Kin Faux, a country music band that played the stage at 11th Street Cowboy Bar last Saturday, March 15, sat down for a Q&A with the Bandera Bulletin.
Bandera Bulletin: Where are you all from?
Rico Gonzalez [singer and fiddle player]: All over. Predominately from San Antonio.
Jakey Black [Guitarist]: I’m from Saginaw, Michigan.
Bandera Bulletin: How did you all meet?
Gonzalez: [laughs] It was literally, a long story short, it was an answer to a Craigslist ad. Jakey and I were the original members, and we formed the band in Michigan. I was born and raised in San Antonio but moved up there [Saginaw] and played in different bands. I was playing top 40 and he was playing in an outlaw band. When we started touring in Texas, our former bass player and drummer retired and that’s how we got probably the best rhythm section in the world [laughs]. It’s a blessing to do this for a living.
Bandera Bulletin: Did you ever envision it was going to blow up like this? Opening for Luke Bryan, touring with Trace Adkins?
Black: [laughs] It’s blown up?
Gonzalez: [laughs] You’ve heard of us? No, I’m kidding, we are honored and humbled by it.
Adam Carillo [bass]: I always manifested something.
I’m glad to be here.
Bandera Bulletin: When did you first realize this was becoming something big?
Gonzalez: For me personally, it was when we won Entertainer of the Year in 2023 at the Texas Country Music Awards at Billy Bob’s Texas. We were in the same category as Cody Johnson and Randy Rogers. We felt like – it was a fluke kind of thing.
Black: Any kind of acknowledgment is absolutely amazing. We don’t take it for granted. We also won Band of the Year a few years before that – which some industry professionals said was the easy one. They told us the Entertainer of the Year is the big one and it could take a lifetime to get. So, we saw that we were nominated and thought – no way. They called our name and were like – did they just call our name?
Gonzalez: Yeah, that was the moment for me.
Carrillo: Yeah, I had heard of them [Kin Faux] when they called me to join. But even with their growing popularity, we are a humble group of guys that stay in a state of gratitude.
Black: I’ve been in a number of bands and there’s almost always one element that ruins the band. But everyone here is dedicated and focused, and we want to do this for the right reasons. Anything that happens along the way is a gift.
Bandera Bulletin: To that point, how often do you practice?
Gonzalez: As much as we can. Two to three times a week. We have a tour we are planning for the Midwest in the fall. October we are planning things with Trace Adkins.
Black: Possibly doing a live album.
Gonzalez: Yes. We sold out at Billy Bob’s and they asked us to do a live album.
Bandera Bulletin: What is your lyrical inspiration?
Black: A good song is a good song. Whether we write it or not, it’s immaterial as long as it speaks to us. We are so blessed to have an amazing stable of talented people in our corner. David Lee – incredible songwriter. Brett Beavers and Bernie Nelson, just incredible songwriters. They’ve written hits for Luke Bryan and other big names.
Bandera Bulletin: Avery, I haven’t heard from you at all. You gotta say something.
Avery Castro [Drummer]: [laughs] Something.
Gonzalez: [laughs] We picked up Avery in San Antonio, he was like a local hero there. We are very lucky to have him in our band.
Bandera Bulletin: What can people expect tonight?
Gonzalez: A high-energy show. This is our fourth time here and each time, it’s a riot. We’ve been here with Fowler and a few years back we did the Cowboy Mardi Gras. This is a huge milestone for us. We have people come up to us all the time asking when we’re coming back to Bandera and we’re finally back.
Bandera Bulletin: Final thoughts?
Gonzalez: We really are a family. We fight like a family; we love like a family. That’s what our name stands for. Faux Family, because it doesn’t have to be blood that ties you together. Big shoutout to our family, our fans that come out to see us.
Black: Everyone that comes out tonight, we are just so thankful for your time. You can be anywhere, and you choose to be here.
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