” says Reynolds. “Our music never lined up very well with contemporary country music. But that’s not to say we don’t have appreciation for the people making country music. It’s just that we don’t fit it very squarely.” But it’s this originality, combining the charm of the sticks with sophistication of the city, which has led The Mavericks to two Country Music Awards and a Grammy in 1995 for best country performance.
Their latest album has been co-produced by Kenny Greenberg, a man described by Paul as: “one of the most outstanding musicians I have ever met”. The Mavericks have returned to the UK to perform alongside contemporary country starlet Shania Twain and collaborate with legendary outlaw Willie Nelson: “Road-testing new material to shows that have sold out by word of mouth alone is what blew me away,” Raol says: “We’ve sold out so many tickets without a record out. It’s nice to feel the love is still there.” “Before Dance The Night Away, it was a good eight years of touring and maybe ten years together: “We’ve definitely chilled a lot. We all did different projects and coming back to it, it’s fresher. That’s what happens when you have time off. You get recharged and things just start to flow.”
The result is the consistently catchy pop songs that The Mavericks are famed for.
