Mavericks bring the party to SLO’s Fremont Theatre

‘Joyous” is the word guitarist Eddie Perez uses to describe The Mavericks.

In another context, that kind of blissed-out vocabulary might seem a bit bizarre. But when applied to an energetic, eclectic, genre-blurring band known for its vibrant, unbridled live shows, it feels wholly appropriate.

“What turns me on, honestly, is being on stage,” and seeing audience members smile up at him, Perez said. “We make a lot of people happy.”

The Mavericks will share the love with Central Coast concertgoers when they perform Tuesday at the Fremont Theatre in downtown San Luis Obispo. The Grammy Award-winning group, which was named group/duo of the year at the annual Americana Honors & Awards in 2015, is touring in support of its upcoming live album, “All Night Live Volume 1.”

Since The Mavericks’ beginnings in the Miami punk scene in 1989, the band has defied expectations.

The Mavericks enjoyed their first blush of success in 1994 with the release of their platinum-selling sophomore album, “What a Crying Shame,” featuring the title track plus “O What a Thrill” and “There Goes My Heart.”

The follow-up to that album, 1995’s “Music for All Occasions,” featured The Mavericks’ biggest hit to date: “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” a collaboration with accordion player Flaco Jiménez. “Here Comes the Rain,” another single, also scored significant radio play.

Although The Mavericks have found the most success in the country music market — snagging three Academy of Country Music Awards and two Country Music Association Awards, plus a Grammy for best country performance — the band has a freewheeling sound that’s difficult to nail down.

“We often feel like we don’t have a home because of the music we create. It doesn’t have a genre. There’s no category in which we fit,” Perez said, noting that The Mavericks’ music incorporates elements of Americana, Latin, rockabilly, surf, ska and world music. “If there was a category for ‘joyous,’ then I think we’d win just about every time.”

According to Perez, that mix of sounds stems from the diverse backgrounds of the band’s members, who include lead singer Raul Malo, keyboard player Jerry Dale McFadden and drummer Paul Deakin. (Bassist Robert Reynolds, a founding member of The Mavericks, was fired in 2014 due to his drug addiction.)

“We’re old school guys,” Perez said. “We approach (music) in a really old school rock and roll kind of way, which is no boundaries … collective and inclusive.”

Perez had been a Mavericks fan for about a decade when he joined the group’s lineup in 2003. “It was as if I should have been in the band all along,” the Los Angeles native recalled. “I just seemed to click and gel with it effortlessly.”

Unfortunately, The Mavericks split up about a year later for a hiatus that lasted nearly a decade. “In the time off … I played with a lot of extremely talented people, a lot of amazing singers,” Perez said, including Dwight Yoakum, Wynonna Judd and Miranda Lambert.

When The Mavericks reunited in 2012, Perez said, he returned to the fold “a little more well-rounded, experienced person” eager to share what he’d learned.

“I want to make sure I interject more of myself into it, not just musically, not just professionally but also my personality,” he said, and his band mates do too. “More than ever, we are allowing ourselves just to create. We are not thinking in terms of genre. We’re not thinking in terms of any parameters or walls around the music whatsoever. We’re thinking of songs in terms of songs.”

That embrace of artistic freedom has resulted in two well-received albums, 2013’s “In Time” and 2015’s “Mono,” and a new level of autonomy. This year, The Mavericks cut ties with Valory Music Group to launch their own record label, Mono Mundo Recordings.

“It’s a very empowering, very bold time for us,” Perez said. “We are now our own management company. We are our own merchandising company. We’re our own recording company. (And) on top of it, we have our touring business.”

According to Perez, the band’s hands-on approach is born out of close communication and true kinship. “Not only are we business partners but, when we’re not on the road, we’re our best friends,” he said. “We really are that tight and that close.”

To celebrate their renewed partnership, and mark the launch of their new label, The Mavericks will release “All Night Live Volume 1” on Oct. 14.

“It was a celebration of the hard work we’ve been doing, and it was a celebration of the fans who have been supporting us,” Perez said, as well as all of the support the band members have been receiving behind the scenes. “It is a celebration on all fronts.”

Plus, he said, The Mavericks wanted to “remind everybody of what we deem special about this band — and it’s the live show. It’s the experience.”

“At the end of the day … I’ve never lost sight of what it is like to buy the ticket … and go to the show and be rocked,” Perez said. “When I step on stage, I’ve always got that in my head. I want to give these people the best show they can remember.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Mavericks bring the party to SLO’s Fremont Theatre."