But since a reunion in 2012, this most singular of bands has re-established itself as one of the most exciting and joyfully entertaining acts on touring and festival circuit across the planet. It’s a reputation based on their irrepressible mix of country, Tex-Mex, rockabilly and Latino sounds plus a riotously entertaining, world-renowned live show. A Mavericks gig is a guaranteed party night encompassing everything from the essential “Dance The Night Away” to the infectious Tejano-ska hybrid of “Back in Your Arms Again”—and, on occasion, even wild cards like a Mavericks’ take on The Beatles’ “Back in The USSR.” The Mavericks are true American originals, heirs to the great songwriting traditions of Cuba and Miami, of Nashville and San Antonio and Memphis. Now, on their 30th anniversary as a band, they’re back to remind the world why they’re so good. “Being away from the band felt like being in a kung fu movie, where you go into the mountains on a mystical path to gain special wisdom,” laughs singer, guitarist, key songwriter and founder Mavericks member Raul Malo. “We needed that time away, and a big dose of humility too. It was good for us. That humility and that understanding of each other is what informs the band now. I think it makes us by far the best incarnation of this band yet.” Raul and drummer Paul Deakin were there at the beginning, in Miami, where Raul was born and Paul moved when he was 8 years old. The melting pot of this great city where Cuban, Caribbean, Latino and rock ’n’ roll cultures all clash gave The Mavericks their musical DNA. In the streets Raul would hear marching band music and salsa, and at home the magnificence of his mom’s opera records.
Rock ’n’ roll came to him through Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert or The Midnight Special on TV. But the record that really changed his life was Elvis Presley’s operatic epic of love and longing “It’s Now or Never.” “That connected to every kind of music I liked from classical to The Beatles,” he says. “I’ve spent my life emulating that record.” “We found that our recipe for success was the same thing that sustained us musically: mix it up,” says Paul. “Try things. And we found that nobody sounded like us.” There was something special in his musical partner, too. “Some people say Raul’s become the voice of a generation,” says Paul. “I’d agree with that.”
“WE FOUND THAT OUR RECIPE FOR SUCCESS WAS THE SAME THING THAT SUSTAINED US MUSICALLY: MIX IT UP.” The Mavericks’ rise in the ’90s was meteoric, but success takes its toll. “Looking back, none of us were ready for it,” says Raul. “It was so fast and intense that we kind of got burned out with one another. The band just started to fall apart from within.” Mismanagement of money had added to the pressure by the early 2000s. “It became an untenable situation,” explains Raul. “Our resources and goodwill started to run out. Looking back, we just didn’t have the knowledge and experience to deal with how big it got, and how fast.” Not long after the release of their 2003 album, The Mavericks, the band split. For Raul, The Mavericks’ hiatus years became “a kind of musical quest … I threw
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