"We were playing mostly rockabilly," explains singer/guitarist Marroquin. "And none of us are white. Everybody in the band is Mexican." He pauses briefly and adds, "You might have noticed," before getting back to his tale. "The whole vatobilly thing started out as a joke on a poster. But people really got into it, so we added '101 percent Texas' to define it a little more -- let people know what they're in for."
Seldom, though, has a joke achieved such cachet. And now the founders of the vatobilly genre understand the value of an attention-getting, smile-provoking definition.
"ZZ Top wants to be vatobilly," quips drummer Hinojosa. "But it's going to cost them a lot of bucks."
Don't bet the rent on the likelihood of Houston's most famous power trio reinventing itself in the image of a Ship Channel Mexi-thrash band, even if the Top's Billy Gibbons has been spotted having a blast at the group's gigs. And while rock becomes a parody of itself when it takes itself too seriously, this is not a pitfall that appears to threaten vatobilly's primary practitioners. The Flamin' Hellcats are, if nothing else, a band of extremely limited pretensions. You don't interview these guys; you hang out with them and take their comments and observations like you would shots of tequila: with large grains of salt.
Every hair on their heads slicked in place, Marroquin and Hinojosa are wiling away a recent weekday night at the Blue Iguana. Joining them are Speedfreak producer/Road Kings veteran Jason Burns and a lovely young lady who goes simply by the name Mickey. She says she's been Marroquin's significant other "for about eight months, which I understand is a record." When asked why she hasn't strangled the guitarist yet, she takes advantage of her knowledge of journalism and responds, "No comment."
Mickey's presence here tonight is what made Marroquin's journey from southeast Houston possible. It seems that some weeks ago, he attempted, while intoxicated, to set a land speed record on the Gulf Freeway. How many cops show up when you've been stopped for driving more than 100 mph?
"All of them," Marroquin replies.
Still, Marroquin is quite penitent, just in case his probation officer reads this. "I thought I was going to be in jail for our CD release party, which would have really sucked," is how he describes his moment of enlightenment.
The conversation soon turns to Cevallos, the band member conspicuous by his absence. Burns, sporting the most impressive pompadour at the table, saw the bassist most recently, and he reports that Cevallos has been unexpectedly stricken by an ailment of considerable severity. "Too sick to party" is the diagnosis. After discussing the possibility of using that line in a song, a decision is made to call Cevallos and demand an appearance.
The summons issued, Hinojosa and Marroquin attempt to explain the history and philosophical foundation of vatobilly. That explanation is quickly derailed over confusion regarding when the band began. "About three years ago" and "about five years ago" are both offered as possibilities, but "about four years ago" is eventually agreed on. There's much more certainty regarding who the high-profile Houston bar bands were at the time: the Missiles, de Schmog and Trish and Darin. When asked if vatobilly owes a stylistic debt to any of those bands, Trish and Darin are cited as a particular influence. Pass the salt, please ....
Eventually, Cevallos arrives and immediately becomes the center of attention. Since the last time his pals saw him, the bassist has had the first joints of the fingers on his other hand tattooed; now all eight digits are decorated with initials, stars, pairs of dice rolling sevens and the number 13, a numeral also stamped on the Speedfreak CD. Though it appears the conversation has drifted, it's also possible that this alleged interview is still on track, seeing as every time rock has returned to its roots over the last couple of decades, it has somehow stirred derma-graphics into the mix. Marketing ploys aside, the Hellcats are merely the latest in a long line of tattooed rock and rollers, charging into a barroom brawl under the "vatobilly" banner.
