By Hailey Freeman
George Landa fondly recalls an email he received after his band Los Nawdy Dawgs released their first CD, a compilation of Christmas songs. The message came around mid-January from a woman whose mother had recently passed away. Her mother listened to the CD all throughout the holidays until the very day she died.
“She thanked me because we helped make her mom’s life so peaceful listening to the CD,” Landa says. “And that reinforces my belief in what we play and what we share.”
It didn’t matter that the woman and her mother lived over 1600 miles away in Terre Haute, Indiana. What matters is that Los Nawdy Dawgs’ music transcends geographic boundaries and touches people.
Los Nawdy Dawgs is a Tucson-based Latin Blues and Rock band that performs songs in English and Spanish. They have played alongside the likes of Carlos Santana and ZZ Top.
Not bad for a group that traces its roots back to lower Arizona, or as Landa dubs it, “the other L.A.”
Landa was introduced to the Nawdy Dawgs in 2001 after responding to a newspaper ad seeking a lead guitarist.
“I ended up firing everybody, taking over the band and adding the ‘los,’” Landa says.
He enlisted the help of childhood friend James “Eddie” Mansfield, whom he grew up with in Nogales, Arizona. Mansfield took over as drummer and lead vocalist of the band. Percussionist Bill Martinez was added to the roster followed by bassist John Liñán.
Landa says the band members knew they had to keep their day-jobs “to pay the mortgage because there’s no money in the music business.”
“I told the guys we’re gonna learn some originals, do some covers to get some gigs, dress nice, meet some pretty girls and have a great time,” Landa says. “Everybody signed on board, we had a vision and we went for it.”
Mansfield believes the key to the band’s success has been the camaraderie the among its members.
“We learn from each other because we’ve been through a lot together and individually,” Mansfield says.
Liñán explains how a lot of their experiences overlap and that each member understands where the others are going.
“We’ve all been around the block enough, not only in life, but musically,” Liñán says. “I’m the newest member of the band but there’s almost a shared common history among us.”
Landa echoes that sentiment.
“Its an unwritten vocabulary we have that everybody brings to the table,” Landa says. “They all have their story and they trust it enough to share it with you.”
A large part of each member’s story involves where they grew up and what influenced their musical taste.
George Landa realized he wanted to become a musician after watching the Beatles’ first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
“When I saw The Beatles come on and do their thing, I knew exactly where my life was headed,” Landa says.
According to Landa, growing up in Nogales, Arizona, was the best musical education one could receive. A short drive across the border to Nogales, Sonora, offered the chance to play in larger venues for bigger crowds and make more money.
The best musicians played in Nogales, Sonora, because the best bars were there. The brothels had orchestras and bands with horn players that played anything from samba to Sinatra.
“Musically, these guys were playing all different singers and that was the best kind of school,” Landa says. “Even though I was taking music theory and trombone in high school, when I got suspended from the basketball team for not cutting my hair, the action was in Mexico.”
Landa started as a ‘roadie’ for seasoned musicians after he offered to use his truck to haul their equipment between gigs.
“They wouldn’t let me play the first two sets, but by the third set one of them was drunk so I ended up being on guitar, or bass or piano,” Landa says. “All these cats were 9 to 10 years older and you better learn how to hang with these guys or they’ll walk all over you.”
Before Los Nawdy Dawgs, Mansfield translated English lyrics to Spanish while touring with a former band throughout California.
“For me, when I started playing, I was a guitar player,” Mansfield says. “Later on, the drummer in another band quit so I had to learn the songs in three days.”
Liñán grew up on the south side of Tucson listening to an eclectic mix of Norteño music, R&B and Motown. He developed a preference for playing and listening to metal music in his teens.
“I grew up on a side of town where at home I might listen to Latin stuff and the Beatles, then hang out with my friends and listen to Iron Maiden,” Liñán says. “And meanwhile someone on the street is bumping The Gap Band or Earth, Wind & Fire.”
Liñán didn’t realize how much this exposure to an array of genres affected him until he started branching out in his early 20’s, playing different types of rhythms.
As for his selection in instruments: “I didn’t decide to play the bass, the bass chose me,” Liñán says.
The band members recognize the importance of sharing their music with others.
“If God has given you a gift, you need to share it and give as honest as you can,” Landa says. “I’ve always said if it’s an audience of one person or 1000 people, you make an honest effort and play with everything you got.”
Part of Los Nawdy Dawgs’ success can be traced to their ability to change identities for different gigs and genres.
“We’ve endured,” Landa says. “We keep moving and evolving.”
The band strives to appeal to a variety of audiences. They want to make the listening experience familiar “but still exotic enough to draw you in,” according to Liñán.
“It’s like with Santana, every race and creed, no matter who you are or what you do, no matter what status you are, you’ll dig it,” Liñán says.
Mansfield says the band shares what they have learned with those willing to listen.
“Our music is for everybody, not just certain kinds of people,” Mansfield says.
So far, they’ve put out four albums: “Xmas Dawgy Style,” “Los Nawdy Dawgs,” “Copas con el Diablo” and “Lalo’s Town.”
Los Nawdy Dawgs play anything from Johnny Cash to Duke Ellington to Latin standards. Their library includes Creedence Clearwater Revival tunes and Lalo Guerrero songs.
In fact, the band is gearing up to perform a tribute concert honoring Lalo Guerrero this month. They will share the stage with Lalo’s son Mark and Ry Cooder Dec. 9 at the El Casino Ballroom. Los Nawdy Dawgs plan to revamp Lalo’s material from the 1930’s and ’40s.
“We are going to get the basics of the arrangements and modernize them a little bit,” Landa says. “We’re gonna go out and have a great show, because it’s a one-time shot.”
After that, Los Nawdy Dawgs will perform a Christmas Eve show at Casino del Sol and are slated to perform in a few festivals next year.
One thing is certain: Los Nawdy Dawgs will continue honoring the musicians who paved the way for them.
“We are standing on the shoulders of giants, the ones before us,” Mansfield says. “Without those from the past bringing all the music here, we wouldn’t be anything.”
Landa says his band shares the message that it is okay to have fun and enjoy life.
“If you’ve got nice clothes, nice gear, girls smiling at you, seize the moment and play because it could be gone in a heartbeat,” Landa says.
“Oh, and we do it ‘dawgy style’ because we’re Los Nawdy Dawgs.”