KARLOZ and the Stone - OUCH!

        I had just finished watching "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" on DVD, it was 2 in the morning and I was shutting down everything for a good night sleep and a late Saturday morning start ..... NO SUCH LUCK!! 

      I was awakened at 7am to a pain on my left side that was excruciating! I've never experienced this type of jolt. Was it gas? No. It was PAIN!! I got up and headed for the kitchen to drink some water (kind of a knee jerk reaction). No relief. I let the dogs out and fed them and, suddenly... the pain was gone. Like it was never there. Hmmm. Well, maybe it was a severe gas thing. 

      With no pain, I went back to bed only to be awaken again at around 9:30am to the same, hard pain followed by a cold feeling inside just above my waist. I thought for sure something busted inside. I had my wife call EMS.

      From what I've heard, if something inside ruptures, you only have so much time. The EMT's didn't take but about 7 minutes but, by that time, the pain subsided again. Weird! Anyway, they checked me out and said everything was fine as far as they could see. They asked if I'd had any problems with Kidney Stones (yes, the kind that William Shatner auctioned off). What? You think this is a stone? I have no history of those. Suddenly, here came the pain again...

      Once I arrived at the Emergency room and got hooked up and CAT scanned ... sure enough, there was that tiny white dot. Very obvious. It was a Stone! The doctor said that according to my scan, it had already passed into my bladder so he believed I was over the worst part. He sent me back home with a bill and a cup. Thanks, Doc.

      The amazing thing is that this little pebble had me praying for a quick death and I don't usually go there that quick (in fact, I don't think I've ever gone there). According to my emergency room physician, this thing is made up of the great tasting stuff in Tea, Sodas and Milk products and some meat proteins. I love those things. To make a long story even longer, I waited all day to pass this thing. Then, around 7pm, ... well... you know. 

      That was one mis-shapin' stone (pictured at very top)! No wonder it hurt like death. The moral to this story is ... watch your milk, meat and caffeine intake; it catches up to some people in the most painful way. I don't have an addictive personality when it comes to foods and drinks. Love Tea and Cheese but I can give them up just like that. I've also found that some people hate drinking water. I'm ok with it. 

I was pretty fortunate that the pain came and left so fast. I've heard others aren't as lucky. Gonna be water and vegetables for a while. At least until I get all brave and challenging again. Well, that was another page into my personal life. Hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to check out My "Tex-Bop Deluxe" CD. Now, if you don't mind, I have to put my stone on Ebay now. 

KARLOZ - The Videos

The Story Behind The Videos

       First off let me say that it is great to have everyone check out my YouTube videos. They are definitely NOT state of the art but they are a fun way for you to find out a little bit more about me and what goes on inside my head (incidentally, you'll find some quick exits in there in case it becomes too much for ya). The  earliest group of videos I have are from a TV show I did in Corpus Christi while promoting my "A Mover El Bote" CD. 

       We did the taping in a mall and, because I didn't have a band, the director was trying to come up with some clever idea on how to shoot this to keep the television audience interested. I told him that I could come down the escalator and by the end of the intro I could start singing down here by the drums which were there for another band. He liked the idea but I could still see in his eyes that he didn't think it was gonna work. I knew, however that when the music and video started and he saw me dance, he would change his mind. I knew my dancing was different from everyone else; mainly because I made most of it up as I went along. People seem to respond to it positively so I knew the director would also. He did. 

      I forgot I had an old VHS of these performances until a couple of years ago. I thought I would put them on this new YouTube site just for fun. 

       The next videos were from a public access show I had for about 15 years in San Antonio, Texas. The show wasn't at all about music when I first started it. It was about humor. I started with Greg Escamilla, a fellow musician I knew from my church days. Greg eventually bailed out and I had this time slot and no ideas what to do with it. That's about the same time I recorded my "Lounge Oddity" CD. It was a compilation of some of my favorite songs done up lounge. I got the idea from my favorite artist, Todd Rundgren and I ran with it. Don't know why it took me so long to combine my music with my public access show but, here we are. Later on, I started to get a bit more adventurous and brought in a live band. Charlie Bernal and the boys. We did some soul and stuff. It turned out great and people loved it.

       They stopped the public access channel around 08'. When I decided to get back into music again, I concentrated on the recordings and not so much on videos. Now it's become very fashionable and necessary to put your music videos on YouTube so you'll have a better chance of getting your music heard. Some of my videos have become a little generic (The song plays while showing a picture or compilation of pictures). 

       This is only because I want to get the song out there so people can hear it. To wait for me to make a video may take 2 weeks to a month. I don't want to make people wait that long to hear the song. I will, however be working on some homemade videos to go with my tunes. Warning: be ready for these cause I can be pretty odd when creating my art. You've been warned. Seriously, thanks for being a fan and I promise some unique stuff in the future.

Gabe Escobedo and the Dogs

Gabe Escobedo and his FREE Dogs!

                     Well, in my quest to meet as many candidates as possible, I took a Saturday and grabbed my disco machine and headed over to check out Gabe Escobedos meet and greet. I work with Gabe and he mentioned he was having this event and I said I would provide the jams. 

Eddie and Gabe

 

 Not to mention their were FREE hot dogs and plenty of 'em. That's what I call an event (and a party). Like I said, Gabe told me about this event ahead of time so I pitched it (advertised) on my FaceBook. Thought I could also use it to get some KARLOZ fans out there for an autograph or CD. To be honest, didn't expect too many to show just off my FaceBook mention. 

Robert Reyes and Me

However, and to my surprise my old school mate Robert Reyes showed up! I was shocked and Robert could see it. He came all the way from Austin and picked up a couple of KARLOZ Cds (for which I am grateful). Great seeing you, Robert and thanks.

My best friend Eddie also showed and did some hand shakin' of his own. The whole event was held at De La Cerda Insurance in San Antonio, Texas. The owner, Chris De La Cerda provided his place and the moon-jump which was a BIG hit with the kids.

Chris and his traffic stopping antics

 

San Antonio still has a close neighbor feel to it even though we have gotten pretty large over the years. These candidates also seem to possess that friendly feeling. 

 All in all it was a good time and there were even some rib-eyes smelling up the joint which, if you ask me is NOT a bad smell. I met allot of great and friendly people on a main street that I actually grew up on.

For those of you who live in San Antonio, There are 4 precincts and a Constable is elected to run each one. The term is 4 years, same as the other offices. The Constables departments 2 main duties are 1) Security for the J.P. court and 2) Serving civil process (Evictions, Law Suits, Etc)

   

It's a pretty big responsibility doing your duties, serving the public and, at the same time keeping them happy with your department.

 

 

 

KARLOZ at Palm Heights

Fiesta En La Calle at Palm Heights  

                         Sometimes there are last minute opportunities that come along and BAM! Suddenly the decision you make in the next second could bring you back home for TV time and pictionary OR put you on stage in front of 300 people, all dancing and singing along to your songs. I thought for a second a chose the latter. 

       My friend Danny Cassanova, formerly from Conjunto station KEDA in San Antonio called me and asked me if I wanted to go to Buc-ees with him for a chocolate pudding and a vanilla pudding for dessert. Then he asked if I was interested in singing at Palm Heights Center for David Medina Jrs First Annual "Fiesta En La Calle". 

He said he had a short slot open and I could use it to do a couple of songs. I said it would be a pleasure. Count me in and I'll be there as soon as I can get home from work, change and find my way there. The slot wasn't at any specific time but, having done these before I knew that the slot could come earlier than expected. I got there at 7:20pm and as I was walking towards the back of the stage, my mom (who was already there) called and said Danny was looking for me. I told her I'm walking up to Danny as we speak. After I hung up, I approached Danny from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. He said "Oh, great! You're here! Are you ready?". I handed him my band and said "As soon as you introduce me, I'll pop into action".

      I was introduced and jumped up on stage to a pretty good size crowd. I kicked into KARLOZ mode (which is a transformation I still don't quite understand) and let 'er rip! The night turned out to be really great. I did 2 of my more energetic songs off of "Tex-Bop Deluxe" and thanked Danny for inviting me. 

Started out with "How Can You Be So Mean" and went right into "Shake Rattle and Roll". The crowd responded very well. Sold some Cds and signed some pics. Left pretty soon after even though I wanted to hit that MoonWalk pretty bad. Thanks Danny for the last minute invite. Those are always filled with excitement.

LALO Gutierrez at Bobby J's

Bobby J's with Lalo

                                 Hello, KARLOZ fans! Here's another one of my posts to my blog thingee. Seems like you guys are reading them. Don't know if you're liking them but I'll keep going as long as you want. Just THROW MONEY! Lol. No, but seriously. Lemme have some short comments of what you like about them or what you don't like. I will be getting back into more music in the future, since I am still promoting "Tex-Bop Deluxe", one of the coolest CDs in the Verld!!

      So, Ive been finding some interest in this whole local election thing going on in San Antonio. Who's running for Sheriff and Constable and Mayor and so on and so forth. Reading about the candidates didn't seem like enough and even having someone else tell you about their candidate can be a bit one sided so I decided to go to some of their meetings and gatherings and such to see what each one is about. I'm already familiar with several of the candidates running for constable. I know I'm starting a little late but better late...

      Now I'm sitting here eating chocolate bunnies from Easter and typing stuff out; thinking about getting to meet one of the Constable candidates, Lalo Gutierrez (R) up close tonight. He's the one holding my "Tex-Bop Deluxe" pic above. 

      The only thing I knew about Lalo before this was that he went to high school with my mom and dad and he's a 33 year veteran of S.A.P.D.. 33 years, Wow! Oh! and that he drove a motorcycle, which I thought was cool. Lalo seemed very nice and very willing to let you know everything HE knows about the election and the office of Constable. 

       Learned allot tonight and had some great grub. The meeting was held at Bobby Js in Helotes which is some really nice hill country. Bobby J's has been in Helotes for as long as I can remember. I'll be visiting with Gabe Escobedo Saturday the 14th (as my FB poster exclaims). Bring an appetite to this one cause there's gonna be Free hot dogs and soft drinks. Hope to see you guys out there.

KARLOZ in StreetTalk Magazine

Street Talk article -"Go-Cart Carlos" and KXTN 107.5 FM

      It's the month of April and I just picked up a copy of Street Talk from Janies Record Shop. There is an article (pretty big one) about me and my time at KXTN and the record label deal that happened to me. Makes for some pretty good reading for those who remember the mid 90's and Tejano musics first swelling. I say first because, just like almost everything else, I believe It's coming back stronger than ever. Here's the article in it's entirety (maybe with extra pics) and thanks to Street Talk for their support.

Remember “Go-Cart Carlos”?...

    It was 1993 and Carlos Taboada had grown tired of doing small local acting jobs in TV commercials (manager for H.E.B.- parts salesman for NAPA auto parts - Lawnmower salesman for Tractor Supply Company). His best friend Eddie had been working with KXTN Tejano 107.5 as a helper to the transmitting engineer and asked Carlos if he needed some extra spending money. He said that KXTN was looking for someone to change reels on six automated reel to reel machines. KXTN had just acquired an FM station (Star 93, I believe) and were in the middle of building a studio for the jocks.
    For now, the music being heard on “La Romantica” was being played by 6 reel machines controlled by a computer that would start one song after another. Genius, but they still needed a human to change out reels once each reel ran out of audio tape. When Carlos heard the job went from 6am to 12pm, he almost didn’t take it. Early in the morning was not really his forte (being a musician), but at $10 an hour, it was something else he could do to pursue his musical endeavors. He took the job.
    Showing up that early in the morning, he made friends with several of KXTNs on-air personalities, including GQ, the morning jock at KXTN at that time. Almost into his third week, GQ left and Jonny Ramirez took over the morning mike.
    “I sat on a very comfortable chair and my reel to reel machines were just outside the KXTN control room. GQ would close his door during his whole morning show, but Jonny left it open, allowing me to see the man at work. It was very cool.” Carlos recollects.
    After several weeks there, Carlos, who’s shift was over at the same time Jonnys’ show was done, started going to breakfast with Jonny and some of the other employees.
    “I can be pretty funny if I have a receptive crowd, pretty funny.” said Carlos.
     The way it played out, Jonny noticed Carlos humor during all the lunches and kept it filed away mentally. Then one day Jonny approached Carlos and told him that he wanted to get him on as a side kick on the morning show doing traffic. Carlos immediately said NO!
    As Carlos recalled, “I had always wanted to do radio, but my nerves took over and my knee jerk answer was negative”. Then Jonny made Carlos an offer he couldn’t refuse. He told Carlos that if he didn’t do it, KXTN was going to let him go. Turns out “La Romantica” was going live within the next 2 weeks; the second studio was finished and Carlos’ reel changing service was not going to be needed anymore. “Well, since you put it that way, yes” Carlos said, ”I WILL go on the air”.
    The next 2 years were like a whirlwind. The combination of Jonny Ramirez in the morning and Go-Cart Carlos was a real success. Of course, there was also Speedy Petey and Alex Cruz doing news. The team was a real winner; so much so that KXTN took several “No 1 Morning show” awards from Arbitron. The team had a great thing going.
    “I wrote allot of the comedy bits and did some voices (Hung Solo, Mr Heimlich, Tyrone) and Jonny was just an all around funny guy as well. He allowed me to cultivate all my characters. He really mentored my talents.” said Carlos.

 The combination worked and worked well. KXTN had acquired so many listeners, that even other tejano stations around Texas were copying their top ten play list.
   
    Now, here’s where the problems started. Carlos, sticking to his original goal, recorded a version of Monsantos “A Mover El Bote”, a song he’d always liked since childhood. His plan was to record a whole album with the money he was now making, try to get on a label and eventually go into his music full time. He brought his “Bote” to Jonny for him to hear and almost immediately Jonny put it on the air.
    “From what I can remember, I didn’t really want Jonny to play it because I didn’t have a whole CD yet, but I guess Jonny wanted more fuel behind the morning show and what better way than to feature a song by Go-Cart Carlos, one of the morning team. Jonny was pretty smart that way. He was thinking about the big picture”.
    Once the cat (song) was out of the bag, Carlos had to scramble to get on with a label. The worse thing that could happen was that, if the song was a success, there would be no follow up song. The song itself was doing very well and was soon included on most playlist across Texas. So well, in fact, that some of the major labels were showing interest. Carlos received a letter of intent from Capital Records and Arista was also interested. 

    “I really wanted to be on Arista because so many of my favorite english artists were on Arista. Alan Parsons, Al Stewart. etc”.
    Arista, though interested in Carlos, was also interested in another act and they were taking their time choosing. Meanwhile, KXTN began to notice the popularity of “Bote” and how that popularity might be the reason they would lose Go-Cart Carlos to the Tejano band road circuit in the future. They stopped playing the song.
    Soon after, other stations followed suit. Things got pretty tense for Carlos around the station for a while. “I felt that they were trying to stop my dream from happening; trying to stop me from becoming known as a singing artist, and while that may be good business, there is still such a thing as RIGHT and WRONG. That just felt WRONG”.
    Even Jonny tried to keep Carlos song on the air, but the station had made up their mind. Meanwhile, a representative for Capital records found out that the reason Carlos had not signed with them yet was because he was waiting on Arista. Capital withdrew their contract. After this blow, Carlos had to put all his hope into Arista who was still trying to decide between him and another act. The final blow came in the form of a phone call. It was a rep for Arista. They said they were sorry but they decided to go with the other act, La Differencia. Carlos realized the whole thing was over.
    It was after this that things got so tension filled at the station that he and Jonny started arguing all the time. “Jonny and I usually got along well, but I couldn’t but feel  I had been abandoned by this radio station and it came out in an ugly way. Things had changed and I didn’t see the point anymore. I left KXTN shortly after that. They’ve since changed owners”. 

Ram Herrera, Bo and Go-Cart Carlos - Halloween on stage T-Town

    I asked Carlos about his current relationship with his old partner, Jonny Ramirez. “I see Jonny every once in a while. We get along great. I was younger then and, now, thinking back I realize he’s a very wise man. He took up for me allot, especially when one of our comedy bits went WAY over the edge and sponsors would get angry. Jonny had a great If it’s funny, we’re doing it atittude. I learned allot from him. It was fun working there.”
    It was years before Carlos visited the music thing again. By the time he came back, the major labels had taken all their tejano money and split. Starting a self made  label to get an artists or music out there had become the way to go. This was when Carlos started Sylvester Strange Records, an imprint label for his own music.
    His latest release is a collection of 50’s tunes rocked up to satisfy even the most modern tastes. “The thing I liked most about Arista Records is that they were going to use Michael and Ron Morales at Studio M to do their recordings. I said to heck with it! I’ll use Studio M myself. I’ve always liked their productions and the talent behind those Grammys doesn’t hurt either”.
    The result is 10 songs done to perfection with special guests such as Ram Herrera, Ernie Garibay, Rudy Tee, Joe Posada, Ronny T, Chente Barrera, Emilio and Diego Navaira, Henry Rivas and Hector Saldana to name a few. “I think I’m going to be known as the odd-ball of Tejano music only because I tend to flavor each Tejano CD project with whatever direction is calling me at that time. I may not appeal to the purists, but I have to do it the way it comes out of ME or what’s the point”. The new CD entitled “Tex-Bop Deluxe” contains such 50’s tunes as “Shake Rattle and Roll”, “Never Let Me Go”, “I Love You So” and “I Hear You Knocking” to name a few. “There’s some major label production experience behind these tunes and they definitely reflect it”. Facebook: Sylvester Strange (Karloz) - Email: Sylvesterstrange@hotmail.com

KARLOZ, Rudy T and Ronny Tee at Janies

CDs and Sandwiches at Janies Record Shop!

Rudy T, "Janie", KARLOZ and Ronny T

      I have to say that this was a GREAT time! When I showed up at around 11:30am, it didn't take me long to set up all my stuff and bring in the refreshments, sandwiches (which there were plenty of) and door prizes. There was definitely a vibe of excitement in the air. Becky greeted me and said she had a table all set up for me in the Classic Vinyl room. Sure enough, the table was set up and it looked great. People started showing up and poppin' up CDs and autographed pictures right away. 

Ronny and KARLOZ talking about the Robert Blake Murder Case

Open the doors and let the fans pour in!

Rudy T, KARLOZ and Ronny Tee pose for Time Magazine

      The only downer was that Ernie Garibay didn't show. That's cool. I've been doing this long enough to know that, when you're in this business, you know things happen and schedules change. There will be other get together s. What was really surprising (and I know I hyped it up but I wasn't really sure) were the door prizes. We also had quite a few people show from different publications around town, taking pictures and such.

Pictures with Fans and Friends

      So, back to the door prizes. My mom, bless her heart, put together 4 different Easter Basket type arrangements; some had Eggs and bunnys while others had Tequila and packs of dos equis with an assortment of limes and salts and such. These were some very nice arrangements and those whose names were picked were extremely excited. Special thanks going out to my cousins and friends who showed up and lent their support.

Ronny Tee, KARLOZ and my best friend, Eddie posing for "The Village Male Gazette'.

Door prize winner; basket of Tequila and Snacks

      Towards the end, I became sort of an auctioneer. I was able to MC and call out names of winners for the door prize and, of course, my comedy kicked in. It was an awesome time and, what's cool is that the 3 of us (Me, Ronny and Rudy T) talked about getting a show together featuring some oldies but goodies and an assortment of new releases. Thanks to Janies Record Shop for having me. Hope to see you guys at the next one. 

Winner of the Bunny and Dutch Chocolate Basket.

Buenos Nachos, Everyone and HAPPY EASTER!     

KARLOZ getting ready for Janies

The Day Before The Day Of...

KARLOZ air fights to get his fans the best of KARLOZ things

       It's Friday and I'm off from my regular gig because it's Good Friday. Hope everyone has a good ... FRIDAY. Seems that today is mostly being spent on getting ready for tomorrow. This does mean allot to me and to the other artists that will be there.  I don't think I'll ever see autographs sessions as a chore. They're a blast and, more importantly I would not be here without the fans. Well, I WOULD exist but my music would never see the light of day without those that like it and request it on radio. Thank you.

        

      Janie and Becky (and the whole family) have been very helpful and accommodating. Janies Record Shop has been around since way before even my Freddie Records days and I think they'll be around for a longer time still. 

Older vinyl copy 

      For those of you coming out tomorrow, there will be some finger foods and drinks. Also we'll be having everyone who's gonna stick around till the end (2pm) register for a chance to win some pretty cool door prizes. I mean, you don't have to fill out the ticket but the prizes ARE pretty nice. You can also bring out any older Vinyl records you may have from Rudy T, Ronny Tee or Ernie Garibay and have them autograph em'. 

      Once again, thanks to all who plan on making a showing tomorrow. It goes from 12pm til 2pm and Janies has plenty of great music you can browse through while you wait for names to be picked during give away time. Remember, you must be present and within ear shot to win. Good luck!

The Krayola on Tex-Bop

Hector Saldana from The Krayolas and KARLOZ

   The Krayola on "Tex-Bop Deluxe"

Here's a little stuffing about the "Tex-Bop Deluxe" CD and Hector Saldanas contribution. First off, YES, you should get it which you can do right now by going here. Enough with the hard sell; back to my story about Hector Saldana. I remember hearing of Hector and The Krayolas back when I was in Firefox (another local 80's band). I was in my early to mid 20's and was very in tune with other local bands around San Antonio, especially those who looked like they were about to break through to national success. 

   I was also into bands that combined music with some sort of concept. No idea why but they always grabbed my attention. The Krayolas were one of those bands. I wish I would have had more discipline back then. I would have put girls on the back-burner (well, close to the back-burner) and gone to check out more local bands. 

   Cut to years later or present day. YouTube is here and people are posting some old and recent videos up there. That's when I saw The Krayolas "Little Fox" video. We were actually in the middle of recording "Tex-Bop.." and I came in and asked Ron Morales (producer) if he knew who they were. He said he'd worked with Hector many times. I asked if he thought Hector would join me in a song. Ron asked Hector and he said yes. The rest is "Tex-Bop Deluxe" history.

When "Tex-Bop Deluxe" came out, I asked Hector if he would write a little something about it so that San Antonio would be aware that it existed. He said he would. By the way, If you ever get a chance to meet Hector, he's one of the nicest guys around and VERY hooked into the San Antonio music vibe. (Express-News Story)

KARLOZ and Autographs and such

Getting Ready For Janies Record Shop Autograph Day - April 7th, 2012

 

 

    It's getting exciting! Definitely looking forward to meeting up with Ronny Tee, Rudy T and Ernie Garibay at Janies this Saturday. I hope we have a good turn out. This will be counted as one of the many (at least 3) CD release parties for "Tex-Bop Deluxe". There WILL actually be finger sandwiches, drinks for like a buck and several cool door prizes. It will be worth dropping by, especially if you're an autograph hound. For those of you who need a little memory refresher, here's a bit on Rudy T.

Rudy and the Reno Bops

   Rudy's been doing his San Antonio Soul thing since 19 forget about it. He's a great singer but is also known for his smooth dance moves. His son, Ronny Tee will also be on hand. Here's another great talent. Lending his pipes to 2 tracks on my CD, Ronny made me work for my chow that day in the studio. Thanks again for the contributions Ronny and Rudy.

I wanna also welcome and say thanks to Ernie Garibay who did some awesome vocals on the last track on Tex-Bop, Walking The Dog. He's a very well known crooner all on his own, but the fact that he said yes to my request for his vocals made this project extra special.  

Looking forward to seeing everyone out there and remember, the next day is EASTER so don't stay out to late Saturday night.  

 

 Adios!

KARLOZ