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| Featured Artist Link REALLYMUSICRADIO presentsMando Saenz
On Watertown , plaintive Texas troubadour Mando Saenz sings of the rich and rocky terrain of his home state, its man-made churches, roads and bridges and its wandering souls. In the spirit of fellow Lone Star State legends Lyle Lovett and Townes Van Zandt, Saenz's lonesome Texas tales transcend state lines and speak of human nature and folly and of time lost. The themes, for this new artist and songwriter, are universal.
Born in San Luis Potosi , Mexico , Saenz grew up in Corpus Christi and was raised by his music-loving parents on an eclectic diet: songwriters of the 60s and 70s, traditional Mexican music, the Everly Brothers. An early start with guitar lessons at 11 and 12, however, did not yield any great interest in a music career. Instead, Saenz dabbled, singing in private through high school and college while learning to strum along. "After a couple of years in college," says Saenz, "I became more interested in playing. It was there that the idea of actually playing music for a living first entered my head." Yet Saenz, who confesses to post-college identity issues, detoured into graduate school in San Antonio . "At the time, I went there because it seemed safe and responsible," he admits. "It wasn't until I was about to receive my MBA that I really started playing out a lot and getting serious about songwriting." Ask Saenz for the principles he retains from business school versus the goings-on of the music biz and he'll speak of the "importance of 'quality' in any product." Watertown was 'quality,' no question, and fortunately for Saenz, the recordings would end up in the hands of Nashville producer, publisher and Carnival Music co-founder Frank Liddell. "I've had my share of strokes from Lady Luck," says Saenz, "but perhaps the biggest came when I met Frank. Not only in terms of his experience and track record in music, but more so in that he understood what I did and where my music is coming from." "His songs are very metaphoric and original in rhyme, scheme and phrasing" continues Liddell. "He comes at you from the more eccentric side of Texas music that is often overlooked. Influenced by not just Texas artists but also genres such as indie rock, as well as fellow tortured songwriters like Ron Sexsmith and Rufus Wainwright, Saenz concedes, "I'll always be roots-y. The way I sing, my accent, the way I play guitar. But it's always cool to see how it mixes with other types of music. At the end of the day, Saenz believes that "songs are songs. Whether they were written in Texas or Idaho shouldn't have any bearing on them being worth anything." Seanz even pokes gentle fun at the genre on Watertown with the tongue-in-cheek Texas Music send-up, "Egg Song." Watertown , a larger stage may be waiting |
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