Following
in the tradition of Question Mark and the Mysterians, Sam the Sham and
the Pharoahs, the Sir Douglas Quintet (Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers), Carrasco
and his Crowns emerged from playing seedy Texas Chicano barrooms and two-bit
saloons, where gringos were decidedly unwelcome, to the international
limelight as a Nuevo Wave Tex-Mex farfisa driven punk band in the early
80s, touring the U.S.A., Canada and Europe.
Secretly
championed by a group of powerful in-cahoots music critics including Bob
Christgau, Billy Altman, Lester Bangs, Joe Nick Patoski, Ed Ward and John
Morthland, a mystique was hyped about this weird Tex-Mex King Carrasco
(named by his Chicano friends after a Mexican dope dealer who was killed
escaping jail) and his band the Crowns, who at best were a Texas bar band
with Norteno roots influenced by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, the 60s
Texas garage bands, flavored with wild yelping, mariachi, doo-wop, rockabilly,
polka a honky tonk barrio band with the worlds cheesiest farfisa sound
imaginable.
These
tapes recorded in a basement in Austin, Texas in November 1979, circulated
among the hip critics of the era and repeatedly kept appearing in Bob
Christgaus Village Voice Pazz and Jop Top 10 report for weeks on end.
When the band made it to NYC they caused an uproar and a launch pad for
a major success that never quite materialized.
"In
trendy New York City where odd is in, the New Wave audience has embraced
the clown prince of West Texas Rock with the same sort of fervor that
greeted the thrift store schlock of the B-52s a couple of years ago. Execs
of Great Britains Stiff Records, one of the labels that pioneered Punk
and New Wave, had much the same reaction, signing the 27 year old unknown
and his band to a recording contract. " - Atlanta Constitution.
"Their
sets have a wild spontaneity that can turn any urban dive into a festive
Cantina with their peppery Tex-Mex garage rock. Border town contagious."
- High Fidelity
"Nuevo
Wavo blends garage rock, Chicano Polka, speedy good times music." - Rolling
Stone
"Genuine
Punk Tex-Mex. The Ramones of the Southwest." - Goldmine
"
New Wave adolescent new wave revved up punk. A marvelous set of demos
from 1979 with embyryonic (read: Raw & Exciting) versions of many of Carrascos
best tunes. Boundless spirit and infectious fun. " - Trouser Press
"Deep
from the heart of Tex-Mex comes these early nuggets by His Royal Weirdness
and his first serious edition of The Crowns cut in 79 in the basement
of an Austin Texas radio station. Saucy dance music! What gems- no nonsense
torpedoes with Carnival Kris Cummings Farfisa organ (she studied with
Professor Longhair & Huey Piano Smith). The wonder of the tape is the
undiluted Tex-Mex essence of Carrascos sound. Carrasco has never done
it this hard. Down and Dirty." - David Fricke (Melody Maker)
"Theres
no doubt this sound is what the fuss is all about! The circumstances of
professional recording have done this fellow no good at all Ultimate Jalapeno
Pepper. " - Fortnightly College Reporter
"Texas
The temperature is Rising. Rock Español has enjoyed a resurgence.
The movement is beginning to thrive." - Billboard September 23, 2000
