He grew up by the Rio Grande, and now he sometimes plays music by the Rio Grande. Where he grew up, and where he plays music by that river are hundreds of miles apart. That’s the story for Bo DePeña, the Texas born, now Pagosa Springs resident whose a little bit rock ’n’ roll and a lotta-bit country, walking a fine line between classic and outlaw country, a dude with a solid croon and a knack for writing tunes that are heady ballads or ripe for two-stepping on a sawdust covered dance floor.
DePeña and band will perform Saturday at the Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio for the 102nd Southern Ute Tribal Fair.
If you go
WHAT: Bo DePeña and band play for the 102nd Southern Ute Rodeo. Phil Hamilton opens.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Sky Ute Casino, 14324 Highway 172, Ignacio.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.skyutecasino.com or www.bodepenamusic.com.
“I grew up in Laredo, Texas, on the border of Mexico, and found it interesting that I lived five minutes from the Rio Grande river growing up my entire life, and then I move out to the mountain West, close to the Rio Grande when I’m playing Creede. And when I’m playing, I’m thinking ‘man, this river flows by the house I grew up in,’” DePeña said. “It’s wild.”
It all started with Elvis Presley. Grainy and old black-and-white footage of “the King” sparked something in a young DePeña, forever influencing the Texan while setting him down a musical path.
“Being 7 years old in my parents’ living room and watching Elvis, shaking his hips and gyrating his hips and I thought, ‘I could probably do that for a living.’ And so my parents bought me a classical guitar, a nylon-string guitar and I’ve been playing since I was 7 years old, on and off” he said. “When I was in college, I got a little distracted with other things in life, but then about a decade ago, I decided that I want to pursue it seriously, so I’ve been playing in the mountain West, anywhere from Colorado to South Dakota to Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona.”
Musicians, however, don’t live on Elvis influence alone. A country crooner needs something to croon about, and DePeña concluded that he needed to write.
“At some point, I realized that if I wanted to actually do this I needed to write some music, so that was the impetus of like, ‘how do I get myself out in front of a crowd?’ At that time that I started writing music I was really more of a lead guitar player, and that’s come full circle; I’m back to playing lead again which is pretty cool,” he said. “But back in those days, I was thinking that if I want to play in front of people I’ll need material, so I should put pen to paper, and it turns out some of it was pretty darn good. I’m happy to have written some of those songs, and I’ll be going back into the studio some time this winter to record a new collection of covers and originals that I really enjoy.”
DePeña will be leading a trio in Ignacio, a stripped-down approach with bass player Ronny Allan and drummer Damon Scott that will put some rock into country rock.
“I’ll take leads, and it has made the show far more enjoyable for the musicians on stage – that space to breathe and try new things, and its just been a ton of fun. We’ve gone from a more traditional sounding Western swing-style country ensemble, to almost having a more rock and blues vibe because of the trio setup,” DePeña said. “It’s a lot more work for me, but it’s much more fulfilling and I feel that it has challenged me that it has enhanced the overall experience for myself, the band and the audience.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
