by Daniel V. Garcia
Daily Lobo
Blues music came from want. People who sang it didn't have enough of what they needed, and they anguished about it in their songs.
Nowadays, the only thing most blues musicians want is an upgrade to a better guitar or amp.
Albuquerque's Todd Tijerina Band is a throwback to the bad old days. It is a trio that relies almost exclusively on its music to survive, and its release Now tells this story.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The sound of the trio draws heavily from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, all the more amazing considering there were no guitar overdubs.
"It wasn't just that we wanted it to kind of feel like it was live, but the budget didn't allow us to spend a whole bunch of time adding extra layers and stuff anyway," Tijerina said.
Tijerina was born in Chicago, the heart of the urban blues. His first guitar was a Teisco from Kmart that he bought for $5 at the age of 9, he said.
"I didn't have all the money, so I begged my sister for it," he said. "I think I was just short by a couple of bucks after breaking open the piggy bank."
Tijerina won the Chicagoland blues competition in 1999, gaining valuable recording time that he used to create his first album.
"That first album has helped me a lot to get into venues, but before that it was a little bit harder, with the demo tape and shoestring budget," he said. "The CD seemed to open more doors."
Tijerina has since made a name for himself in the Southwest, playing many gigs in the area.
"Ideally it would be nice to have a keyboardist or something," he said. "But it's the nature of music business these days, especially if we were to get a fourth piece, we wouldn't be able to survive economically."
Tijerina noted that blues music has waxed and waned in popularity. Its popularity has taken a dip, he said.
"That may be one of the reasons why there's been a real decline in people coming to shows," he said. "I remember when I heard the White Stripes were coming up, I was hopeful. When I was in college, there were a lot of people who would go see blues bands."
In order to continue as a professional musician, Tijerina often plays out-of-state gigs at venues that are blues-friendly, he said.
"We try to focus on venues that cater to a built-in crowd and places that draw music lovers," he said. "That seems to work for us."
Traveling is not without its treachery, including one incident where Tijerina's van narrowly escaped a plummet from a cliff in a snowstorm, he said.
"Luckily, my tire snagged on a root that stopped it from going any farther down the steep part of a hill," he said. "I don't know if that was divine intervention or what. I was glad for that root. I should've kissed that thing."
