The Mavericks are not your ordinary country band.

From the colorful artwork in their promos, you can see that. And if you can’t, you surely know when you listen to them. And if that still isn’t enough, their 2021 album En Español should really drive the point home.

“If you look at music today, it just seems like a lot of genres and ways that we used to know them don’t exist anymore,” Mavericks guitarist Eddie Perez told Whatzup. “Everything seems to be melded into one thing. I kind of like to describe our music as joyous music.”

That joyous music will swing by Foellinger Theatre on Saturday, July 15.

Early success

Formed in 1989 in Miami by Raul Malo, the son of Cuban exiles, The Mavericks also feature fellow original member Paul Deakin on drums and Jerry Dale McFadden on keyboards. McFadden joined in 1993 and Perez is the “new” guy, having joined in 2003.

In 1994, they won Top Vocal Group and Top New Vocal Duet or Group at the Academy of Country Music Awards. A year later, they again won the Top Vocal Award as well as the Top Vocal Group award from the Academy of Country Music. They were also nominated for a Grammy for their song “What a Crying Shame,” which hit No. 6 on the Billboard country chart.

In 1996, they won a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song “Here Comes the Rain.” The song came off their album Music for All Occasions.

After putting out five albums between 1992 and 2003, the group went on hiatus until returning in 2013 with In Time.

“I think when a band or an artist steps away, it’s probably for good reason,” Perez said. “We work so hard at this and spend so much time away from home, putting forth this art and taking it to the people, that sometimes you can get burned out. I think this band, in the early 2000s, we kind of hit a brick wall, quite honestly.”

Reunited and reinvigorated

Since returning, Perez says the band is as prolific as ever, putting out five albums, including 2018’s Hey! Merry Christmas.

Never afraid to go against the grain, Perez says En Español was a natural progression for the group.

“As musicians, we somehow found ourselves in a position to be able to chase down the passions and different sounds of music we grew up on,” he said. “Doing the all-Spanish record was a labor of love, but it was certainly one of those projects that was a long time coming.

“We felt like we had the personnel to put forth something that was really gonna meet the bar that we set for ourselves,” he added. “The timing was just everything. Over the years, we have done Spanish songs and played them in our live shows.”

And according to Perez, those live shows are can’t miss.

“It’s a non-stop, get-up-out-of-your-seat, make-sure-you-have-comfortable-shoes-on (show),” he said. “It kind of gets you out of your chair and it gets you inspired. I think the thing that people respond to most is that were just an old-school band that does it the old-school way. There’s no tracks or anything we play to. Everything you see on stage is what we’re doing in the moment. There’s a lot of nostalgia in that, too.”

Along with the energy, the next thing you’ll notice is Malo’s olive oil voice, which has drawn plenty of comparisons to Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley.

“He’s heard that most of his life,” Perez said. 

“It’s remarkable and inspiring as a fellow musician to be around him in the process of recording and writing music. There’s such a vast knowledge of all sorts of different genres and styles and history. It’s something that’s really bonded us as friends.”

Back in studio

Not ones to sit back and relax, Perez said the group was on the road for 250 days last year, and they aren’t finished yet.

“I’m actually in the car right now heading to the studio,” he said. “We’re in here in Nashville and in the middle of working on a new collection of music, hopefully to be released in early part of next year. We’ve been at it for the past couple of months.”

So, could we get a sneak peek at some new material?

“You don’t have to wait for a record to come out to play some of these songs,” he said. 

Regardless of what songs are played, you can bet The Mavericks will be offering up something you don’t see every day.