by Daniel V. Garcia
Daily Lobo
Like jambalaya, Felix y Los Gatos boast a blend of flavors.
Based in Albuquerque, Felix y Los Gatos feature Felix Peralta on guitar and vocals, David Barclay Gomez on the button accordion, Terry Bloom on bass, Carlos Cortez on drums and Nate Tearfeather on mandolin. The band shifts its set lists from funk to tejano to zydeco to swing.
Peralta said the musical diversity evolved over time.
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"I just wanted a blend from what I grew up listening to - rancheras, the old waltzes and polkas to blues stuff that I got into," Peralta said. "In jamming with someone from New Orleans or Mexico, I've intertwined what they do into the kind of music that we play."
Peralta said he recruits nontraditional musicians for the band to add a Dixieland flair.
"I dig the sound of it. I know it won't come out that way, because we're here in New Mexico," Peralta said. "It's like a New Mexico jambalaya or a green chile stew."
Having played locally for many years, Peralta said he dislikes when musicians play too loudly.
"I want to have a nice, laid-back tone. But at the same time, they can crank it if they want to," he said. "It's all about dynamics for me."
Peralta said he likes to keep his guitar's tone natural, much like that of Wes Montgomery, an American jazz guitarist.
"The only other effect I use is just a slide," Peralta said. "I keep it real simple. Half the time, I don't even use a pick. Once you start using distortion, you get all crazy like Eddie Van Halen."
In concert, Peralta frequently steps aside for band members to improvise. He said he doesn't want his band to depend on a lead guitarist.
"It's more about a melody," Peralta said. "Me and Dave worked a lot of these songs for years when they were just nothing, and we worked a melody in. Most of the time, I played rhythm and he played the melody."
Peralta said he avoids pigeonholing the band.
"The music speaks for itself," he said. "We're not trying to be a blues band or a swing band. If it sounds good, we play it."
