Country Rock Renegades The Mavericks Storm Hollywood

Jonny Whiteside

The Mavericks is an aptly named, gloriously unconventional country music anomaly. The group’s general attitude and stance—fun, rocking, unpredictable—always allowed a margin of spontaneous creativity that was resoundingly unusual. They also had lent a distinct advantage in the warm, soaring pipes of their outstanding lead singer, Cuban-American dynamo Raul Malo. These qualities, practically unheard of in Nashville—already the biggest blackest hole of assembly-line hogwash and regimented unoriginal thought—served the band well from the get-go, and allowed their 1992 debut “From Hell to Paradise” to jumpstart a very successful 15-year run.

Country at that time was dominated by moonfaced meatheads like Garth Brooks, Tracy Lawrence, and Travis Tritt. Considering the Mavericks were birthed in lowdown Florida rock clubs (alongside a then unknown Marilyn Manson), it’s an absolute marvel this atypical outfit was able to get a record deal at all, let alone sign up to the country roster of major label juggernaut MCA.

Fueled by a singular musical mix that was characterized by a contemporary, quasi-alternate jangle with a twist of retro rock with plenty of bite and bounce, the Mavericks’ gracefully assumed the mantle of “exception-that-proves-the-rule.” The fact that the band members never took themselves too seriously was another very advantageous element and it almost immediately paid off when they were lobbing songs into the Country chart Top 40 and racking up accolades and awards. Between 1994-96, they picked up a slew of ACM, CMA awards and a Best Country Performance Grammy win.

The Mavericks worked so well because they were always genuine and by the early 2000s they knew that, rather than continuing to force it, it was best to just give it up. Malo recorded a series of well received solo albums and joined forces with the formidable collective Los Super Seven featuring members of Los Lobos and the Texas Tornados. However, the lure and legacy of the Mavericks was a tempting element that was never far from either the band members’ or the fans’ minds.

The inevitable occurred in 2012, when they reformed for a performance at the Stagecoach Festival here in California. Revitalized and eager to pick up where they left off the band pulled together for a new recordings  of the “Suited Up & Ready” digital EP and 2013’s full length “In Time”, before hitting the road for a well-received return to form.

The Mavericks picked up a little unwanted publicity when at a 2014 press conference, Malo announced they had fired founding member Robert Reynolds due to a debilitating drug habit. For local fans, the good news is the band is currently featuring Los Angeles’s own honky-tonk idol James Intveld on bass, a peerless player who is sure to contribute mightily to an already irresistible proposition.

The Mavericks  appear at the Fonda Theatre on March 25. Tickets can be purchased here.