Hacienda - Mercury Lounge - August 21, 2010
Hacienda—three Villanueva brothers (Rene, on bass and vocals, Abraham, on piano and vocals, and Jaime, on drums and vocals) and one Schwebel cousin (Dante, on guitar and vocals)—caught an early break when Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys got a hold of their six-song demo. One thing led to another and eventually the band finished an album at his studio and was opening for the likes of the Black Keys and Dr. Dog and gaining wider exposure. Last year, along with My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan, they backed Auerbach on his Keep It Hid tour.
This year, Hacienda released their second disc, Big Red & Barbacoa, and they played plenty of it on Saturday night at Mercury Lounge. With their four-part harmonies, early-Kinks intensity and surf-rock influences, the plaid-heavy San Antonio quartet played a sweaty, energetic 45-minute set of swaggering, hip-shaking rock and roll, punctuated by Schwebel’s vibrant guitar solos. Onstage, songs like “Shake Ya” and “Mama’s Cookin’” emerged more rollicking and raw than their studio versions. At one point Schwebel said, “Here’s a song for Saturday night.” And he was right. —R. Zizmor
(Hacienda opens for My Morning Jacket at Terminal 5 on October 19th.)
Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
