Sal Rodriguez of WAR: Untold Stories & Musical Journey

10;09;04;03 - 10;09;07;20
Primavera Song
This will come with Tranquila.

10;09;07;23 - 10;09;44;11
Unknown
He and love for all humanity put up to be my made up. And you make be my be it up.

10;09;44;14 - 10;09;54;18
Andy Vargas
So that was a song Primavera by Sal Rodriguez. And today is such a special day. So welcome to the A.v Lyric Lounge.

10;09;54;20 - 10;09;58;13
Sal Rodriguez
Thank you for having me. It's my pleasure. Liam. It's my pleasure.

10;09;58;15 - 10;10;10;25
Andy Vargas
This is an honor, to, to like to sit down and have, a coffee talk with you. You know. Yes. Yes. Salud. Salud. Salud. Brother. Oh, man.

10;10;10;28 - 10;10;15;19
Sal Rodriguez
Honor is mine. Believe me. Oh, well.

10;10;15;21 - 10;10;50;16
Andy Vargas
I've had the, the blessed honor to to know Sal Rodriguez. And to to collaborate musically with, with with, a legend and and I gotta, I gotta tell you guys, I honestly, I just I loved how he would always make me laugh every time I saw him. But Sal Rodriguez, the drummer of War. And and from what I found, it's that's just the beginning, you know, to who he is.

10;10;50;19 - 10;11;10;14
Andy Vargas
We have found to have so many similarities. Brotherhood. And just a lot of love for each other. And, you know, we have a lot of mutual friends. You know, Carl Grasso from Santana, percussion. It's just like every time Carl and I and Raul Rico, we'd be out like hanging out in the back, and then we bump into war, you know?

10;11;10;16 - 10;11;16;28
Andy Vargas
And we see Rene Camacho and Sal and we'd all hug and be like, oh, man, it's like a super family.

10;11;16;28 - 10;11;17;14
Sal Rodriguez
Brotherhood.

10;11;17;15 - 10;11;26;05
Andy Vargas
Man. Brotherhood. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to, you know, introduce and welcome, you know, one of my, my, my greatest friends. Thank you.

10;11;26;05 - 10;11;28;13
Sal Rodriguez
And thank you for having me.

10;11;28;14 - 10;11;29;22
Andy Vargas
Yes.

10;11;29;24 - 10;11;46;06
Sal Rodriguez
I'm honored that, you have me here, and you. He's he's he's. You think of me that way, you know, so I, I just just so grateful gratitude and just humbled to be here and the anywhere, you know, nowadays, you know.

10;11;46;13 - 10;12;07;04
Andy Vargas
Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Well, I mean, I want to just jump right in because, you know, time is of the essence and there's so much to talk about, but I, I want to know, apart from anything else in this world, I want to know just a little bit about, you know, like where you were born, where you came from, how you, you know, got into, you know, music.

10;12;07;04 - 10;12;15;00
Andy Vargas
Were you did you want to be a musician since a child? And were you playing instruments and banging on things and stuff and you know.

10;12;15;02 - 10;12;45;07
Sal Rodriguez
Well, the way, you know, first of all, where I was born, I was born in, in Tijuana, Mexico, you know, and, 1956. Wow. So do the math. But, we migrated over here, my my dad, my mom was from Durango, from Mexico, and my dad was from Harley school. But as they migrated up north, just like Carlos Santana family did, they were from outlying, right?

10;12;45;07 - 10;12;51;05
Sal Rodriguez
He they moved up north to Tijuana. Was happening spot back then, you know, and,

10;12;51;07 - 10;12;54;20
Andy Vargas
Happening like it was like, I can imagine it. Yeah.

10;12;54;22 - 10;13;04;06
Sal Rodriguez
That was the Vegas of Mexico was so happy. You know, you hear that the, the soldiers, I would call it the right the base there.

10;13;04;09 - 10;13;05;05
Andy Vargas
There was a base.

10;13;05;07 - 10;13;06;22
Sal Rodriguez
You know, in San Diego.

10;13;06;22 - 10;13;09;05
Andy Vargas
And so they would come down at Camp Pendleton.

10;13;09;05 - 10;13;37;25
Sal Rodriguez
I think it is. Right. But, you know, they were, you know, that was a happening spot. Music and whatever else shows were going on, you know, but, before my time. But, that's what that's what my parents migrated from, from there to Tijuana. And then when my, when I was two years old, my sister was three, my dad did all the right paperwork to get us over here to to move to, a town called Pacoima.

10;13;37;27 - 10;13;39;23
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, my. And,

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Andy Vargas
So he was from Tijuana. He did the paperwork with with the, you know, with the with the Costco.

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Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. That's right. You want the right. You know, he did the right thing, right?

10;13;49;05 - 10;13;53;09
Andy Vargas
And was it do you remember talking to him about the. Was it an easy flow?

10;13;53;09 - 10;13;58;09
Sal Rodriguez
Was it. No, because my dad passed away. Man, about five years ago.

10;13;58;09 - 10;13;59;09
Andy Vargas
So.

10;13;59;11 - 10;14;26;02
Sal Rodriguez
You know, and I got to really understand him when he, when he had, he had cancer and, he, I brought, you know, because father's from from that era and from from Mexico, they don't really express themselves. They hold a lot of stuff in. Yeah. You know, and I had no idea that what my dad went through, you know, my father went through, it was like, wow.

10;14;26;02 - 10;14;56;19
Sal Rodriguez
So it's like I told him much respect because, you know, my dad, my dad was illiterate, couldn't read, couldn't write. But he never got help from the government. He never food stamps, nothing. It was all hard work. Right? You want them having three houses, you know, he you know. So it's always by work, but. Right. I think that was work ethic too, that, you know, you you you attribute some of that stuff, you know, knowing how to when you're young, you're just like, okay, just do it yourself.

10;14;56;19 - 10;14;59;25
Sal Rodriguez
Go out there and start digging or whatever it is.

10;14;59;25 - 10;15;02;15
Andy Vargas
Right. Exactly. And they had the skills or the no skills.

10;15;02;15 - 10;15;03;00
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. To do.

10;15;03;00 - 10;15;03;08
Andy Vargas
It. Yeah.

10;15;03;08 - 10;15;10;28
Sal Rodriguez
So and I'm thinking like and how did he do that. You know, like how did he drive. How do you, you know exactly. Memorize a lot of things.

10;15;11;03 - 10;15;11;17
Andy Vargas
Yes.

10;15;11;17 - 10;15;27;00
Sal Rodriguez
So, you know, I pay a lot of respect to that. My dad and, and, my dad played who's self-taught musician. He was self-taught drummer. And he played a record upright back in there on the dollar losses.

10;15;27;02 - 10;15;29;09
Andy Vargas
Dollar losses on the lucky. That was right.

10;15;29;09 - 10;15;33;14
Sal Rodriguez
Bass, upright bass. That was a the the word for that is.

10;15;33;16 - 10;15;34;08
Andy Vargas
Yeah. Yes.

10;15;34;08 - 10;15;46;25
Sal Rodriguez
So they were with my Nino, my godfather. They would they had a band called Low Speakers and I was so I was so young, you know, eight, nine years old.

10;15;46;27 - 10;15;48;00
Andy Vargas
So you just grew up watching your dad?

10;15;48;04 - 10;16;06;29
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. There. And backyard parties and people dancing. I've gone and I'm studying these people. I'm going, like, what makes these people so happy? You know what? What what's going on here? Yeah, I watched my dad play drums, you know, on the people. And my. My dad was the life of the party. My dad, he was. His humor was.

10;16;06;29 - 10;16;08;10
Andy Vargas
So what was his name?

10;16;08;12 - 10;16;13;24
Sal Rodriguez
Daniel. Daniel. Yeah. And I think that's why I picked up some of my my humor from him.

10;16;13;27 - 10;16;14;09
Andy Vargas
Yeah.

10;16;14;09 - 10;16;39;12
Sal Rodriguez
You know, it's just a natural thing, you know? And, Man, my dad, I can remember him in the in in house parties. He'll be the center guy there making everybody laugh, telling jokes. And I think he had to use that humor to get accepted to that was just kind of like, what do you call it? That is, his crutch, you know, I mean, to, I don't know, just to be accepted.

10;16;39;15 - 10;16;48;16
Andy Vargas
Every time I see you come up and make people laugh. But I think, man, he's the coolest guy. I'd be like, you know, because I. And you always make me feel happy. So I get it.

10;16;48;16 - 10;17;07;18
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, yeah. And I think that's with me, too. I mean, you know, just, you know, I like being that way, you know? I mean, it just comes natural sometimes. My my wife just, like, can't you just be normal? I go, that's normal to me. That's normal. I go to the restaurant and I always know that the waiter is the waiter, something I always joke around and.

10;17;07;20 - 10;17;09;28
Andy Vargas
Yeah, well, yeah, but then our wife said, okay, you know.

10;17;10;00 - 10;17;28;22
Sal Rodriguez
You can you can calm down. I just be normal. It's like, oh, we're good on that. But we're coming back to the music with that. With my father managers, I remember seeing that man, I, I it sounds cool man I think I want to do that. Yeah. I mean so he had a drum set laying there, I mean in the living room in Pacoima.

10;17;28;25 - 10;17;29;02
Andy Vargas
Okay.

10;17;29;02 - 10;17;33;11
Sal Rodriguez
So you guys, you had a drum set already set up. And he, he came to.

10;17;33;13 - 10;17;37;19
Andy Vargas
Let's say, your dad, your dad worked out all the paperwork for your whole family.

10;17;37;22 - 10;17;42;09
Sal Rodriguez
No, he didn't work for, you know, he didn't work for our family. But as far as what? The music.

10;17;42;09 - 10;17;47;00
Andy Vargas
Yes. No. You know, like, getting you guys over. We were doing the paperwork to come over. You're like he.

10;17;47;02 - 10;18;06;25
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, yeah, he got that done. Oh, man. Before that, you know, so when I was already like, you know, 8 or 9 years old, you're already here for. Yeah. You know, we live at my grandfather's house at the time in a little trailer back then, you know, I can't remember that. But when they tell me that the trailer burned with all the photos and all that stuff.

10;18;06;25 - 10;18;17;09
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, man. But, this is some pretty interesting stuff, because I. I've never really talked about this part, you know? I mean, yeah, the whole region of the the beginning of.

10;18;17;10 - 10;18;17;24
Andy Vargas
Yes.

10;18;18;00 - 10;18;37;16
Sal Rodriguez
How I came over here, you know, from, from México. But, knowing that, knowing that with my father and all that stuff and my, my godfather and, and then he would say, okay, load up the drums in the car, you know, clean the drums up. So I get the tracks. Flores and, you know, the rag and stuff. Clean.

10;18;37;19 - 10;18;41;13
Sal Rodriguez
There was no drum cases, nothing. I respect you back because.

10;18;41;15 - 10;18;45;24
Andy Vargas
I know everyone. So, like, you know, like prima donna. Now, with all the cool bags.

10;18;45;24 - 10;19;15;29
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. Oh, man. And then, shit. Like, then I would go to these parties and I was like, wow, this is so cool. I, you know, I like to, think I want to do this, you know, my music. So, my, my, my uncle, his name is Kiko Sala, and he was from Tijuana, but actually he was a multitrack wanted musician, a trumpet play drums, bass guitar.

10;19;15;29 - 10;19;33;01
Sal Rodriguez
You know, it's amazing. He was like, eight years already, playing a boring plane, trumpet y. And, What? He told me that he had a group. He was in the group with Carlos. You called those strangers. And I seen some pictures.

10;19;33;07 - 10;19;34;06
Andy Vargas
About.

10;19;34;08 - 10;19;35;03
Sal Rodriguez
Santana. Really?

10;19;35;03 - 10;19;37;29
Andy Vargas
Yeah. No strangers, no strangers. Get out.

10;19;37;29 - 10;19;40;10
Sal Rodriguez
Of here. Yeah, well, I go.

10;19;40;12 - 10;19;41;25
Andy Vargas
Are you sure? Kiko? Okay.

10;19;41;25 - 10;19;49;05
Sal Rodriguez
Okay. Yeah. Oh, and, but, you know, sometimes you show old photos of of Carlos when he.

10;19;49;05 - 10;19;50;12
Andy Vargas
Yeah. And this was in Tijuana.

10;19;50;14 - 10;20;10;03
Sal Rodriguez
Tijuana? And it was young. And then I seen a go. That's my uncle right there. Oh, my God, I know that's true. Yeah, yeah. You know, but what happened with that? We got the little fire going to. It was like he was so talented. And he and the Jones were set up in the living room. That's what I used to sleep.

10;20;10;03 - 10;20;26;25
Sal Rodriguez
I used to sleep in a little because you had two bedroom house. I gave my sister the bedroom. The the room, and I. And I said, the little love couch, that's where I slept. Yeah, yeah, that was my bedroom. You know, the living room. Wow. But the drum set was set up there. So he came one day and, he just.

10;20;26;25 - 10;20;49;14
Sal Rodriguez
Man, he went on that snare drum. I know, like I want to do that. Yeah, that's what I want to do. Yeah, I so he would take me to he was, he would take me with him to the rehearsals where he was playing with local bands. He was already doing the shotgun and all those cool songs, you know, I mean, so he would take me to his rehearsals.

10;20;49;17 - 10;21;09;10
Sal Rodriguez
I was like, maybe 12 years old. I'll just tag along with him. And that's why I started getting the bug and and, of course, my dad bought me this from. Said I wanted a drum set so bad because we had a drum set that was like an old Ludwig. It was like just a two piece. It was like, probably from the 50s.

10;21;09;10 - 10;21;30;16
Sal Rodriguez
Right. And I wanted a nice. I wanted an upgraded one, you know, like, cool metal flake, you know what I mean? Yeah. So my dad went to castles, music. I was maybe about 14, 15 years old, went to castles music, bought me a Japanese drum cycle. It was a mercury. That was a brand. You know, the cymbals.

10;21;30;16 - 10;21;34;09
Sal Rodriguez
You hit the cymbals, they all band up. But,

10;21;34;12 - 10;21;36;27
Andy Vargas
And that's cool. Now, having bent cymbals, I thought.

10;21;36;29 - 10;21;54;11
Sal Rodriguez
Well, yeah, they got the trash. Is the sound effects cymbals. You know who would have known back then? Yeah. But, you know, that's how you know, I my dad was supportive of that. You know, the music never gave me. Why don't you get a real job? What? You, you know, like, you hear sometimes people. Right? Parents say that, you know, and then they do.

10;21;54;16 - 10;21;56;29
Sal Rodriguez
They discourage you from getting a real.

10;21;56;29 - 10;22;00;09
Andy Vargas
Yeah. Job a job. Yeah. So 9 to 5?

10;22;00;12 - 10;22;27;22
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. 9 to 5 job. So he was real supportive of that. And, he bought me that first drum set, the mercury drum set, and. But my dad was so strict, man, he he didn't really, you know, this is what I learned in his death, you know, before he died. I won't say deathbed, but a few months before he passed away, I took a, a a brother of mine from the church, you know, to go talk to him.

10;22;27;24 - 10;22;28;06
Andy Vargas
Yes.

10;22;28;06 - 10;22;52;06
Sal Rodriguez
You know, to kind of talk to him about the spiritual journey. Right? That comes after, you know. So my dad opened up and I said, wow, you know, I never heard this, you know, when he was born and he was, you know, his mother died when he that, you know, when he was born and then his father, my grandfather, you know, my grandmother, my grandmother raised his grandmother raised him.

10;22;52;06 - 10;23;12;00
Sal Rodriguez
Yes. So was raised in a farm, didn't go to school. That's why he didn't learn how to read and write. And, he was abused at the at the farm, you know, just. And I and I didn't hear this. I never heard this. Yeah. I go, no wonder my dad never told me he loved me. No wonder he didn't tell him the word.

10;23;12;00 - 10;23;29;12
Sal Rodriguez
I never got the hugs, accolades and stuff. Way to go. Sign. You know that stuff, you know? Yeah, but he always supplied he. That's the way he showed his love. That was about food, you know, roof your head, that's all. That's all I knew. That's so I you know he was drink. I had to be home at a certain time.

10;23;29;12 - 10;23;46;00
Sal Rodriguez
There's blah blah blah. If I got in trouble in school, I got a squat in school. This is. This is what is back in the schools, right? Yeah. And I come home, they make a phone call. Now my dad's waiting for me at the front door with the seats going like this. So I get I get a swat at the school.

10;23;46;00 - 10;23;47;00
Sal Rodriguez
And that guy who watch.

10;23;47;00 - 10;23;48;09
Andy Vargas
Out for the Cintron, you know.

10;23;48;09 - 10;24;01;22
Sal Rodriguez
Yes he did. Oh, but you know what I mean. To me, I never like, hate you for it, right? Just like I deserved it. Right? You know? Yes. But that's some of the things that, you know, that I hardly don't talk about. But, you know, just.

10;24;01;24 - 10;24;02;09
Andy Vargas
So.

10;24;02;11 - 10;24;02;18
Sal Rodriguez
That's.

10;24;02;25 - 10;24;28;17
Andy Vargas
I have a lot of interesting similarities. You know, my dad, his family, also, lived in Tijuana, but they were from, you know, from, you know, deeper in Mexico high school. And then they my uncle went and got some work in Tijuana, had a hotel and stuff. And so everyone, you know, kind of migrated to, to people and, but thinking about it for me, when I would go back to doing every Christmas, it was so cool, man.

10;24;28;20 - 10;24;43;09
Andy Vargas
Like, it was the coolest thing, as a matter of fact. So cool that when I went to, like, you know, college for the little time that I, I, you know, experimented with college, we, I take I'd want to go down there or even in high school, you know, it's come on, we're going to go. You want to it might, might, might.

10;24;43;14 - 10;24;46;23
Andy Vargas
My family lives. Let's go, you know, and hang out with them. And, you know, they always.

10;24;46;23 - 10;24;47;12
Sal Rodriguez
Feed you, right?

10;24;47;15 - 10;24;53;05
Andy Vargas
Oh, yeah. Man, you know, I'd call my deal, like, you know, if I was in a pinch down there and see, like, hey, do I need you? You know, in LA?

10;24;53;06 - 10;24;54;24
Primavera Song
Come on. Why didn't you.

10;24;54;24 - 10;24;57;04
Andy Vargas
Tell me you're here? Like, well, I, I'm here often.

10;24;57;08 - 10;25;11;17
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. We would visit like every other month. Right. Because my my wallet. I lived up there right by the channel. There's a, there's a TV station up on the hill. You see, when you come in in Tijuana, there's a there's a big antenna going up there. Yeah. She lives right by there.

10;25;11;18 - 10;25;12;24
Andy Vargas
Oh, no kidding.

10;25;12;26 - 10;25;18;12
Sal Rodriguez
And, we go visit her my as to have my other day I lived over there. Yeah.

10;25;18;14 - 10;25;19;17
Andy Vargas
Oh, it's so close to.

10;25;19;18 - 10;25;23;04
Sal Rodriguez
She became a doctor, you know. Yeah. And, but anyway.

10;25;23;10 - 10;25;25;16
Andy Vargas
Oh, you're Thea, and you can't be a doctor.

10;25;25;19 - 10;25;46;25
Sal Rodriguez
You want to? Yeah. But, and I remember being on the on the TV station, I was I was five years old, and I just, like, was a cowboy guy with wheel holsters, and I sang. So now I don't cuatro by lassos. I remember that. And then they were watching it back on TV. I was going like, I wasn't scared.

10;25;46;28 - 10;25;49;03
Sal Rodriguez
I just like, hey, this is.

10;25;49;03 - 10;26;13;10
Andy Vargas
Just you were always. And you had this in you. It was just it was in your destiny. It was in your DNA. To be a music creator, to be a performer. And and, you know, I mean, I, you know, we were I just overheard you sing a little bit about, you know, Little Joe and La familia. La, you know, later on some of the bands, you know, can you just share a little bit about some of the bands that you played with him?

10;26;13;13 - 10;26;36;01
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. So when you know, coming back with all that stuff for the dad, you know, get with the music and started. But my first actual break going through, because you paint all the local bands, right? When you're a kid, you started playing, you know, Jimi Hendrix, cream, and you're in a band with this, the junior high school kids.

10;26;36;03 - 10;26;36;17
Sal Rodriguez
So we learned.

10;26;36;17 - 10;26;36;26
Andy Vargas
All the good.

10;26;36;26 - 10;26;58;13
Sal Rodriguez
Music. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Santana. Of course, you know. But on my first album, the first album that I bought, you know, and also, all those groups had great groups. But that's how I started working with these, with these bands. And then all sudden I was working. I was still in and like in a ninth grade and okay, ninth grade and then like.

10;26;58;13 - 10;26;59;20
Andy Vargas
First year, high school.

10;26;59;23 - 10;27;31;29
Sal Rodriguez
First year of high school. But back then it was still middle school. And they call it junior high back then. But it was middle school, okay. And my godfather, he played guitar. So he would play in all these little bars in Pacoima. Yeah. And so I was allowed to play there because my dad was playing the band, but since they were construction and he got too much Ram because of the drinking, blah, blah, blah, and the weekends, and, you know, my mom put pressure on him to calm down, you know, I mean, so they say, hey, why don't why don't you play drums?

10;27;32;01 - 10;27;57;28
Sal Rodriguez
So I go, okay, I was making $5 an hour to me back then. That was that was a book of money. And it was, you know, in the late in the late 60s, like early, like 1970. Right. So that's why I started doing all these Baja stuff. And then I went to a local, music store called castles, and I said, hey, man, they're looking for a drummer at this place, Acapulco.

10;27;58;01 - 10;28;16;27
Sal Rodriguez
I go really looking for a drummer. Yeah. Okay. So I went down there and I saw that, and I introduced myself to these people. Right. And they were playing like Little Joe material. And I don't know who Little Joe was. Little Joe, if you don't know who he is, he's. He's like the Hano, Texas godfather. He's still he's still around.

10;28;16;27 - 10;28;18;28
Sal Rodriguez
He's like 84 years old now.

10;28;19;00 - 10;28;24;03
Andy Vargas
But I'm like like, what could be. Is he playing still? Like, is he playing out there?

10;28;24;03 - 10;28;33;11
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, he's still out there. Oh, yeah. He still sounds really good. And, Yeah. So he's got over like 100 albums. He. I don't know how many Grammies he's got out now.

10;28;33;11 - 10;28;45;07
Andy Vargas
By the way, everybody I know a little joint the familia like I know the music growing up in, you know, Northern California Bay area and stuff like all of like my, my, my fat, my grandfather's, you know, from Arizona. Oh, yeah.

10;28;45;08 - 10;28;56;03
Sal Rodriguez
It's, it's a different thing, too, man from the West Coast. The what do you call it? Norteno conjunto music from here, from Tejano music. It's different.

10;28;56;03 - 10;28;56;21
Andy Vargas
It's different.

10;28;56;21 - 10;28;58;15
Sal Rodriguez
It's a different culture, man. Yeah. You know.

10;28;58;15 - 10;29;01;04
Andy Vargas
Norteno music at the heart of music. Yeah, there's different.

10;29;01;04 - 10;29;18;17
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, yeah. So anyway, coming back to that, you say they need a, they need a drummer over there. So I go, oh I, so I went down there and I said, hey man I heard you guys need a drummer. Oh yeah. So you play. Yeah, I can play. I says, all right. So they let me play a song, they go, wow, okay.

10;29;18;23 - 10;29;32;17
Sal Rodriguez
And you know who was drumming at that time was John de Luna. John de Luna was the original John from El Chicano, and he was going to move. He didn't want to be in the band anymore. I go, That's John Luna. Oh my God. Wow. You know.

10;29;32;19 - 10;29;33;28
Andy Vargas
And

10;29;34;00 - 10;29;58;28
Sal Rodriguez
From Poco and Tacoma, who's playing this? And a little dive, please go Acapulco. Wow, I go aluminum. Wow. So, anyway, so I started playing with the band and the guys in the band, Gary, who were making all these guys were session top session players, right? They did movie scores for everybody, Alice and everybody. But there was a weekend thing.

10;29;59;01 - 10;30;08;17
Sal Rodriguez
Yes. We make 30 bucks a night. Right. And of course, they're just they're just to have fun. And just because there were read the charts and had charts and everything.

10;30;08;17 - 10;30;12;26
Andy Vargas
That's not too far from some of the pay at some spots now. Yeah.

10;30;12;29 - 10;30;16;22
Sal Rodriguez
Has it changed? Right. Changed what, 35 bucks now.

10;30;16;25 - 10;30;19;07
Andy Vargas
But yes. Yes. Amazing. Yes.

10;30;19;09 - 10;30;44;15
Sal Rodriguez
So then then he goes, hey man, little Johnny's a drummer. Sax features like a little Johnny's drummer. And yeah, I think I told him about you and he's going to come. He wants to come check you out. And I go, okay, I go, yeah, what's the idea of that? I keep coming, but he came. He came with his brother because he he he he came in the early 70s, like in 74 to California to try to break up.

10;30;44;19 - 10;30;51;24
Sal Rodriguez
They had no music. So he, he had two houses in Canoga Park, one for the band and one for his family.

10;30;51;27 - 10;30;52;11
Andy Vargas
Amazing.

10;30;52;16 - 10;31;12;15
Sal Rodriguez
So he came down to the club and you hear me play. And with the break he goes, hey man, I need a drummer. I want to play. Wow. I said, you mean in your bad? He goes, it goes, yeah, I like what you doing, man. And so I told the leader the band, he goes, go for it.

10;31;12;15 - 10;31;18;02
Sal Rodriguez
Because he was a big little Joe fan, you know, you don't see if it was me, I would go and I go, okay.

10;31;18;04 - 10;31;20;19
Andy Vargas
And how long do you play with them?

10;31;20;21 - 10;31;41;09
Sal Rodriguez
For about three years. So what happened with that? So after the two years, I mean, I play here like six months all up and down, you know, then we'll fly out to Chicago or somewhere or, you know, Kansas City or. But we'll play mostly up and down the coast, you know, with his band. But down on music in here.

10;31;41;11 - 10;31;58;18
Sal Rodriguez
So what happens? He packed up his stuff and went back to Texas. Okay, I thought nothing of it. I'm going like, okay, well, then that's over, right? I'm still working a little club gigs again. So I get a call from Joe. You know, we don't have cell phones. It's just a regular old school phones.

10;31;58;18 - 10;31;59;14
Andy Vargas
And the cable.

10;31;59;14 - 10;32;26;08
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, the cable. Yeah. And he goes, ace, out you go. Hey, man, I need a drummer. Like, oh, you do. So like when? Because was like, now. Because you want to come and I go, yeah, but how am I going to get there? Yeah, it goes, well, there's another Sal Aguilera. I played saxophone in San Diego. When we were up and down the course, we, you know, we became friends because it was.

10;32;26;10 - 10;32;48;18
Sal Rodriguez
Hey, how do you like that guy sax on sexy play? Flume. Congas. He's a good player, man. So he joined the band while we were here in California. But yeah. So when Little Joe went back to to temple, Texas, where he's from, and he said, how am I going to get there? I asked him, he goes, well, I really I sell like he let if he want, he's going to come.

10;32;48;18 - 10;32;54;10
Sal Rodriguez
He can come by and pick you up. He had a little darts. 1974 Dodge Dart guy.

10;32;54;13 - 10;32;55;04
Andy Vargas
Does your ride.

10;32;55;05 - 10;33;06;20
Sal Rodriguez
Pick up right. Yes I go yeah but where am I going to stay? You go, you can stay with me. I got a den. You guys can stay. There I go. Okay, so we drove all the way to Texas, 1974.

10;33;06;22 - 10;33;08;08
Andy Vargas
How long the drivers that.

10;33;08;11 - 10;33;14;03
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, God, that's that's 24 hours nonstop. So it took us a couple of days.

10;33;14;09 - 10;33;15;16
Andy Vargas
Yeah. The two day drive. Yeah.

10;33;15;16 - 10;33;17;17
Sal Rodriguez
Today. Right. But, you know, fun stuff.

10;33;17;17 - 10;33;17;22
Andy Vargas
Right.

10;33;17;29 - 10;33;21;21
Sal Rodriguez
Fun stuff back then then. Well, you know, you're young and, you know.

10;33;21;24 - 10;33;23;29
Andy Vargas
And, let me see, what year was that?

10;33;24;01 - 10;33;24;22
Sal Rodriguez
74.

10;33;24;22 - 10;33;27;22
Andy Vargas
So were you listening to eight tracks or cassettes?

10;33;27;24 - 10;33;29;17
Sal Rodriguez
No, there was cassettes. Barely came.

10;33;29;21 - 10;33;32;16
Andy Vargas
They came out okay. But you remember the big the big eight track?

10;33;32;17 - 10;33;37;29
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, yeah. Was right. Yeah, yeah, the cassettes were. And then the little portable cassettes came out to, you know.

10;33;37;29 - 10;33;39;05
Andy Vargas
Oh, yeah. So you could just have a little.

10;33;39;05 - 10;33;43;07
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, a little. You had it all with a battery operated, you know, you have to find batteries, right?

10;33;43;07 - 10;33;44;29
Andy Vargas
I still love cassette sound. Just sidebar.

10;33;45;06 - 10;34;05;20
Sal Rodriguez
Oh yeah. Yeah. But anyway that's all we, we drove way out there. And so to me it was like a culture shock you know because it, it, it was different and there was so much great musicians after two young guys to you know let's go mad is the grooves of feel. Everything's just different. I love their arrangements.

10;34;05;20 - 10;34;27;27
Sal Rodriguez
It they were like really orchestrated, right. You know, and Joe Mann, Little Joe took it to another level because he was a first, like, hippie Tejano guy, you know, with the long hair, the boots and all that stuff. And I go, man, you know, crazy. So he was a pioneer for that, breaking out, doing Little Joe. Him his style.

10;34;27;28 - 10;34;59;04
Sal Rodriguez
Yes. Because he would do a lot of Jose Alfredo. He met his songs and compose them. And he had great, great writers, you know, Joe Gallardo, Luis Garcia was in the band and, you know, but he had some incredible arrangements, man. But that's that's how I got my my experience in the music. We did the first super dance show, and and San Antonio was a sun in the sun liners, Jimmy Edwards, Ruben Ramos.

10;34;59;07 - 10;35;10;17
Sal Rodriguez
And it was big convention center the first time. And that's the first time Little Joe and Sonny Osuna played on the same stage. But there was a big rivals. But they were good, right?

10;35;10;17 - 10;35;11;09
Andy Vargas
Rival bands.

10;35;11;09 - 10;35;16;25
Sal Rodriguez
But yeah, because Joe put an album there was nobody bigger than those two guys. Okay, Little Joe and Sonny Osuna.

10;35;16;25 - 10;35;18;06
Andy Vargas
Yeah, because. Because they're the.

10;35;18;06 - 10;35;26;13
Sal Rodriguez
Big. Yeah. They were the pioneer Tejanos with the, you know, putting out records. Boom, boom. One after almost every year. Yeah, right. We talk about content.

10;35;26;13 - 10;35;27;08
Andy Vargas
Yeah.

10;35;27;10 - 10;35;40;21
Sal Rodriguez
But and that was a great experience to go. And then I see them dancing counterclockwise like there's a whole bunch of the channels just like this. You know I got like and you can't switch standing around. You know, they go, man.

10;35;40;21 - 10;35;42;09
Andy Vargas
I hope I can show some footage of that stuff.

10;35;42;09 - 10;35;48;14
Sal Rodriguez
I go, man, they're organized, man. Over there, over here, man, with the naked tables over, you know?

10;35;48;16 - 10;35;51;21
Andy Vargas
Right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly, exactly. It was.

10;35;51;21 - 10;36;05;12
Sal Rodriguez
Different. But at the at then the radio stations were bilingual already. Yeah, yeah. What else am I putting at that tonight. It's going to be Little dog and I'll be there. You're not going to like so much bilingual. So major I never heard that.

10;36;05;17 - 10;36;07;21
Andy Vargas
Everyone needs to hear and know about this now.

10;36;07;22 - 10;36;10;05
Sal Rodriguez
And it's still that way right now. Yes, it's still that way.

10;36;10;06 - 10;36;10;25
Andy Vargas
Yes.

10;36;10;25 - 10;36;29;12
Sal Rodriguez
But, but that was my great experience with Joe, man. So we've always kept in touch, you know, and I toured all over Texas and all over the place with Joe. It was natural. It was great, man. It was such a great experience. And he took me under his wing. Today, he's still like my Texas godfather, you know.

10;36;29;16 - 10;36;48;02
Andy Vargas
Yeah, yeah. So there's, there's, you know, I there's a new surge of the kind of music actually coming out and people trying to bring and you know, that back. And so the people that I've talked to here, you know, Daryl Saucedo, you know, you get to know him, you know, he has a Tejano label over there as well in San Antonio.

10;36;48;05 - 10;36;50;05
Andy Vargas
So there's some synergy there that we could talk about it later.

10;36;50;05 - 10;37;07;17
Sal Rodriguez
But, yeah, there's yeah, there's some great, great musicians, man. You know, and, so that they know that we'll see. Man I just and he back then they were allowed to bring alcohol in the, in the dances. Yeah. It was they had their own little bars.

10;37;07;17 - 10;37;09;18
Andy Vargas
And you bring your faces, bring your own beer.

10;37;09;21 - 10;37;11;06
Sal Rodriguez
You won't be what BYOB bring.

10;37;11;07 - 10;37;12;20
Andy Vargas
Oh, no kidding. Yeah, yeah.

10;37;12;20 - 10;37;13;04
Sal Rodriguez
So I was.

10;37;13;06 - 10;37;18;17
Andy Vargas
Like, what? By the time I saw the promoters really didn't get the. They figured they were making all that money on.

10;37;18;20 - 10;37;20;09
Sal Rodriguez
So I don't know how they made it, you know.

10;37;20;09 - 10;37;22;09
Andy Vargas
So big ticket sales. Did you have to buy tickets to.

10;37;22;09 - 10;37;23;15
Sal Rodriguez
Get the ticket.

10;37;23;15 - 10;37;39;12
Andy Vargas
Sales? You're making it there. Yeah. But they probably, you know, at the time probably saw that to be, you know, good. Because now, I mean, how much is parking's. More than, you know, than movie tickets, house payment. Yeah. I mean like, seriously. Yeah. So, you know.

10;37;39;14 - 10;37;43;24
Sal Rodriguez
Just like that 50 bucks, you know? Seriously. Yeah. 150.

10;37;43;24 - 10;37;45;21
Andy Vargas
Bucks for parking some 200 bucks. You know, it's like.

10;37;45;22 - 10;37;48;28
Sal Rodriguez
$100 and, yeah, it's out of control.

10;37;49;00 - 10;37;55;13
Andy Vargas
Yeah. So, like, fast forward, you know, little join the familia and, and.

10;37;55;16 - 10;38;20;04
Sal Rodriguez
I did a couple albums with him too. Oh. You know. Yeah. Brown stuff. And, he came up with a song called Dragging Me Quarantine Cinco. Right? Which he says, you know, I have my 45. Anybody mess with me, blah, blah, blah. And he said this one obscenity word. He said, but that that can be gone. But I thought it was, I can't say the word, but he was banned from the radio.

10;38;20;06 - 10;38;41;11
Sal Rodriguez
The first guy that I know that was banned. Banned now for playing that song. You can't play that song. But it wasn't like a real nasty cuss word. It was just a slang word. Right? I could say that Coronas right, right. Para todos Los Coronas. And then they're like, you know, you can't say that now. So he went back and he had to change the lyrics on that.

10;38;41;14 - 10;38;42;28
Sal Rodriguez
The song was controversial.

10;38;43;01 - 10;38;44;24
Andy Vargas
Was a song banned or was he.

10;38;44;24 - 10;38;49;01
Sal Rodriguez
No. The song, the song was the song because the was just like, how do you ban James Brown?

10;38;49;06 - 10;38;51;26
Andy Vargas
Yeah, right. Or you know, the songs.

10;38;51;28 - 10;39;16;26
Sal Rodriguez
You know, but but that was great and a learning experience and, and that's when I first met, Victor Pantera. He was on the record with Victor Carmelo Garcia. Incredible thing. Bolero. He played on Stevie Wonder stuff. Another star of the thing did. That's Carmelo. And, these guys are walking up. I don't know who they are, the hippie guys.

10;39;16;26 - 10;39;18;22
Sal Rodriguez
And I'm going, like, who these guys.

10;39;18;24 - 10;39;19;17
Andy Vargas
History.

10;39;19;19 - 10;39;46;07
Sal Rodriguez
Hits on, like, wow, I didn't know these guys right? I'm I'm like 18 years old doing my first recording with George. I'm going like, yeah, these guys, man, they're both gone, you know? But but that's, that's was my record with Joe. And then I did manana. There's another album. I then I put one song on the, one song I just called as LA was their salon A Little Joe.

10;39;46;09 - 10;39;47;22
Sal Rodriguez
But, you know, they're I.

10;39;47;25 - 10;39;48;21
Andy Vargas
Listen to some of these songs.

10;39;48;21 - 10;40;07;03
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, they're, they're, they're remaking them now on CD's and stuff like that, you know. Okay. He's some of these records, but there's just the musicianship quality and those the for that kind of style of music. Yeah. It wasn't it just your typical like like a blues for one 4 or 5. You know you playing blues stuff or it's good stuff.

10;40;07;03 - 10;40;12;16
Sal Rodriguez
But it was really great arranging. You know it's like wow, it's just different.

10;40;12;19 - 10;40;15;24
Andy Vargas
So how did you land the gig with War?

10;40;15;27 - 10;40;28;28
Sal Rodriguez
With War is, I was working with the era at the time, with the legendary group The ERA. I joined that group and, and 85.

10;40;29;01 - 10;40;31;19
Andy Vargas
So what was Billy Mondragon in there at the time?

10;40;31;19 - 10;40;53;19
Sal Rodriguez
No, that's way before. Oh, yeah. Okay. I took, film, a displaced film idea was the guy that was on all the records, right? I started subbing out in 1982. Okay? Because Phil, you know, so he could make some of the gigs. And then I met Rudy, and, you know, when I. When I saw Phil, I said, hey, man, give me to the side.

10;40;53;19 - 10;41;05;10
Sal Rodriguez
But, you know, just let me know. Call me. He goes and he and he call me one day. Call me out of the blue. So, hey, man, can make this gig. You want to want to do it? And I said, yeah, for sure.

10;41;05;11 - 10;41;07;08
Andy Vargas
The leaders, the leaders of the.

10;41;07;11 - 10;41;27;09
Sal Rodriguez
But it was Phil Medina was the original drummer. Right. Like that's on together and I called the Carnegie Hall line up. Right. So when, when when you call me up Rudy and Steve and we're in the band, all the guys under Baez, everybody that was on together in Carnegie Hall and that's the lineup was still there.

10;41;27;14 - 10;41;27;27
Andy Vargas

10;41;27;29 - 10;41;49;24
Sal Rodriguez
So I started subbing out for Phil and then like, was in 82 and then and then I went, I did this gig with I was in Jose Feliciano band for a minute. Right. Wow. Yeah. So I was touring with him. No. And so that ended he, he moved out of town something, you know, I don't know what happened, but.

10;41;49;27 - 10;42;12;02
Sal Rodriguez
So I get a call from Rudy Salas. Yes. That that was affiliate Siano. Okay. Feliciano gig disbanded. I'm like, okay, now what? You know, so. And then I get a call from Rudy. I go, hey, man. I need a drummer because you want to. You want to play in the band? I go, yeah, of course.

10;42;12;05 - 10;42;14;10
Andy Vargas
So how long do you play with him?

10;42;14;12 - 10;42;32;17
Sal Rodriguez
For five years. Five years? Yeah. And, but when I went to the first rehearsal, you know, everybody was there. Of course, Bobby Navarette, there. Bobby. Bobby Loy. Joey, do you get on keyboards?

10;42;32;19 - 10;42;33;12
Andy Vargas
These are all Steve.

10;42;33;13 - 10;42;33;26
Sal Rodriguez
Silas.

10;42;34;02 - 10;42;35;06
Andy Vargas
Names. Steve.

10;42;35;06 - 10;42;41;17
Sal Rodriguez
Steve, Silas. He's the one that sang together. And Rudy, of course, the founding members was Rudy Salas and Steve.

10;42;41;17 - 10;42;43;17
Andy Vargas
So I try to sing this song, but not like him.

10;42;43;18 - 10;43;01;19
Sal Rodriguez
And the brothers. Yeah. I mean, his voice was, ish, but those guys, the way they harmonize, right? There was nobody better than them in East L.A. for harmonies. Those guys. Right. Beautiful tone. And Steve had this just the the voices were different. That's what was a good blend. Yeah.

10;43;01;19 - 10;43;10;11
Andy Vargas
I love his tone. Yeah, I love Steve's tone. Yeah. It's different. Like, you know, and even just trying to go in and sing the song, I realized there's no way I'm going to match that, just.

10;43;10;13 - 10;43;14;03
Sal Rodriguez
Especially at the end when do this together at the end, he's like.

10;43;14;05 - 10;43;15;00
Primavera Song
Oh yeah.

10;43;15;02 - 10;43;16;05
Sal Rodriguez
You know, it's like wow.

10;43;16;05 - 10;43;18;26
Andy Vargas
It's like yeah, it's it's it's his signature.

10;43;19;02 - 10;43;41;11
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. It's just that people to Stephan. Yes definitely. But that's why I got the gig. But with the era so and then that hat that, that went on for five years and then with war we would do shows with war, El Chicano, Milo and all these bands. Right. Anyway, that's what I first saw. That's when I first saw Sheila E.

10;43;41;12 - 10;43;43;12
Sal Rodriguez
She was 18 years old.

10;43;43;14 - 10;43;43;24
Andy Vargas
Yeah.

10;43;43;26 - 10;43;45;25
Sal Rodriguez
I was with Little Joe somewhere back.

10;43;45;27 - 10;43;52;06
Andy Vargas
And that's Sheila is, family, and Pete Escovedo, her dad's band. Yeah. Okay.

10;43;52;07 - 10;44;16;23
Sal Rodriguez
And caucus, where they started the business with her uncle. But with when I was with, with theater, we do all these shows with, with, war and all these groups. Right. Milo and all the bands and so Papa d the original Cordero from, from War passed away. He had an aneurysm onstage back in 1980, 88.

10;44;16;29 - 10;44;48;14
Sal Rodriguez
And around there. Wow. And we were good friends because we did shows together. Papa D would sometimes sit right there and watch me play. Watch? You know, romance is Papa d, right? He goes, yeah. Lonnie goes, man, he just loved the way you played, man. I go, okay, great. So that's that's nice. He passed away and then, a couple of years went by and I was looking at this place, this magazine, forgot the Ali weekly.

10;44;48;17 - 10;45;10;23
Sal Rodriguez
You know, it shows, you know, advertisements and where the bands are playing and all that stuff. And, I saw War was playing at, in Redondo Beach, and, man, I just had the name of that. That place in my in my brain right now. It'll come back. But anyway, they were playing there and I go, man, I'm off this weekend.

10;45;10;25 - 10;45;30;22
Sal Rodriguez
I'm going to solicit myself. So what I did is I called the drummer up at that time was Ron Herman, and I said, hey, Ron, man, I'm, I'm off this weekend. I know you guys are playing at the, at that place in Redondo Beach. He goes, I just come, I bring my percussion. I don't I'm not asking to get paid.

10;45;30;22 - 10;45;54;03
Sal Rodriguez
I just want to come play. I'm off. He goes, let me call you right back. Couple five minutes later, he calls me. He goes, yeah, they say, come bring your stuff. So. So I went down there, set up and and then, they like what they heard because I, you know, I started singing, you know, and I could I knew the music playing congas and violins and all that stuff.

10;45;54;05 - 10;46;12;06
Sal Rodriguez
So a couple of days later, they call me up saying, we're going to Reno. You, you want to join us for a week? I say, yeah, of course. You know. So that's why I started working with them. And I was still with Tierra at the time, but then they never said, hey, you're in the band. They just say, hey, are you available?

10;46;12;07 - 10;46;14;18
Andy Vargas
Right? Are you available? Right? Are you available right.

10;46;14;19 - 10;46;36;15
Sal Rodriguez
So I go, man, these guys are saying, are you available too much? Too often, you know, I mean, am I in the band or what? You know, so, so finally they just said, yeah, you know, you know, you want to join the band. This is why. Yeah, I've got to tell. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So I always bow out gracefully, you know, was really were never had any problems.

10;46;36;18 - 10;46;58;21
Sal Rodriguez
Never. You know, you don't know who Rudy Salas is, who's a founding member. Him and Steve. But I was respected. The fact that he was a band leader and, you know how I kept this thing going. Yeah, but let's just. So let's let's let's their solos, man. And, so, you know, I'll abide about about, gracefully with the band, so.

10;46;58;24 - 10;47;15;18
Sal Rodriguez
And then they would call me periodically to come up with the drummer can't make it or the percussionist guy can't make it. So I always got the call back because I knew all the music. I know how to sing, the backgrounds and all that stuff. Right? The harmonies, because I was singing harmonies with them too. So that's how I got to the gig with War.

10;47;15;18 - 10;47;42;13
Sal Rodriguez
So that was this year's going to be 35 years ago. It's amazing how where did the time go? You know, I know, and but with that, you know, I work with a lot of groups too, you know, opening up, of course, one of my mentors is Carlos Santana. You know what? You have? It's an amazing career that you had to that you have right now to manage such an honor.

10;47;42;13 - 10;47;42;22
Sal Rodriguez
Man.

10;47;42;22 - 10;47;55;24
Andy Vargas
And she's I mean, we're blessed both to be in in bands that have had such a history before, so many songs. I mean, I'm still learning songs that, you know, that Carlos, you know, did that.

10;47;56;00 - 10;47;59;14
Sal Rodriguez
In his category as just like, like unbelievable.

10;47;59;14 - 10;48;09;06
Andy Vargas
Amazing. And, and, you know, and and vice versa. When I listen to wars, I mean, I mean, you got the band was so innovative. Yeah. I mean.

10;48;09;08 - 10;48;14;15
Sal Rodriguez
That's what it was back then, you know, it's like they didn't have arrangements. They'd have charts in. And there was self-taught musicians.

10;48;14;15 - 10;48;15;04
Andy Vargas
Right.

10;48;15;06 - 10;48;33;11
Sal Rodriguez
You know, so they went in the studio. There was all jam sessions, a smoke, a little bit of this stupid little wine, this song. That's right. That's how the spirit of Y got got created. Because, Lonnie, you say spill some wine on the console. And Eric Burdon was in the band back then, had when everybody, you know, the animals broke up, he wanted a soul band.

10;48;33;11 - 10;48;35;17
Sal Rodriguez
So he came to Los Angeles for a band.

10;48;35;17 - 10;48;36;25
Andy Vargas
Spill the Wine cassette.

10;48;36;28 - 10;48;48;19
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. And then so Eric Burdon, you know, he was the lead singer for The Animals, if you know who he is. And he's still around. Yeah, he's in his 80s. You still out there?

10;48;48;25 - 10;48;50;08
Andy Vargas
What an amazing group. Yeah.

10;48;50;11 - 10;48;52;25
Sal Rodriguez
What a what a he was part of the British Invasion.

10;48;53;02 - 10;48;54;10
Andy Vargas
Oh, my. Yeah, yeah.

10;48;54;12 - 10;49;19;09
Sal Rodriguez
And, but he was like, he would make up stuff on the spot. So a lot of stuff was spontaneous, like rap, like one of those rap records that there wasn't even call rap. Yeah. Back then, you know. But that's how I got got with war. Then. Then I started subbing out to doing other projects too. You know, I got to work with, the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

10;49;19;11 - 10;49;40;01
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. Back in same time with With War. I'm like, okay, I've got I'm open over here. It was fly me out to New York. I go out of all the guys I was, I was playing percussion with them because they had that caravanserai. They got stuff like that. But you know, know that they let me do a solo and stuff like that and got to play Carnegie Hall with them.

10;49;40;01 - 10;49;54;11
Sal Rodriguez
To me, it was like in the early 90s going like Carnegie Hall. Wow. It's pretty cool, you know? And I'm sure the places you play that's staggering, you know, I mean, it's not even no comparison. But to me that was a big deal. Yeah. I mean.

10;49;54;18 - 10;50;29;11
Andy Vargas
It's I mean, it's a huge deal sometimes when, when we be in those places, I wouldn't even think twice. It would just be like I'd be thinking about the music and be like, oh, man, this is, you know, I think I, I was just a little young to to really absorb the density of what was really happening and stuff like when I look back at it now or, you know, talk, you know, to you, you know, those precious moments, were really so educational, you know, like, your story is super educational for the youth now out there that are looking to, you know, how do I get out there?

10;50;29;13 - 10;50;50;27
Andy Vargas
Well, really, it's listening to stories like sells, you know, in and just saying, hey, you know, seeing who's out there, going out, being present, making a phone call, saying, hey, let me come. Can I, can I just come jam with you? You know, it's like getting out there. Yeah. And, you did. And that opened up doors that led to other doors that led to other doors.

10;50;50;27 - 10;50;59;18
Andy Vargas
And I think I think these days everyone's just. So, if I may, that so impatient, you know, like, I want, like, you know, because.

10;50;59;18 - 10;51;02;27
Sal Rodriguez
Everything is fast nowadays. Because, you know, because of this, right?

10;51;02;27 - 10;51;06;07
Andy Vargas
You know, they have they don't have patience, you know, on YouTube.

10;51;06;11 - 10;51;06;20
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah.

10;51;06;20 - 10;51;07;15
Andy Vargas
Just, you know.

10;51;07;22 - 10;51;10;02
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, it's it's not like was back then, but.

10;51;10;02 - 10;51;34;27
Andy Vargas
Listening to your story. So it, it really is, is, is comforting and it's really extremely educational. And it's so interesting because it's how everything developed. And to me, if you want to learn how to you know, to get into the music business yourself or be a performer musician, you know, just like actors have their story, you know, you you got to know the history.

10;51;34;29 - 10;51;41;13
Andy Vargas
Yeah. Right. And you've played with so many legends, bro. Like, so many lessons.

10;51;41;13 - 10;52;07;17
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. Well, you know, I and it's funny, it's I don't know if it's a funny, but, you know, working with some of these guys and, and being in New York to me 34 years ago, you know, I mean, that's a big deal for me, you know? Yeah. And, because kid out of Tijuana, Pacoima, starts traveling his plane these days is Connie Hahn or Albert Hall and all these places.

10;52;07;17 - 10;52;21;28
Sal Rodriguez
I'm going like, yeah. Wow. I never thought in my wildest dreams I'd be playing in these places, you know? No big deal for you guys have been doing it for decades. They go every year. But for me, it's like, wow, what an opportunity, you know?

10;52;22;02 - 10;52;45;08
Andy Vargas
And it comes with the price sometimes, right. Like getting, you know, into that, you know, the trials and tribulations that, you know, you experience from being, you know, a musician in that exposed, you know, exposed, you know, and in like, you know, like you were talking about the jam sessions and stuff, you know, the closed doors studio sessions where everyone's having a good time, you know, and sometimes too much of a good time.

10;52;45;08 - 10;52;57;04
Andy Vargas
Right. And, you know, and, you know, very candid, you know, about, about our, you know, lives of now, you know, boy, did did we rock and roll then.

10;52;57;06 - 10;53;11;15
Sal Rodriguez
And you start or you start young because you see, you know, I think if I know where you're going that. Yeah. But, you know, when, when you're young, you see, you rock and roll idols doing that, doing stuff, you know, I mean, it's like, well, that's part of rock and roll, right? Sex, drugs and rock and roll.

10;53;11;17 - 10;53;12;12
Andy Vargas
Yeah, exactly.

10;53;12;12 - 10;53;13;28
Sal Rodriguez
The trinity of rock and roll.

10;53;13;28 - 10;53;15;10
Andy Vargas
And everyone thinks that now.

10;53;15;10 - 10;53;38;28
Sal Rodriguez
And that's just that's normal, you know? So you back then you think about it. Okay. I think there as well. Right? Yeah. I couldn't afford cocaine because it was too expensive. Yeah. I'm glad I didn't afford to back then. Yeah, but, you know, but coming back to all that stuff to, you know, working with these grooves, man, you know, I did get to work with with, Chuck Negron, two from Three Dog Night.

10;53;39;01 - 10;54;05;07
Sal Rodriguez
I was in his band, really? And we did. All because when I would do his his gig, I said, man, they have like 30 hits, right? Like one one after another. And I was part of playing percussion and singing one of the parts. Wow. So I got the gig. They needed a singer and, but they can play little percussion because Chuck Near Gone was doing some of his original stuff too that has the percussion.

10;54;05;09 - 10;54;22;15
Sal Rodriguez
But to me it was like, man, I get to work with three Dog and I was one of my groups to growing up, you know, Eli's comin and all that stuff and celebrate. One is the Loneliest Number stuff he heard on the radio, man. I go like, now I'm friends with this guy, and now I'm in his band.

10;54;22;17 - 10;54;44;07
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, how cool is that? But, you know, so working with these groups and, you know, just playing in these places, man, sometimes it's just it's just not normal. It's just a way of life and and take it for granted. Sometimes, you know that, you know, it could be gone tomorrow. You know, we could be gone tomorrow.

10;54;44;08 - 10;54;45;27
Andy Vargas
It just a snap of a finger.

10;54;45;29 - 10;54;57;09
Sal Rodriguez
You know, as we talk about that, you know, I think we talk, you know, we talk one time when I met you, we're doing this video for Snoop Dogg and blah, blah, blah, and.

10;54;57;11 - 10;54;57;22
Andy Vargas
Yeah.

10;54;57;23 - 10;54;58;08
Sal Rodriguez
Burbank.

10;54;58;08 - 10;54;59;21
Andy Vargas
Right, right, right.

10;54;59;23 - 10;55;19;20
Sal Rodriguez
And that's what I you were back to the part of the video too. We're in the back room and, one of the the, the rooms back there, you know, so green rooms and so we just start talking and I'm pretty candid about my, my recovery, you know, I mean, yeah. So now we just start talking again.

10;55;19;20 - 10;55;44;29
Sal Rodriguez
You like, yeah. This is what I do. We go. Yeah. You do. This is what you know, you do too. And I go, really? So that's how it opens up. And then I think that's where that that other special bond came out with the Brotherhood, knowing that there's a special walk, a journey that that we walk, you know, I mean, and, and it's not, not for everybody.

10;55;45;02 - 10;56;04;16
Sal Rodriguez
But I love my journey now manages clarity, you know, of abstinence from any kind of all term substances, you know. And it's now this year will be my 14th year of complete being, sober. Sober minded and not a drop of anything, you know.

10;56;04;16 - 10;56;07;06
Andy Vargas
So congratulations. And God bless you, man.

10;56;07;08 - 10;56;28;20
Sal Rodriguez
And I work it. You know, I work at people that's like you for some of the youngsters out there too, man. Who you hang out with. Manson. Please don't get started with that stuff, man. Any chemical stuff, you know, and it's just it's no. No way out, bud. Put down. You know what I mean? And there's so many people didn't make it and just ruin their lives.

10;56;28;25 - 10;56;29;25
Sal Rodriguez
And these families.

10;56;29;25 - 10;56;45;04
Andy Vargas
These days, I feel I'm seeing, you know, people fall and and leave faster because of what they're taking and and take it. It's not like it was back then where, you know, it was a little bit, you know, like.

10;56;45;07 - 10;56;51;15
Sal Rodriguez
If we could say more organic, so to speak, you know, but now they got so much chemicals out there, fentanyl people are dying.

10;56;51;15 - 10;56;52;12
Andy Vargas
Left and right.

10;56;52;13 - 10;56;53;06
Sal Rodriguez
You know.

10;56;53;08 - 10;56;56;02
Andy Vargas
Kids are dying left and right by just testing it once. Right.

10;56;56;09 - 10;56;57;21
Sal Rodriguez
You know, could be a small little things.

10;56;57;21 - 10;57;12;27
Andy Vargas
A small little thing that's in you and you're gone. You know, it's a total different time. But, man, I am completely, completely humbled. And, and, you know, by when I think we were it was interesting because there was so much craziness going on around. Right.

10;57;13;02 - 10;57;20;13
Sal Rodriguez
And there was so much pot smoking that dog. And who was out of the guy? The guy with the skateboard. What's the.

10;57;20;14 - 10;57;23;04
Andy Vargas
Yeah.

10;57;23;07 - 10;57;24;18
Sal Rodriguez
Dog.

10;57;24;21 - 10;57;26;01
Andy Vargas
Dog face. Dog face.

10;57;26;03 - 10;57;28;04
Sal Rodriguez
Dog. Who's doing a video? That was his video.

10;57;28;04 - 10;57;28;27
Andy Vargas
That was dog faces.

10;57;28;28 - 10;57;29;09
Sal Rodriguez
The dog.

10;57;29;09 - 10;57;30;14
Andy Vargas
Feces. Yeah, it was.

10;57;30;14 - 10;57;33;22
Sal Rodriguez
Just teaching me the video. It's all about pot.

10;57;33;23 - 10;57;34;06
Andy Vargas
And Cheech.

10;57;34;06 - 10;57;54;04
Sal Rodriguez
Marin. Yeah. And I'm going, like. So one of the scenes, man, they had to do this footage where they have they had these big blunts, the big heads and throwing the air up and, you know, the smoke. And I'm not another take. They have no problem with doing this. Again. I go, man, I have one hit of that thing and I'll be on the floor.

10;57;54;05 - 10;57;57;00
Andy Vargas
No, they did a they did, man. I think they did like almost ten takes of that.

10;57;57;05 - 10;57;57;11
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah.

10;57;57;17 - 10;58;00;21
Andy Vargas
About that. We kept on looking at each other like hey let's.

10;58;00;22 - 10;58;03;04
Sal Rodriguez
Take another one. Just like, yeah, unbelievable.

10;58;03;06 - 10;58;06;05
Andy Vargas
And you know, for those who do in the cancer life and.

10;58;06;05 - 10;58;09;10
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, yeah, I'm, I don't knock it, man. If that's what you do.

10;58;09;13 - 10;58;10;02
Andy Vargas
Right. Yeah.

10;58;10;02 - 10;58;23;12
Sal Rodriguez
You know I'm not here to judge, man. You know it's just my journey and, just being around that it doesn't it doesn't bother me, you know, because I know, you know, the obsession is gone. You know, when you call, when we talk about. And that's.

10;58;23;12 - 10;58;39;14
Andy Vargas
Special because. Because sometimes if you're some people that are around it, you think that the peer pressure is, let me do it to indulge and participate, because this was me too, before, you know, when I'd get into studio sessions and they'd be like, hey, you know, you want some and you really want them to be like, you know, cool with you see me?

10;58;39;14 - 10;59;01;06
Andy Vargas
Like, yeah. So then they could open up more conversation, all of that. But what happens sometimes is I start getting paranoid and then I wouldn't really vibe out correctly to the track anyways, you know what I mean? So it had like a reverse effect of what initially the reason why I was doing it, you know, and so but and maybe sometimes creatively I'd catch one and, and I'd have some other kind of ideas or whatever.

10;59;01;13 - 10;59;02;06
Andy Vargas
But so.

10;59;02;09 - 10;59;06;10
Sal Rodriguez
Would you think, was it more, more pop or was I.

10;59;06;13 - 10;59;31;04
Andy Vargas
I think yeah, it was other substances and, and, you know, you know, it was definitely in when I, when I moved to L.A., I was, you know, smoking a lot of a lot of ganja. Yeah. You know, a lot of the green ganja and stuff and stuff. And so but then, you know, then the night would roll around and I'd go out to the bars and, you know, and hang out and, you know, the bars you have.

10;59;31;04 - 10;59;39;05
Andy Vargas
I would I was always a beer drinker from Watsonville, you know what I mean? You know, like, you know, hanging. But it was it was just it was right. It was.

10;59;39;05 - 10;59;41;09
Sal Rodriguez
Normal. Yeah. It wasn't like any normal thing, you know?

10;59;41;13 - 10;59;54;27
Andy Vargas
And I was fine. It wasn't until, you know, I took that gradual just being and understanding it, I could hang. And that's what the thing was, was I could hang and be there. But then when the harder liquors from the bars would come around.

10;59;54;29 - 10;59;56;06
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, the firewater.

10;59;56;08 - 11;00;25;10
Andy Vargas
The firewater. Right. And then that would set you off into the night because it doesn't start till, you know, when you go to the bars or, you know, after dinner or for dinner or what have you always around a drink. Yeah. And so and that's how you know, my, you know, addiction escalated, you know, but, you know, the, the pot smoke was I was like, man, sometimes I wish when I look back at it like, man, I wish I, you know, I would have just stayed cool with the pot or something like that, you know, and I try.

11;00;25;10 - 11;00;51;11
Sal Rodriguez
And I try that for ten years, you know, because really, when the cocaine usage got out of control, about 30 years ago, my, my wife says it. She put the foot down, you know, so you that you're done, right? Okay, well, maybe I'll just smoke pot, and I, I stopped drinking, I stopped doing coke, and for ten years, I smoked like, I was like me and Bob Marley were hanging out every day, man.

11;00;51;11 - 11;00;54;29
Sal Rodriguez
You know, it's like that. That's like crazy. But then it takes.

11;00;54;29 - 11;00;55;22
Andy Vargas
The place of it all.

11;00;55;25 - 11;01;00;15
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. It's just, nobody, nobody OD'd on pot or pot safe.

11;01;00;18 - 11;01;01;13
Andy Vargas
Yeah. Why not?

11;01;01;16 - 11;01;03;03
Sal Rodriguez
But then, you know, it's just like, I got to.

11;01;03;03 - 11;01;03;26
Andy Vargas
Do this first.

11;01;03;28 - 11;01;05;26
Sal Rodriguez
When you start smoking too much, you don't do nothing.

11;01;05;26 - 11;01;09;29
Andy Vargas
You just don't do anything, you know? But when you do, you start thinking about what you're going to do.

11;01;09;29 - 11;01;28;03
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. Never get done. But, you know, that's that's that's something that I, that I cherish now is working my program. I do my program and speaking places and, but I encourage especially the young I give back to the youth like we're talking about the Ritchie Valens being at the,

11;01;28;09 - 11;01;29;27
Andy Vargas
Tell me about that.

11;01;30;00 - 11;01;50;01
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. So, you know, I was raised in Pacoima and in San Fernando, went to San Fernando Middle School, San Fernando Mantri, San Fernando Middle School, San Fernando High School, and a lot of people came from there because George Lopez was in San Fernando High School and, you know, elementary, same schools that I went to. We did the same schools.

11;01;50;04 - 11;01;55;11
Sal Rodriguez
He's he's younger than I am about a, a grades younger. So I, I didn't really know George back then.

11;01;55;11 - 11;01;57;25
Andy Vargas
Phenomenal. You know, I guess from the same place. Yeah.

11;01;57;26 - 11;02;03;04
Sal Rodriguez
Same place. And, so I lost my train of thought.

11;02;03;11 - 11;02;04;22
Andy Vargas
No, we were talking about it.

11;02;04;22 - 11;02;06;10
Sal Rodriguez
About the. We see you forget.

11;02;06;17 - 11;02;10;04
Andy Vargas
Yeah, it's it's understandable, you know, but the location that we're going to, you know.

11;02;10;06 - 11;02;33;25
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, yeah. The Ritchie Valens thing, you know, because Ritchie Valens, of course. Yeah, he he, he lived, but Como. He wasn't born Pacoima. Articles from Laredo or somewhere. Somewhere up north, right? Yes. But, when they migrated down here, he moved to Como, and he went to San Fernando, high school. I was just barely there when his records started blowing up the whole.

11;02;33;26 - 11;02;41;19
Sal Rodriguez
And, So now this is a place called American Legion. That's still there, which I performed there when I was 11 years old.

11;02;41;21 - 11;02;43;07
Andy Vargas
And the American Legion.

11;02;43;09 - 11;02;44;20
Sal Rodriguez
Where in San Fernando.

11;02;44;20 - 11;02;45;00
Andy Vargas
In San.

11;02;45;00 - 11;02;46;11
Sal Rodriguez
Fernando. They filmed the movie there.

11;02;46;13 - 11;02;49;09
Andy Vargas
They filmed the movie. It's where he had the dance.

11;02;49;09 - 11;02;51;05
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, he had the dance. And Bob came in.

11;02;51;05 - 11;03;01;02
Andy Vargas
And Bob came in, you know, you know, the movie and the mom. And it was like the big shot. They they paraded it around town, you know, to say, hey, come on. Ritchie Valens in his flying guitar.

11;03;01;02 - 11;03;02;14
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, play the poster, you.

11;03;02;14 - 11;03;17;00
Andy Vargas
Know, and it was his time to show how good he was in front of Donna. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? It's like it's. Yeah, love is sweetheart. And and man, you're talking. Yeah. This this is my story. So please. Yeah. So the American Legion,

11;03;17;03 - 11;03;31;11
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. So the American Legion of San Fernando, so what we're trying to do in our part of the committee now to raise money to redo the stage because that that place is like 80 years old, that, you know, the American Legion. So that's the.

11;03;31;11 - 11;03;32;11
Andy Vargas
Stage that you want.

11;03;32;15 - 11;03;41;17
Sal Rodriguez
To stage that we want to, redo again, you know, with the, upgrade with the electrical or the lights, with the sound system.

11;03;41;19 - 11;03;42;24
Andy Vargas
And then and it's a committee.

11;03;43;00 - 11;03;47;12
Sal Rodriguez
It's a committee. I'm part of the committee. So, you know, we're raising some funds for that.

11;03;47;12 - 11;03;50;22
Andy Vargas
So we got to put that put that out there. So where can we find that?

11;03;50;25 - 11;03;52;27
Sal Rodriguez
I'll give you the information on that okay.

11;03;52;27 - 11;03;59;07
Andy Vargas
So we can put that in the link of that in the link. It'll be on our link of our, of our, you know, video. Oh great. Okay.

11;03;59;07 - 11;04;22;19
Sal Rodriguez
Awesome. Yeah. So I love doing stuff like that man. Because it to me giving back it helps me all the way around. Just in life in general. That's just being a humanitarian, giving back and not for accolades, not for brownie points or, you know, trying to please people. But that's that's what helps me stay grounded. You know, when I speak at youth groups, right.

11;04;22;21 - 11;04;41;21
Sal Rodriguez
Speak immense transition homes and go up there, share my testimony. But I what I do is I like to bring my bongos, I play warm music, and I and I grab their attention and they're singing along. Then I just share. Yeah. I'm just like, you know, I'm not different, you know? But I'm here to show it to you that, you know, there is hope.

11;04;41;24 - 11;05;04;18
Sal Rodriguez
You know there's hope and, and and this madness, you know, all this insanity. So but that's what I do to keep, to keep me grounded as far as that, you know. And of course, you're not going to please, you know, somebody is always going to have something that they don't like what you're doing or this. But I don't pay attention to these people.

11;05;04;21 - 11;05;09;23
Sal Rodriguez
You know, I just do it. I know what I do, and I know that I'm. I'm okay. I'm good. You know? I mean.

11;05;09;23 - 11;05;12;22
Andy Vargas
Yeah, you can't please everybody. Yeah, everybody. When you.

11;05;12;24 - 11;05;17;04
Sal Rodriguez
Might say something, you think they can all tag me when me heard this or that and and go like.

11;05;17;07 - 11;05;35;05
Andy Vargas
I mean, you know, I mean, how can we have to be ourselves who we're born to be, like you. We were talking about earlier. We could be gone tomorrow, right? You know, I mean, it's like, oh, did I say something wrong? Can we edit that? Can we? Did you know what? I'm sorry, but I'm not sorry because I don't want to be myself.

11;05;35;08 - 11;05;49;28
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. When when? You know, when when I came in. You talk about is is it okay to be, talk about, you know, our journey with with this, you know, I mean, yeah, I love I'm totally cool with it. I'm transparent. You know, I, I got nothing to hide. And, you know, transparency to me is, is being honest.

11;05;49;29 - 11;05;50;20
Sal Rodriguez
You know, we.

11;05;50;23 - 11;06;13;11
Andy Vargas
Also we want I if you agree I want someone to hear this and be like you know what. It's okay to talk about it. Because let me tell you something, man. Like we lived the Jim Morrison life already. It's almost like this is like sobriety is almost like the last trip. Yeah, it's the last thing you do.

11;06;13;13 - 11;06;15;14
Sal Rodriguez
So, yeah, it's the last door open.

11;06;15;14 - 11;06;44;13
Andy Vargas
It's the last door to open. And it's I mean, it's not easy, but it's a way of life. So if that was a way of life, this is a way of life. But, you know, going back to living in that dull drum and that, you know, that that Groundhog Day. It's a Groundhog Day, bro. There's nothing more for you when you live the same thing and you you put your state back into where it was because it's a state of peace.

11;06;44;15 - 11;07;10;05
Andy Vargas
You feel like for the moment you get the hit or. Yeah, for the evening, you get to it puts you out to sleep so you could start a new day. What ends up happening is you wake up the next day hurting, needing that again to try to feel your new state of normality. And you consistently live that Groundhog Day after Groundhog Day and to where your family's trying to.

11;07;10;06 - 11;07;27;10
Andy Vargas
If you're so lucky enough to have a family trying to wake you up and get you, you know, to a place to that where there's no place you can get it right and and you can start trying to put yourself in a new form of thought. So, but you know, we don't have to do that. And you don't have to do that.

11;07;27;10 - 11;07;31;00
Andy Vargas
As a matter of fact, the grass is greener on the other side.

11;07;31;07 - 11;07;34;23
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, yeah. Like a tree. You know how good it is. You know what I mean?

11;07;34;24 - 11;07;45;28
Andy Vargas
Oh, man. If I could give if we could give. You know, someone who's inundated everything in a crystal ball to see it and just follow the steps in that crystal ball, like, okay, don't do that, don't do that. Don't do that.

11;07;45;29 - 11;07;52;08
Sal Rodriguez
Well, if you can have like something tangible saying, here, hold this. This is what it is. Yeah. I mean.

11;07;52;11 - 11;07;53;22
Andy Vargas
But feel that.

11;07;53;28 - 11;08;13;17
Sal Rodriguez
Feel that, but like a another musician was talking to me. We were at a restaurant and stuff, and, and he's ordering drinks and stuff, and he goes, you don't drink, right? I don't know. And I used to this man, how do you do it? Don't you feel like after your show, man, I'm playing guitar, man, with all these people and stuff?

11;08;13;17 - 11;08;35;12
Sal Rodriguez
Man, I need to have a drink, man. I can't do it with, you know? I need to have it. I go, I don't, I go, I don't want to ruin my high, I go, I got a natural high right now. Drink that. Can't, that can't take the place of it. That can't. It's lost. That's all temporary because. And then morning you're going to wake up going like oh man.

11;08;35;15 - 11;08;46;04
Sal Rodriguez
Oh what do I do? What I say who do I have, man? That's me. I had that personality and that compulsive behavior. And if it's going to be one nothing, you know.

11;08;46;10 - 11;09;12;28
Andy Vargas
And by the way, it's taken some time, but I'm definitely so much more creative and and, you know, I practice in my artistry and I share this with my students in our, in our songwriting camps. That the, the the lyrics, the next part of the song, it's right here, it's right in front of you. But if your mind comes in and blocks it, then you're not going to get there.

11;09;12;28 - 11;09;30;11
Andy Vargas
So let's work at separating the blocks and stuff. And it's the same thing I feel with sobriety too. It's like, you know, like, okay, life is happening now and you're upset. Someone just pissed you off. It hit you in your emotions and you know your feelings are hurt. And now you you don't want to feel your feelings, you know?

11;09;30;11 - 11;09;32;06
Andy Vargas
So let's numb your feelings a great deal.

11;09;32;08 - 11;09;39;13
Sal Rodriguez
The suppression suppressor. Right. We do that to suppress the feelings. You know, that's we talk about the recovery, right?

11;09;39;15 - 11;10;03;00
Andy Vargas
Right. So so you know, but in in the same thing in songwriting or in creative, you know, work and stuff, we I found I've been able to utilize my sobriety, my recovery in, in in what's next and be like it's here. But just if you start presenting itself, calm down and look at the big picture, step away for a second.

11;10;03;02 - 11;10;07;01
Andy Vargas
Don't react it. Respond right, you know, and then it.

11;10;07;03 - 11;10;08;18
Sal Rodriguez
Quick to listen, slow to speak.

11;10;08;26 - 11;10;33;03
Andy Vargas
Yes, yes. You know and it's there. And then you're like, oh, why I was fighting it. Why didn't I hear it before? Because it wasn't ready for you. Yeah. It's cool, you know. And it's that patience and it's treating creativity that way too. And and, you know, and in the creative work, you, are also, you know, songwriter and, you know, we've collaborated on a song too, right?

11;10;33;03 - 11;10;50;18
Andy Vargas
Right. And, you know, and we're working on, on your, your album, you know, but you have so many amazing songs, you know, we teased some of your song in the beginning of, of our, of our show here, and we're going to play a little of it, you know, at the end, you know, and it's a song called Primavera.

11;10;50;23 - 11;10;56;05
Andy Vargas
Right, right, right. And who, who the. By the way, the songwriter of this song, Primavera.

11;10;56;12 - 11;10;57;09
Sal Rodriguez
Daniel Valdez.

11;10;57;09 - 11;10;58;16
Andy Vargas
Daniel Valdez.

11;10;58;16 - 11;11;02;16
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, he did Zoot Suit, also La Bamba produced.

11;11;02;18 - 11;11;05;09
Andy Vargas
And he was a producer and and and zoot suit.

11;11;05;09 - 11;11;06;09
Sal Rodriguez
Actor.

11;11;06;11 - 11;11;09;17
Andy Vargas
Actually, that's in.

11;11;09;19 - 11;11;14;22
Sal Rodriguez
Theater. Theater from I think from up north. Dylan opened that area.

11;11;14;25 - 11;11;20;07
Andy Vargas
Yeah. It was a San Juan Bautista. Right. You know, had the scene.

11;11;20;07 - 11;11;20;23
Sal Rodriguez
Right, right.

11;11;20;29 - 11;11;37;08
Andy Vargas
Where they put on these plays. And Zoot Suit was one of the plays I did there. I went to go see, based on that, there when I was a kid, because my dad was a mariachi, you know, from the area. So he played all around the area, as a matter of fact, played there with his mariachi band.

11;11;37;11 - 11;11;38;22
Sal Rodriguez
What does he play? Did you see?

11;11;38;24 - 11;11;40;28
Andy Vargas
So my dad is now retired from the mariachi now.

11;11;40;28 - 11;11;41;16
Sal Rodriguez
But what he.

11;11;41;17 - 11;12;01;12
Andy Vargas
Did, oh, my dad played guitar and sang and he also played. Voila. All right. And, he led the band. So it was his guys and stuff. And so I had that same thing, man. I'd come home and see everyone there practicing. They'd come over on Sundays and always be the mariachi band and stuff. And then after he'd play for our barbecue, then they'd leave to go work, you know, and stuff.

11;12;01;12 - 11;12;23;11
Andy Vargas
So, but, but he would take me to go see, you know, these things. And honestly, I had no clue. I just, I was trying to, like, like, hip it up, you know? So I would, you know, where the. Because I used to have a target to when I used to go see what my dad. Yeah. So I used to wear the mariachi shirts and stuff, but I put like a tank top underneath and roll it up on my hat backwards and stuff and go like, you know, in high school.

11;12;23;12 - 11;12;41;07
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, yeah. It wasn't cool back then, you know, because when I would play with my Nino's band and, and I see people would play the right. Yeah. That's cumbia and I was stuff I go, no, I want to play cream. I want to play this, I wanna play rock and roll, man. You know? And I kind of like, you know, see, that's now I was like, that was like, me too.

11;12;41;07 - 11;12;59;09
Andy Vargas
I took I love the tradition and I, and I, and I, encourage everyone to do so. But me at the time because, you know, I wanted, you know, to rock. I like you, you know, I would take it right off and go and put my head and I'd make a hip hop real quick right after I go sing, you know, Cielito Lindo.

11;12;59;15 - 11;13;05;23
Andy Vargas
Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean? But now. Okay, let's make a hip hop. Cielito lindo. Yeah. What? You know what I mean?

11;13;05;23 - 11;13;12;11
Sal Rodriguez
And we talk about a project doing that thing. Well, we we want to. That's by now, but we got some things that we're going to do.

11;13;12;15 - 11;13;18;21
Andy Vargas
So Daniel Valdez though, right. Right. Who was the, you know, songwriter of your song that you covered?

11;13;18;28 - 11;13;26;06
Sal Rodriguez
And then and then El Chicano covered it back. That's when I first heard. And when you his El Chicano, they did a great, incredible version of it.

11;13;26;06 - 11;13;26;28
Andy Vargas
Primavera.

11;13;26;28 - 11;13;31;12
Sal Rodriguez
Primavera. The songs I know Santana's got a song called Primavera. JB but.

11;13;31;12 - 11;13;32;14
Andy Vargas
It's not. This one's.

11;13;32;14 - 11;13;33;23
Sal Rodriguez
Beautiful. This is different.

11;13;33;25 - 11;13;34;20
Andy Vargas
I mean that one's beautiful.

11;13;34;20 - 11;13;55;25
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. They're, they're both great songs you know, but this is a 70s song. That's right. I heard it too, you know, growing up listening to these great bands and that we can relate to Latinos being on the radio, you know, we don't have too many. Yeah. In our culture, who am I? You know, my upbringing in the 70s, man, we didn't have too many.

11;13;55;27 - 11;14;02;12
Sal Rodriguez
But when I first heard Santana on the radio, I was like, wow, that's I think they just exploded because of the Latin.

11;14;02;17 - 11;14;10;04
Andy Vargas
I think, you know, that's why Carlos loves Ritchie Valens so much to him. You know, it was because he was a Latino, Chicano.

11;14;10;06 - 11;14;11;11
Sal Rodriguez
You know, he was 17 when.

11;14;11;11 - 11;14;36;13
Andy Vargas
He done the radio 17 and and and how blessed. You know, I feel I was extremely blessed to know the family. Me growing up, I would see, you know, Richie's, you know, albums at their house, you know, you know, and, it was, you know, I went to to school with his niece, you know, Gloria and the family, they just embraced me so much, I'd come over and they're like me or, you know, come in.

11;14;36;15 - 11;15;12;00
Andy Vargas
And her brothers, you know, gosh, there were all my, my, like, my, my brothers, you know, from from high school. And I felt really protected with, with with, you know, Eddie, it was his, you know, nephew and all of them, you know what I'm saying? Cause they, they knew people in town. But anyhow, Ritchie Valens, I feel a connection to, you know, to him and his story then obviously the movie and so and it's a lot of synergy because, you know, there's, there's, there's a new, there's a lot of stuff happening right now around Ritchie Valens and the, you know, a new movie, you know, that, that that is happening now,

11;15;12;00 - 11;15;33;27
Andy Vargas
Ritchie Valens, but, or La Bamba. But the story was so kind of, like, entwined, you know, with people that have produced it and been a part of it and stuff, especially with this new song. We'll play a little of it. You know, after, yeah, we'll tease it and then have a, you know, show, let everybody know to be on the lookout of Sal Rodriguez's upcoming music.

11;15;33;29 - 11;15;50;10
Andy Vargas
He has some of the most amazing, amazing music. Thank you. Sitting in the vaults that. Yeah. Said that, you know, that we're going to you know, we're going to put it out. We have a song called Let It Be Me. Right, right, right. We have together that, that, that we'll come back and we'll perform it will perform it live for everybody.

11;15;50;12 - 11;16;00;10
Sal Rodriguez
And that was that was originally done by, the two brothers, the Everly Brothers, recorded in 1956 or something like that.

11;16;00;10 - 11;16;02;06
Andy Vargas
So we now that we talked about it, we better hurry up.

11;16;02;06 - 11;16;21;29
Sal Rodriguez
But yeah, me before and then Tierra did a version of it. Yeah. And I love the way they did it. So out of adapt it to that. But the one that primavera that, that I recorded, I recorded it because El Chicano did a version of it. And so when I was working with Al Chicano to. Yeah, I was in the band for, for a while.

11;16;21;29 - 11;16;23;17
Sal Rodriguez
Wow. Yeah. El Chicano.

11;16;23;17 - 11;16;26;17
Andy Vargas
Dude. So many bands. Yeah.

11;16;26;19 - 11;16;45;19
Sal Rodriguez
And Bobby was the original keyboard, had Bruce Conti and guitar from Tower Power and, you know, but, so I got to know the guys, you know? Yeah. Of course. And then I said, hey, man, I really love that song Primavera. You want to come to the studio to do it? And they did. It came. So I have the original keyboard player that.

11;16;45;21 - 11;17;10;08
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. From Bobby Espinosa from El Chicano, the original bass player, Fred Sanchez. I have Rudy Regalado, the little from El Chicano, Jerry Salas on guitar, the lead singer from from El Chicano, and, Marcos Reyes playing congas from war. So a lot of key people that that there and then Papo Rodriguez, you work with Poncho Sanchez for many years on bongos.

11;17;10;10 - 11;17;10;26
Andy Vargas
I love.

11;17;10;28 - 11;17;30;26
Sal Rodriguez
So he played on there. So the song came out really, really well, and I smashed it in the vaults for so long. But I think this is it's the time is now, you know? But now that you you're so generous and and, you know, have the passion to, to help me out, to release this music if it's in the vaults or for years, it's.

11;17;30;26 - 11;17;31;20
Andy Vargas
It's time.

11;17;31;20 - 11;17;43;02
Sal Rodriguez
And it's recorded well too. I have a lot of great musicians in there, you know, players like from Rocco, from Tower Power and Bruce and Lydia Parnes from Cold Blood and.

11;17;43;05 - 11;17;44;16
Andy Vargas
You know, getting chills, bro.

11;17;44;19 - 11;17;46;14
Sal Rodriguez
Luis Conteh, who stole Mario?

11;17;46;14 - 11;18;06;07
Andy Vargas
I got, you know, Louis County was he was, one of the first musicians that played on, my, my, my version of Oya Como, before I joined Santana, I was signed to RCA and he was a first studio musician. That was that was called. And then he brought a couple of other musicians. A trumpet player named Harry Kim.

11;18;06;08 - 11;18;07;24
Sal Rodriguez
Eric Kim. He's on my stuff too.

11;18;07;25 - 11;18;22;21
Andy Vargas
And so, man, he is super amazing. So Louis goes, yeah. And, you know, and he had this, this, idea to put a vocal on it. So he put, you know, a vocal and he goes, hey, I'm going to come over here. I gotta connect you with so-and-so and stuff. And so I started to go to.

11;18;22;24 - 11;18;25;17
Sal Rodriguez
Connect you to this person, man. Come on, you know? Yeah. All right.

11;18;25;17 - 11;18;33;25
Andy Vargas
Yeah, man. So I said to him as like, you know, one of the guys that he was one of the first guys that opened the door to a lot of, you know.

11;18;33;27 - 11;18;40;25
Sal Rodriguez
LA music. Yeah. He's he's the most recorded Cuban musicians in the entire world.

11;18;40;25 - 11;18;42;15
Andy Vargas
I mean, and on TV shows.

11;18;42;15 - 11;19;04;17
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. Me just staggering. You know, a man I met him when he was at, I was going to junior college here back in, like, in 1980 something. He came, he came, did a clinic. Yeah, with him and Ramon Banda and, you know, Ramon, I'm doing a clinic, and I'm just there watching him all day. Well, but but that's how far back, you know, knowing that.

11;19;04;17 - 11;19;20;20
Sal Rodriguez
But when I asked him to do this project for me, he didn't hesitate. Yeah, I know, I said, dude, I only got this this early budget. And he goes, well, you have, man. I go, yeah, I have congas, okay, I'll see you there. And he just played and man, he.

11;19;20;20 - 11;19;27;02
Andy Vargas
Just I mean he's played on a Luis Miguel when I, when he told me that bro and I went and I listened to it, I listened, I keyed into the bongo, you know.

11;19;27;02 - 11;19;29;02
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, man I he's on the money.

11;19;29;04 - 11;19;30;05
Andy Vargas
Who is a man who.

11;19;30;09 - 11;19;30;27
Sal Rodriguez
Represents.

11;19;31;01 - 11;19;31;25
Andy Vargas
Louis County?

11;19;32;01 - 11;19;34;04
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. He's he's got a name and such a.

11;19;34;04 - 11;19;34;14
Andy Vargas
Great.

11;19;34;21 - 11;19;35;17
Sal Rodriguez
Such a great guy.

11;19;35;17 - 11;19;36;10
Andy Vargas
To beautiful.

11;19;36;15 - 11;19;52;14
Sal Rodriguez
He's a brother now and and you know, and along with Alex Acuna to the other friend of mine, you know. Oh my gosh. So these are all mentors to me. So these guys some of the I'm not my project like you talk about here he came. Yeah. You know he's director for.

11;19;52;17 - 11;19;53;23
Andy Vargas
You know trumpet player Phil.

11;19;53;23 - 11;20;05;01
Sal Rodriguez
Collins and Phil Collins everybody man. But but these kind of caliber musicians are on these projects, and I'm excited that you're I willing to, you know, to help me out. And this is the song.

11;20;05;02 - 11;20;24;22
Andy Vargas
It's to me. I mean, it's not just a no brainer, but the world needs to hear the music. And today, in today's, you know, digital, vast vastness here, you know, we just there's a process to get the process done and let's get it to the listener and let's tell them the story like we're doing right now, setting up, you know, the story.

11;20;24;25 - 11;20;46;27
Andy Vargas
And, and it's not much harder than that. It's not much harder than that. You know, it's really just consistently, you know, reminding them that it's there. Yeah. Yeah. Right. And that's it, you know. Hey. What the. I could take care of that now. So, but, but you know, man, it, it has really, really been an honor to sit here and talk with you.

11;20;46;27 - 11;20;56;00
Andy Vargas
And I would just like to, share with everyone where they could follow you, you know, like, like a Facebook or Instagram.

11;20;56;03 - 11;21;08;06
Sal Rodriguez
Got Instagram, you know. Instagram. Yeah. My, my Facebook got hacked. So I had to start all over again, you know. So I started the Instagram again. So, Sal, the drummer to the number two.

11;21;08;07 - 11;21;13;20
Andy Vargas
Sell the drummer to, okay. And we'll have that link on our podcast too, so you can go and follow.

11;21;13;22 - 11;21;21;22
Sal Rodriguez
So, so that when we start, I guess you got some formats to, you know, once we start getting this thing going. I love your logo there.

11;21;21;26 - 11;21;41;18
Andy Vargas
Thank you man. Thank you so much. Yeah yeah. Welcome to the lyric Lounge. You know the Lyric Lounge. We kicked around a lot of ideas of names and things and, you know, and found that this one really, you know, stuck with us. So we'll have our new, domain, which is AV Lyric Lounge Dot podcast. You don't have to go to.com or anything like that.

11;21;41;18 - 11;22;02;24
Andy Vargas
It's Dot podcast and you'll be able to go directly to all of our, you know, information of just lyric lounge stuff, which is this location here, you know, and, you know, this is the, the first time that I, that I hope you'll, you'll be here because we have to continually update everyone on the projects and everything we talked about.

11;22;03;01 - 11;22;11;24
Andy Vargas
You know, how how the, the, the stage, you know, over, you know, the, the, the center, you know, the American Legion.

11;22;11;24 - 11;22;12;24
Sal Rodriguez
O the American Legion, the.

11;22;12;25 - 11;22;18;27
Andy Vargas
Update, everyone how that's going and how the fundraiser is going. I would love to be a big part of that. As.

11;22;19;00 - 11;22;27;14
Sal Rodriguez
A you you're going to be invited. I'm going to hit everybody up, man. George, you know, everybody that's prominent and, you know, and they have passion for that.

11;22;27;14 - 11;22;29;25
Andy Vargas
And maybe there's something that the city can do to.

11;22;29;26 - 11;22;30;09
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah.

11;22;30;09 - 11;22;35;26
Andy Vargas
In the building is how's the I haven't seen this is is the building strong. Does it does a building the buildings.

11;22;35;29 - 11;23;02;08
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. They they've they did a new roof on it. They did the electrical on the other side, but now they got to get the stage separate. You got to redo the stage. You got to tear the stage down. Yeah. Put lights on there. You know, everything modern switches is new. And you look and I want to put a PA system, because last week I was there with the with the youth from San Fernando High School, which I did a big fundraiser for them getting equipment, drums, keyboards and all pictures.

11;23;02;08 - 11;23;03;17
Andy Vargas
Of that, Yeah. Picture that.

11;23;03;18 - 11;23;04;12
Sal Rodriguez
That's videos on.

11;23;04;12 - 11;23;07;07
Andy Vargas
That. Okay. You send that over and then so we can show it right now. Yeah.

11;23;07;07 - 11;23;25;12
Sal Rodriguez
So but they were doing another fundraiser for the. We kept in touch, you know, because they call me hey, man, my band's playing over here. And you know, young kids are red in original music. And they had like about 4 or 5 bands playing. So I had just come back for an Illinois and I just from the airport that went on the way down for about a half hour.

11;23;25;12 - 11;23;48;18
Sal Rodriguez
Then I went over there, but that was at the American Legion. But I'm going, man, this is what we need. We need a place, a local place where they can come and just play the music, like have a Friday night, jam session or, or just to showcase some music because it was about four of 4 or 5 groups and they all supported each other.

11;23;48;20 - 11;24;04;15
Sal Rodriguez
They had little mosh pits and going on, you know, but it's all clean, fun. There's no drugs, there's no alcohol. You know, it's like, of course you got the bar on this side. But the kids, you know, they're respectful. And I really like that about them that they they're really creative supporting each other.

11;24;04;19 - 11;24;12;00
Andy Vargas
I'd like to get involved and see if we could bring in the foundation to do some, you know, supporting and maybe get the some of the songs recorded.

11;24;12;03 - 11;24;20;29
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. Right. That's great. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean they, they've gotten I'm surprised at how good they were. They were and how, how they were writing. Yeah. Wow.

11;24;21;00 - 11;24;21;19
Andy Vargas
Yeah. Exactly.

11;24;21;24 - 11;24;25;07
Sal Rodriguez
And they're, they're refreshingly out of high school. Just barely out of high.

11;24;25;09 - 11;24;30;06
Andy Vargas
Going to show them and mentor them through so they know that, you know, they don't have to, you know, go, you know, yeah.

11;24;30;06 - 11;24;49;16
Sal Rodriguez
They're struggling and you know, recording and you know, whatever they can and and you know, with minimal, minimal equipment. But, you know, you gotta give back to the youngsters and let them know. That's why I do this for the schools and stuff like that, letting them know that, hey, man, somebody cares for you. Somebody's been through that. I'm here.

11;24;49;18 - 11;25;15;23
Sal Rodriguez
You know, this is my neighborhood, and and, I've been around, been fortunate to to travel and make a living out of this, you know, but, you know, you can do it, too, but make sure that, you know, you, you hang out with the right people, get educated, do this, you know, pursue that and stay away from all this alum and over here, you know, and, that's my advice for them, you know, to to keep doing it, keep practicing.

11;25;15;26 - 11;25;38;28
Sal Rodriguez
Nobody told me what do when to practice, how to practice. I just I knew I just had to run home from junior high with my album and my, you know, I used to take my albums to school, the Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsies and, you know, Santana Records, Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority. I used to take them to school just to show off, you know, and it's like 1970.

11;25;38;28 - 11;25;42;20
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. And I said, hey, man, let me borrow your albums. I know you bar not.

11;25;42;20 - 11;25;43;14
Andy Vargas
Okay.

11;25;43;14 - 11;25;52;26
Sal Rodriguez
But, you know, vets. I used to run home Grand Funk Railroad when they first came out to me, they was like, man, Don Brewer, these, these drummers, Danny Serafin, you know.

11;25;52;27 - 11;25;53;27
Andy Vargas
Yeah.

11;25;54;00 - 11;25;56;29
Sal Rodriguez
Of course, Greg Errico from Sly, you know.

11;25;57;06 - 11;25;57;13
Andy Vargas
Yeah.

11;25;57;14 - 11;26;00;28
Sal Rodriguez
All these drummers, man, is just like, wow.

11;26;01;00 - 11;26;04;24
Andy Vargas
I'm so grateful that I know who you're talking about because we've shared the stage, too, you know?

11;26;04;24 - 11;26;25;02
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. I mean, just growing up and practicing to those records, man, you know? Yeah. Just practicing. You got to get off, put the needle on the. Yeah. You know, then it get worn out and you put a, a nickel on top of that. Just don't skip anymore. Yeah, but that's how we that's how I did it, you know, and and but now there's got so much technology out there.

11;26;25;02 - 11;26;37;19
Sal Rodriguez
But so my, my thing is just giving back to that. That helps me. And, but I'm so thankful that you invited me here. I feel I feel honored, believe me, it's the other way around.

11;26;37;22 - 11;26;42;08
Andy Vargas
But it really, truly, you know, I look up to you.

11;26;42;12 - 11;26;44;08
Sal Rodriguez
Oh. Thank you. You know, I look up to you, too.

11;26;44;08 - 11;27;15;06
Andy Vargas
But we've you you've, You know, many times we've been in the midst of, of craziness and we've calmed each other down and said, hey, man, you're okay. I'm okay. Am I okay? Yes. You're okay. Okay, good. Thank you. I we are we sober through this whole thing? Yes. We're sober. Okay, good. You know, and that's what we need, you know, and that's what that's what, you know, I'm just so, so grateful that that I have that that God has brought you into my life and that, that I could be of service to you, you know?

11;27;15;09 - 11;27;15;28
Andy Vargas
And that's what I want.

11;27;16;02 - 11;27;17;01
Sal Rodriguez
To, you know, I.

11;27;17;01 - 11;27;23;13
Andy Vargas
Know you are. I know you are, man. And, you know, continue to please invite me to the to the Christmas parade because that.

11;27;23;15 - 11;27;24;20
Sal Rodriguez
So much I invited.

11;27;24;21 - 11;27;26;04
Andy Vargas
Andy. I get so much joy.

11;27;26;09 - 11;27;33;21
Sal Rodriguez
Because I did, I did the, the national anthem last year. Right. Because I do the Christmas parade every year. I invite people.

11;27;33;23 - 11;27;35;09
Andy Vargas
So the book is.

11;27;35;09 - 11;27;54;19
Sal Rodriguez
Called Climb a Christmas Tree. Yeah. Of course, Danny Trejo's been there. Emilio Rivera. Yeah. You know, you got to, you know, a bunch of actors and people and political, you know? Yeah, they show up. You know, Karen Bass was there last year and it was a cheer. But anyway, it's so much fun because, you know, this is my neighborhood.

11;27;54;22 - 11;27;58;23
Sal Rodriguez
I'm going up there as a kid, you know, playing in these bars down the street.

11;27;58;23 - 11;28;00;09
Andy Vargas
We meet at, like City Hall. Is that.

11;28;00;09 - 11;28;02;09
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. City hall. Yeah, Thomas City Hall and.

11;28;02;09 - 11;28;03;29
Andy Vargas
Then all the cars lined up.

11;28;04;00 - 11;28;21;29
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. Lined up the trucks and the flat bands with the kids and mariachis, a band, the band and the high school cheerleaders, you know, the the elementary school cheerleaders. Yeah. They're marching down the horses. And, you know, that's our parade. That's our. We're proud of our city, you know, and,

11;28;22;01 - 11;28;26;08
Andy Vargas
And everyone when you wave, they all wave back to you. Yeah. But if you don't wave, they're not going to wait.

11;28;26;09 - 11;28;27;26
Sal Rodriguez
You. Yeah. You know, you got to give them energy.

11;28;27;26 - 11;28;41;26
Andy Vargas
Yeah. I was telling there was a, a boy that was sitting next to me. I trying to remember his name, but, you know, he was, a friend of a friend, and he said, hey, do you think he can sit next to you on your in your car? You know, we had a nice, nice car row.

11;28;41;27 - 11;29;00;06
Andy Vargas
You know, the top was down. I sat on it. Yeah, the convertible and, and I was telling him, he goes, you know, man, they everyone's waving to you. I got the wave to you too. And he goes, it goes. Really? I go, yeah, watch, watch, watch. He smile. You got to smile. So, so work your cheek muscles and smile and wave.

11;29;00;06 - 11;29;04;02
Andy Vargas
And guess what? He started to do it. And they would wave back to him.

11;29;04;02 - 11;29;04;27
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, yeah.

11;29;05;00 - 11;29;11;00
Andy Vargas
You know, and and and I, and I hope that sent a little message. Is that the energy that you put out. Yeah.

11;29;11;00 - 11;29;26;23
Sal Rodriguez
You receive and you see people there that you, you know that that know your cell, you know. Oh yeah. You know, but that's to me, man. That's that's awesome, man. I just, you know, I do that every year. I've been doing that for how many years? Yeah, about 15 years.

11;29;26;23 - 11;29;27;26
Andy Vargas
And bless your heart.

11;29;27;26 - 11;29;30;23
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah. Every year now. So I run a lot of musicians up.

11;29;30;24 - 11;29;32;26
Andy Vargas
There is really good, you know. Yeah.

11;29;32;27 - 11;29;49;15
Sal Rodriguez
They, they, they supply good food there. And, it's an honor. So, you know, so keep coming back, man. You know, and I had him sing the national anthem, so I said, you know what? I want to get somebody else to do it. You know? I don't want to do it. I did it last year. It's somebody.

11;29;49;16 - 11;29;52;20
Andy Vargas
It's not an easy song then. Yeah. You know, you gotta.

11;29;52;23 - 11;29;56;08
Sal Rodriguez
You gotta get that. You know, you gotta make sure you start off there and there's.

11;29;56;10 - 11;30;04;27
Andy Vargas
A right, the key, you know, in, in, in, in, in getting that key, you know, because you, you don't start to hide. We've seen those videos of people that start too high. You can't go any higher.

11;30;05;00 - 11;30;05;22
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah.

11;30;05;24 - 11;30;08;19
Andy Vargas
But but no, you know, it's, it's, it's.

11;30;08;19 - 11;30;09;23
Sal Rodriguez
Just so much fun, man.

11;30;10;00 - 11;30;15;01
Andy Vargas
Like, this is the vibe that we have together. You know, Sal and I, every time that we get together, it starts with the.

11;30;15;08 - 11;30;18;29
Sal Rodriguez
And I see you. I see you with your band, too. I know your spaghetti is last night, right?

11;30;19;01 - 11;30;20;21
Andy Vargas
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I had.

11;30;20;21 - 11;30;33;15
Sal Rodriguez
A, I have a little studio at the house. Little studio. So I was a record. You doing some mixing and stuff so I could make it, but that's how I feel. Ruiz. Ruiz. Hey, I'm. I'm playing. That takes him back, and you can't make him.

11;30;33;16 - 11;30;36;08
Andy Vargas
He's home full of. Ruiz is our percussionist.

11;30;36;10 - 11;30;37;08
Sal Rodriguez
Phenomenal band.

11;30;37;13 - 11;30;51;04
Andy Vargas
Talented. We had a great time. We played spaghetti knee. You know, once a month. And this is in Seal Beach. It's a it's a, an Italian restaurant. But it has a jazz lounge that is just a beautiful scenery.

11;30;51;04 - 11;30;53;02
Sal Rodriguez
Nice food is fantastic.

11;30;53;02 - 11;30;59;22
Andy Vargas
So the food's great, the vibes good. Good music. You can't mess with the musicians any time you go watch a show there. It's almost so much fun.

11;30;59;22 - 11;31;02;10
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah, a lot of great jazz. Down with replays there.

11;31;02;12 - 11;31;07;03
Andy Vargas
W3 the the one that I go on brothers you know shout out to W3.

11;31;07;03 - 11;31;08;07
Sal Rodriguez
Yeah there's my boys man.

11;31;08;07 - 11;31;22;19
Andy Vargas
Oh yeah yeah they opened up the doors. You know to that space too. And you know, and Billy's doing a lot of great things. Eric's doing a lot of great things. Oh, yeah. Damon has his show. He does a Frank Sinatra show there. Who does he, Damon.

11;31;22;19 - 11;31;23;16
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, Daniel.

11;31;23;19 - 11;31;34;01
Andy Vargas
Yeah, he he does a tribute to Frank Sinatra, and he does it so good. Yeah, he sounds like young bro. Like, wow. If you close your eyes, you'd be like, you know, in the Frank Sinatra space. And I love Frank's music.

11;31;34;01 - 11;31;43;08
Sal Rodriguez
Oh, yeah? Yeah. You know, they, you know, you were saying they close your eyes. You think I'm Elvis, Thank you very much. Goodbye, little baby. Yeah. You know.

11;31;43;11 - 11;31;45;09
Andy Vargas
That's pretty good. Like, you know.

11;31;45;12 - 11;31;55;24
Sal Rodriguez
Uncle Bert. Lori. Oh, hello. That. You know, Elvis spoke Spanish to. You know that? No, you could have said potato beer, mamacita. You know, you know.

11;31;55;27 - 11;32;09;23
Andy Vargas
Mamacita. Yeah. So thank you for being here. It just was the most amazing time here with my brother, Sal Rodriguez. And now we would like to play the full song of Primavera. What do you say?

11;32;09;26 - 11;32;11;15
Sal Rodriguez
Hey, man, sounds good to me, man.

11;32;11;15 - 11;32;35;00
Andy Vargas
Is that cool? Ladies and gentlemen, this is Primavera by Sal Rodriguez. And please follow him at Sal the Drummer two on Instagram. And and please subscribe here at Andy Vargas Official and keep on coming back to the Lyric Lounge.

11;32;35;03 - 11;32;48;02
Unknown
You.

11;32;48;05 - 11;33;05;08
Unknown
Boom boom boom boom.

11;33;05;10 - 11;33;13;28
Unknown
Now the way. Going to God.

11;33;14;00 - 11;33;23;00
Primavera Song
And once again I see the thumb.

11;33;23;02 - 11;33;44;10
Primavera Song
And the bird. Come out to see me. The let the world back home. Oh, give me free my.

11;33;44;10 - 11;33;49;20
Unknown
Head up. Oh.

11;33;49;23 - 11;34;07;07
Unknown
Be my bed. Oh, yeah.

11;34;07;10 - 11;34;16;05
Primavera Song
And beauty, make man stop and make.

11;34;16;08 - 11;34;28;21
Primavera Song
The gay, the lovely. The one way hit me up. And when I tranquil up.

11;34;28;23 - 11;35;14;12
Unknown
He and love for all you man. Oh he could be my head up. And you could be my bed. My.

11;35;14;15 - 11;35;20;18
Unknown
Lord.

11;35;20;20 - 11;35;47;07
Primavera Song
And Ashley could be heard from. Oh, oh. And the believe that you heard from all. You know the things he can say.

11;35;47;09 - 11;35;53;27
Unknown
The heart like love.

11;35;53;29 - 11;36;04;01
Primavera Song
And that got way.

11;36;04;03 - 11;36;09;22
Primavera Song
Be my bed.

11;36;09;22 - 11;36;17;04
Unknown
I can be.

11;36;17;07 - 11;36;26;15
Primavera Song
My bed. Be my.

11;36;26;15 - 11;36;31;29
Unknown
Bed I know you can.

11;36;32;01 - 11;36;40;12
Primavera Song
Be my bed. My bed.

11;36;40;15 - 11;36;49;20
Unknown
I love my bed. I love my bed.

11;36;49;20 - 11;36;57;25
Primavera Song

11;36;57;28 - 11;37;00;09
Primavera Song
With.