Rock-and-f’ing-roll. That’s it. No creative combination of diverse musical styles. No adjectives or words pulled from a thesaurus are required to describe the music Hacienda makes. Starting with a fuzzed-out guitar riff and roof-rattling backbeat, it becomes all too clear just seconds into the opening track, “Who’s Heart Are You Breaking,” from the band’s second album, Big Red & Barbacoa.
This point is reinforced a couple of tracks later, when Hacienda transforms the Everly Brothers’ simple love lament “You’re My Girl” into a stuttering rocker sung with a leering, menacing edge. With longtime friend and mentor Dan Auerbach (Black Keys) at the helm as producer, Hacienda eschews over-the-top production and focuses on the simple, straight-ahead basics delivered with deadly precision and backed with harmonies that recall the Beach Boys after a long night of drinking.
This release has an even more ragged, rocking feel than its predecessor, Loud is the Night, due to the influence of Auerbach. Hacienda spent time on the road serving as Auerbach’s band in support of his debut solo album, and the freedom and touch they discovered while playing with the guitarist is naturally translated on Big Red & Barbacoa. Guitarist Dante Schwebel calls the time on the road with Auerbach, “the biggest impact” on this album’s sound.
And what it sounds like is the perfect late-night summer album. One to be played at full volume, with a fridge full of beer, and a house full of friends. – Tim Newby / Honest Tune
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In terms of recent releases that fall under the rock & roll, the two that have most monopolized my listening habits this Spring are the Black Keys Brothers and Hacienda’s, sophomore LP, Big Red & Barbacoa. Coincidentally (or not) there’s a bit of symmetry here—a common link. The album’s production, like Hacienda’s debut, Loud Is the Night, was helmed by the Keys’ Dan Auerbach (Hacienda also served as his backing band, on tour, in support of his 2009 solo record). Once again Auerbach’s no frills approach and aesthetic works perfectly here complementing the sound rather than augmenting it.
From the get-go Hacienda’s Barbacoa sets the table with a big slice of south Tejas soul—an album that would surely make fellow Texan Doug Sahm proud. Over the course of the past two albums the band have found a sweet spot, digging their heels into sixties and seventies rock and soul, without falling prey to the kinds of retro-pastiche traps often associated with such. Make no mistake–this is a band in the here and now. – Aquarium Drunkard
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Two years ago Loud Is the Night, an assured, celebratory recording by a San Antonio group named Hacienda, landed on my desk.
The group’s adoration of ’60s pop, namely the Beatles and Zombies, was evident, but the band’s creative reach stretched across Texas
The group’s new Big Red and Barbacoa sneaked past me a few weeks ago. I only found it because the LP jacket popped with big, bright colors from the record-store shelf.
The colors nicely reflect the music inside. The band charges through classic-sounding ’60s pop and rock, offering a tip to the Everly Brothers on You’re My Girl, as well as a bunch of songs that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on an Everly album 50 years ago, particularly the spirited opener, Whose Heart Are You Breaking.
The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach remains the band’s biggest booster, having produced both albums and used Hacienda as his backing tour band.
Hacienda is due for more recognition, though. The group’s reference points are largely rooted in the past, but the vitality in its delivery makes the band sound urgent and modern. – Andrew Dansby / Houston Chronicle
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It’s 6pm, a few hours before the Hacienda show at DC9 in Washington, DC, and I’m talking to their bassist and songwriter Rene Villanueva at the bar. He brings up the usual rock musician topics . . . Ezra Pound, Japanese novelist Shusaku Endo, the joys of composing on a typewriter, how the best thing about college was unlimited access to the library, and the fact that no one seems to understand commas anymore. – interview with Rene Villanueva for Writers On Process
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Perhaps the title of Hacienda’s second album, Big Red & Barbacoa, with Auerbach back at the boards, is a slight tip of the bottle to Sahm, who posed for the cover of The Return of Doug Saldaña with a Big Red soda in hand. Certainly the music continues to do Sahm’s legacy proud as it channels Question Mark and Mysterians garage soul via Beach Boys inspired harmonies, all of it filtered through the lens of four guys from San Antonio who love to play that rock -n- roll music. – Los Grillos
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Hacienda, with the help of Auerbach, has twiddled and tweaked a tired recipe of what rock music is. They have added elements of R&B, funk, mid-70s near-stoner rock and a little bit of regional Tex-Mex to create something uniquely their own.
Listening to “Big Red & Barbacoa” was a bit like tasting something unfamiliar, but good. The second time was a dissection, an attempt at figuring out what you like and what you don’t, an attempt at breaking it down to its simplest parts. The third was the realization that the disc is as good as you thought the first time. Music really is a lot like cooking, take a few ingredients and string them together the right way and you have an excellent meal. Take a few good musicians—the Villanueva brothers and their cousin Dante Schwebel, pair them with a good producer—Dan Auerbach– and you have an outstanding record – “Big Red & Barbacoa.” – Lorenzo De Jesus Martinez / Lumino Magazine
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This one’s a game changer, folks. Their time on the road with Auerbach has paid off. "Big Red and Barbacoa" is a complete effort from a band that has found their sound. At least for now. The members look young and will hopefully have plenty of time to expand their palate. Right now, their sound is firmly anchored on the vintage side while never stooping to imitation. Some of their influences are obvious enough. Beach Boys harmonies abound, and I can’t imagine a band from San Antonio being unaware of the Sir Douglas Quintet. They tackle the Everly’s "Your My Girl" to great effect too. But the Hacienda sound is something new. The evidence of their musical taste is comforting, but the future of this band should not be confined to retro rock and soul. They’re too good at what they do to get stuck in someone else’s shoes. They can burn your barn down with a song like "Mama’s Cookin," then smooth you out with an instrumental like "Big Red." And they’ll take you everywhere in between. Listening to this record is like sliding into your favorite jeans. You know how they’re gonna feel and you can’t wait to put them on, and then you find a $20 bill in your pocket that completely takes you by surprise. Right now, "I Keep Waiting" is the $20 surprise on this record for me. But I feel like this is a truly great album, and in time I suspect that every one of the songs on "Big Red" will have been my favorite at some point. There’s nothing on here that doesn’t work. The reverb, the hand claps, the organ, the guitar solos, the bells. It’s all been done before, but never like this. I’m glad it’s happening now. – Jason Crawford / Home Theatre & High Fidelity
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On their second album, Big Red and Barbacoa, Hacienda pick up on the vibrations sent out by their West Side San Antonio predecessors The Sir Douglas Quintet. Like the SDQ, Hacienda combine rock, blues, country, Tex-Mex (shorthand here for a whole lot of border idioms), Cajun, and a host of other musical ingredients. It’s a delightful stew that producer Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys captures perfectly.
Hacienda pushes all kinds of rock n’roll buttons. The Everly Brother’s influence is felt in the Villanueva Brothers’ close, fraternal harmonies on “Who’s Heart Are You Breaking,” but the band’s instrumental punch is closer to a cross between Los Lobos and T.Rex. “I Keep Waiting” sounds like the Flamin’ Groovies finishing up a Brian Wilson track from a late Sixties Beach Boys session. “Hound Dog” sustains the Wilson Brothers/Hawthorne surf vibe, sounding nothing like its Big Mama Thornton namesake.
“You’re My Girl” takes an Everlys song and fattens it up with Rockpile vintage guitar sound and arrangement, as well as some Dave “Baby “ Cortez Hammond organ grooves. “Mama’s Cookin’” reels and rocks like a Cajun Little Richard negotiating an outtake from The Basement Tapes.
Guitarist Dante Schwebel is a master of the sort of rockabilly, Carl Perkins-style twang that George Harrison specialized in, “As You Like It” mixes the Carl/George picking with the honkin’ sound of Hubert Sumlin. Hacienda use fat, distorted guitar sounds that connect Fifties rock and contemporary sounds and remind us that in terms of guitar sounds Sumlin (Howlin’ Wolf) and Jimmy Rogers (Muddy Waters Band) pretty much invented the dirty guitar sounds that everyone from John Fogerty to Johnny Thunders has expanded upon.
“Big Red” and “Barbacoa”, the two instrumentals for which the album is named, honor a favorite beverage and the delicious slow-cooked (pick a meat, any meat) tortilla filler. “Big Red” is an instrumental that unites the Tennessee Two and NRBQ. “Barbacoa” simmers with a rolling groove that’s equal parts Fats Domino and Billy Swann. These Booker T. and the M.G.’s conscious instrumentals are the kind of workouts that help extend sets on hot, sweaty Saturday nights, something I ‘m sure Hacienda know a little something about.
Big Red and Barbacoa is elemental stuff — songs about good love, good love gone bad, good living, and hard times. It’s musical comfort food with more than a touch of spice. – Steve Wilson / KCFreePress
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More muscular and confident than Loud Is the Night from the get-go, opener “Who’s Heart Are You Breaking” [sic] sets the mood: a friendly barroom stomp (despite the title) crossed with the well-crafted Beatles pop songsmithery—much like their frequent tourmates and fellow late-‘60s/early-‘70s rock fetishists Dr. Dog. “I Keep Waiting”, with its strong vocal harmony and 2:57 runtime, will invariably prompt a letter from Brian Wilson demanding royalties, but, to be sure, it’s an original. Meanwhile, the title track gets split into two: side-A closes with “Big Red”, a jazzy/surf-y/spy movie outtake, while “Barbacoa” ends the album on a jaunty note, anchored by a roller-rink organ riff and a sense that things are just getting started. Damn if these guys don’t have 1965-1970 down cold.
Interestingly enough, Hacienda also know their way around pre-Beatles rock ‘n’ roll: they unearth the Everlys’ lost classic “You’re My Girl”, turning it into a brash psych rocker (with harmony, natch!), and even dig further back to craft their own updated prison blues lament, “The Prisoner”, all “whoa-oahs” and handclaps. And just to make the jump around the calendar complete, they do their best impression of the ‘80s college rock bands that found inspiration in ‘50s rockabilly, country, and border music: the Knitters-y oompah-pah carousel “Got to Get Back Home”; the Blasters’ roots-rock revivalism of “Mama’s Cookin’”, and How Will the Wolf Survive?-era Los Lobos on “As You Like It”.
It’s a dizzying, winning recipe that the Villanuevas have cooked up on Big Red and Barbacoa (and hopefully the record’s not too damned by all my namechecking, now that I go back and read what I’ve written), by a band that’s clearly in love with rock ‘n’ roll—no matter when it was released—and the sounds of summer. – Stephen Haag / PopMatters
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Combining Tex-Mex, straight up rock ‘n’ roll and Americana, Hacienda burst onto the indie-rock scene with Loud Is the Night in 2008. Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys produced the band’s debut effort, as well as its latest album. Demonstrating a stronger sense of the band’s garage-rock style, Big Red & Barbacoa is a more evolved beast, showing off more of its Tex-Mex roots. – NPR’s World Cafe : Next
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Hacienda Q&A with Sound Off / Austin Sound
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Hacienda sounded precociously talented on their debut album, 2008′s Loud Is the Night, and their sophomore release, Big Red and Barbacoa, confirms that two years of touring and writing new material have only sharpened their skills. Hacienda’s fascination with the Beach Boys hasn’t faded, and they can conjure up silky, heartstring-tugging four-part harmonies while working out arrangements that would do Brian Wilson proud during his sandbox period (cue up "Hound Dog" and "I Keep Waiting"), but as songwriters Hacienda are gradually growing into a voice of their own, and these 12 tracks are noticeably tougher, stronger, and more impressive than the stuff on Loud Is the Night. Hacienda are learning what to do with this material, and the arrangements behind the tunes are more imaginative just as the band sounds happy to have a real recording schedule for a change. As befits a band from Texas, Hacienda show a stronger Tex-Mex influence on Big Red and Barbacoa; "Barbacoa" sounds like a lost Sir Douglas Quintet track and "Got to Get Back Home" is a graceful Lone Star 2-step, while Dante Schwebel shows off some tough Link Wray-influenced licks on the rumbling instrumental "Big Red." This group also sound great on the tight, snappy rock & roll of "As You Like It" and the barrelhouse stomp of "Mama’s Cookin’," demonstrating these guys know there’s a big world beyond pop. – Mark Deming / All Music Guide
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Hacienda interview with The Waster
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Surprisingly smoothly produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, this collection of garagy epics hits a territory somewhere between King Khan and Spoon. Plenty of good singin’ and good playin’ on some real songs that will rattle around in your head for days. A bonus is the timeless sound that is like a sweet breeze from 35 years back. – Pirate Cat radio
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Among the most intriguing aspects of this San Antonio quartet’s second album is that you’re never quite sure what you’re listening to. Is it taking cues from early rock? California production pop? Stax soul? Tex-Mex? Neo-psychedelic grunge? The answer is ‘yes’ to all. At times, like the Beach Boys ‘65-inspired “Younger Days,” the influence is pure honorific. Other antecedents are amalgamated, such as the suggestions of Little Richard and Thee Midniters in the early rock ‘n’ soul of “Mama’s Cookin.” Others are honored and tweaked at the same time, such as a cover of the Everly Brothers’ “You’re My Girl,” on which the sound is a bit harder than the original, but the lust in the vocal gets at what Phil and Don could only allude to in 1965.
You can hear Sgt. Pepper’s-era Beatles in the guitars, the somber mood of Johnny Cash in the vocals, and the teenage energy of mid-60s go-go rock in the rhythms. But as quickly as one thing strikes you familiar another emerges from the mix to create doubts. “Got to Get Back Home” features the roller-rink organ of Dave “Baby” Cortez,” a Norteno polka-rhythm and accordion, and a vocal that swings like a drunken folk-revival whaling song. The closing title track is an instrumental session that sounds like ? and the Mysterians jamming a B-side in Memphis. As an added treat, several of the tracks are produced in punchy AM-ready mono and the album is available on vinyl! – Eli Messinger / Hyperbolium
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Photo by West Vita

Brothers Abraham, Jamie and Rene Villanueva give Hacienda that Everly Brothers via Los Lobos vocal vibe, though guitarist Dante Schwebel appears to be no slouch, either, just not an hermano of the Villanuevas—at least not by birth. Would it be a cliché to say I hear some Sir Douglas Quintet in here? Yeah, it would. But too bad, because I do. Maybe Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers are these guys’ two dads… Well, whatever latino rock cliché you pick, Hacienda has a great sound, equal parts almost everything that made ’60s rock good, plus some mojo from their familial culture with probably some good ol’ independent college rock thrown in. – Skratch Disc
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With Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys helming the production, San Antonio family band Hacienda makes waves with their Gulf Coast brand of surfy garage-rock on BIG RED & BARBACOA. The sunny harmonies and insouciant, loping melodies of "I Keep Waiting" and "Hound Dog" draw comparisons to The Beach Boys. "As You Like It" and "Got to Get Back Home" are reminiscent of ye olde Chicano-rockers the likes of Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs and The Sir Douglas Quintet. And "Big Red" and "Barbacoa," the instrumental bookends, sizzle like READY STEADY GO! dance-off hits. Despite a decidedly vintage flair, the band is no mere reprisal of their influences; as their testosterone-fueled cover of the Everly Brothers’ "You’re My Girl," shows, they are a shape-shifting klatch of fresh talent. – Oxford American
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Tex-Mex was taken to a new level when Hacienda stepped on the scene with its debut disc Loud Is the Night and it didn’t hurt that The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach was behind the boards for the battle between unforgettable harmonies and monstrous groove sessions. Nonetheless, that pattern continues with even more noticeable refinement in the chemistry between the band and its behind the scenes partner on Big Red & Barbacoa (Alive), which is just as spicy as it sounds. Part modern blues, another half garage rock and basically a kitchen sink’s worth of rhythmic variety help give the long player an unpredictable slant, but there’s still an curious cohesion that ties the tunes together. – Andy Argyrakis / Hear/Say
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The latest Hacienda album, Big Red & Barbacoa has tapped into the sounds of ’60s Pop in a big way. Never more noticeable than on their single, "Younger Days," where they are so time-tunnelled that you’ll do a double-take to check your calendar…year.
"Younger Days" is so perfect as a retro tune that you’ll immediately have a yesteryear soundtrack playlist sounding in your head (provided that you were listening to ’60s radio when your were younger.) It’s followed by a similar track (more album cut than single) named "I Keep Waiting."
Many of the tracks on Big Red & Barbacoa have a Tex-Mex sound that will be welcomed by fans of that style. But it’s all sweet treat listening that should have you enjoying all the tracks, especially the instrumental "Big Red," and that spectacular single, "Younger Days". You’ll also love their cover of The Everly Brothers’ "You’re My Girl." – Matt Rowe / Musictap
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You can hear Hacienda’s playing chops on the new album’s two instrumentals, "Big Red" and "Barbacoa," but the quartet is most interesting when they’re singing about their "Younger Days" or their "Mama’s Cookin’." There’s something about the close vocal harmonies of a family band that you just can’t beat–whether it’s the Everly brothers of Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Wilson brothers of Hawthorne, California, or the Villanueva brothers of San Antonio, Texas. – Music Is Amazing
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“Prisoner” has a thick walk-about hook that, combined with the backing harmonies, gives it a timeless feel. At about the 1:45 mark, they break it down real nice and then that hook reemerges again. It’s so understated and so good. The song fits perfectly in the middle of the album, followed by a sweet Booker T inspired instrumental right after. Other standouts on this phenomenal album include the opener, “Who’s Heart Are You Breaking,” “Apples” and “Mama’s Cookin.” They also work in a cover of The Everly Brothers’ “You’re My Girl.” – Woody / HearYa
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The idea was born of desperation. In 1964, in the midst of the British Invasion, Texas musicians steeped in blues and country had a hard time being heard on the radio. So Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers dressed themselves up in British suits, bought a British Vox organ and renamed themselves the Sir Douglas Quintet. Sahm may have been playing Texas R&B on his new guitar and Meyers may have been playing conjunto accordion licks on his new organ, but the addition of Beatlesque melodic hooks and 4/4 propulsion created something that didn’t sound like Liverpool and didn’t sound like San Antonio’s West Side but something entirely new and different.
The magic of that Tex-Mex garage-rock sound hasn’t diminished with the years and is now enjoying a renaissance thanks to two terrific bands from San Antonio: Hacienda and the Krayolas. As Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers once did, these newer bands are also using bleating organ/accordion riffs to glue the funkiness of conjunto R&B to the pop glories of ‘60s rock’n'roll.
The new album’s 11 original songs (credited to the whole band and supplemented only by the Everly Brothers’ "You’re My Girl") are extremely well crafted. The lead-off track, "Who’s Heart Are You Breaking," may have a misspelled title, but it boasts a bottom as dangerous as a riptide undertow. On top is not one but two catchy guitar figures and a lazy sing-along that asks an ex-lover, "Whose heart are you breaking now?" The elements are simple but each one is so attractive and so well executed that the effect is mesmerizing, especially within the resounding echo that Auerbach has given the track.
"Apples" compares true love to fruit out of reach on a tree, and the reacher’s agitation is reflected in the nervous, relentless rhythm, chanting vocals and steel-guitar solo. "Prisoner" advises a friend behind bars to "let your mind drift away" and provides the means of transportation on its hypnotic hand-clap rhythm and low-pitched guitar figure. "As You Like It" is a Mexican folk dance tune translated to overdriven amps, while "I Keep Waiting" is a classic surf number, featuring sumptuous Beach Boys harmonies with a Mexican-American accent. "Hound Dog" is not the Leiber & Stoller song but a dreamy pop tune about a jilted lover who feels like a dog but whose longing still takes the form of a chiming harpsichord, pealing slide guitar and keening tenor.
When Auerbach did a solo tour in early 2009, he took along Hacienda as both his opening act and backing band and did it again earlier this spring. You can hear Hacienda’s playing chops on the new album’s two instrumentals, "Big Red" and "Barbacoa," but the quartet is most interesting when they’re singing about their "Younger Days" or their "Mama’s Cookin’." There’s something about the close vocal harmonies of a family band that you just can’t beat–whether it’s the Everly brothers of Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Wilson brothers of Hawthorne, California, or the Villanueva brothers of San Antonio, Texas. – Geoffrey Himes / Sonic Boomers
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Hacienda building on S.A. sound : interview for San Antonio Express News
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Like the classic combo it’s named after, Hacienda’s latest album is a hunk of comfort food, golden-age rock ’n’ roll delivered with no irony and only minimal modern embellishment: Think a roadside stand where the real-deal cabeza de vaca’s been slow cooking less than 10 feet away from the kitchen door, not Chipotle’s renamed brisket in a rock ’n’ roll burrito wrapper. Unlike that time-honored titular heartstopper, however, Hacienda’s 36-minute Barbacoa has had all its fat trimmed away, and is even better for it. “Who’s Heart Are You Breaking Now” luxuriates in its low end in a way that’s probably only possible post-drum-’n’-bass, but otherwise it could be a rough-cut, but forward-thinking Everly Brothers demo. “You’re My Girl,” a cover of one actual such Everly Brothers song, emphasizes the drone over the romantic macho swagger and caps off in a garage-y guitar solo and spook-show organ. “I Keep Waiting” and “Hound Dog,” on the other hand, envision an alternate musical history in which the results of Brian Wilson’s musical experimentation didn’t rip the Beach Boys into factions or cause them to lose the immediacy of their earliest hits. The percussion in “Prisoner” falls somewhere between steam-punk industrial and “Jack and Diane,” but the spiraling vocal harmonies make it the album’s most modern-sounding track. Between these songs are several instrumental surf-rock interludes, authentic enough to wind up on a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack someday. The album’s best tracks — “Younger Days,” “Apples,” “As You Like It” — reassemble all these elements in a way that’s instantly familiar but would nearly stick out like Auto Tuned crunk on a Nuggets comp. The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach takes production and engineering credit here, but he’s smart enough to keep any embellishments so low-key he seems like a nonentity, maintaining the illusion of a really excellent four-track recorded live in the studio. Skilled, studied rock revivalists like Hacienda make it increasingly harder to distinguish “old-fashioned” from “timeless,” but some things taste too good to tamper with. — Jeremy Martin / San Antonio Current
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So many garage rock groups sound not only similar to each other, but far too similar to their inspirations on the Nuggets and Pebbles collections. Not HACIENDA – the San Antonio quartet is certainly stuck on the 60s, but has a palette that encompasses more than just simplified rip-offs of the ROLLING STONES and the BYRDS. For these young men (three brothers and a buddy), the BEACH BOYS (“I Keep Waiting”), LINK WRAY (“Big Red”) and the Stax/Volt soul sound (“Who’s [sic] Heart Are You Breaking”) loom as large in the musical galaxy as anybody with Vox gear. There’s plenty of BOOKER T. & THE MGS grooves and SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET organ thrown in there as well. – Michel Toland / Big Takeover
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Gonzai review (Fr) | Planet Gong review (Fr) | Written In Music review (Nl) | Raw Power Magazine reviews |
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Austin’s Hacienda drops their second album Big Red & Barbacoa (produced once again by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach) on April 6th. As a teaser they’ve released this superb mid-period Beach Boys styled original. – Hyperbolium
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Hacienda’s lone release so far is called "Loud Is The Night." It’s a slice of retro-pop heaven. These guys unapologetically wear their influences on their floral print sleeves, and thank goodness they do. You can hear Big Star, and the Beach Boys, and the Beatles, and a million garage bands that never achieved the notoriety of the "big time." Hacienda consists of three brothers and their cousin. They sing and play together like they’ve been at it for 20 years. I think they’ve been at it for less than three. No one’s going to fry your senses with guitar solos or vocal histrionics here. This is a band that plays together. Simply and wonderfully. – Home Theatre and High Fidelity
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Auerbach produced the band’s debut album, "Loud Is the Night," which offers persuasive evidence that Hacienda is a worthy heir of such Tex-Mex rock bands as the Sir Douglas Quintet, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, and the Texas Tornados. It’s not just that Abraham Villanueva’s electric organ and Dante Schwebel’s R&B tenor prove so effective in the classic Tex-Mex style but that Hacienda also writes such wonderfully melodic, heartfelt rockers. And when these family members add Beach Boys-like harmonies to songs such as "Hear Me Crying" and "Angela," the effect is exhilarating. – Geoffrey Himes / The Washington Post
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Boys-obsessed Mexican-Americans from south-central Texas who weld candycane melodies to sure-footed, ballsy rock bravura… Confused? You won’t be. From first note to last, Loud Is The Night is rammed with youthful rock and roll that flails around like a nun with a fork in her eye, raw riffs tussling with sleek 60s harmonies and intricate pop melodies to create something that’s more than a little special. Crafting similarly tumbledown rough-n-ready rawk to the likes of Dr. Dog and The Black Keys (the latter of whom are credited for mentoring the band and helping them record this album), Hacienda’s sound rolls effortlessly from the jaunty jangle of ‘Useless & Tired’ to tub thumping good-time rock n’ roll that sounds rawer than Tom Waits after smoking several tea bags wrapped in newspaper, most notably on highlights ‘She’s Got A Hold On Me’ and ‘Shake Ya’. – Oli Simpson / Bearded Magazine
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It’s a record for a warm, breezy summer afternoon, colored with a little romantic melancholy.
I’m excited for Hacienda, who will be serving as Auerbach’s band for his solo tour in spring of 2009. These guys are revisiting a tiny time period of pop music that’s usually ignored as bubblegum, in light of more socially or politically "important" music of the late ’60s. – Chris Middleman / Spectrum Culture
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Though the name of this band has a Spanish ring, it’s pure American rock ‘n’ roll coming out of this San Antonio quartet. Delightful pop harmonies and easy flowing melodies are this basis of their current release, Loud is the Night (Alive Records). Band Members are the Villanueva brothers Abraham (keys/vox), Rene (bass/vox), Jaime (drums/vox) and cousin Dante Schwebel (guitar/vox). The band has just wrapped up a tour opening for Dr. Dog and are already laying the groundwork for a winter tour – dates announced shortly. The lead single from Loud is the Night is "She’s Got a Hold on Me" and we have the video for you to check out. It was created with director Matt Muir and produced by Revelator Productions. – Connie Phillips / Blogcritics
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Produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and recorded over two weekends in his Akron studio, Loud Is the Night latches onto a few key areas of gyration. For one, your right foot can’t stay attached to the floor, and secondly the guilty shimmy pleasure overtakes the hips. “She’s Got A Hold On Me,” solidifies those two points directly off the bat. The track is infectious with vivid visions of the Beach Boys’ songwriting stamp, while “Hear Me Crying” incorporates memorable chorus based on levels of harmony. Built upon the musical foundation of cousins Abraham Villanueva and Dante Schwebel, Hacienda’s sound is rounded out by the remaining Villanueva brothers, Jamie and Rene. It is a shock that the quartet is Texas based because I swear I’m staring at the waters of Long Beach. – Martin Halo / Downtown Money Waster
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It’s easy to hear the sounds these Mexican-Americans create and talk about the Beach Boys – they harmonize so nicely and even the grainy cover art and font take you back to a time when short shorts, surfboards and sun kissed skin was the dream – or talk about how well they fit in with the bands they tour with (Dr. Dog and naturally Frank McElroy and Scott McMicken also guest on the album), but Hacienda makes sure that their sound isn’t completely indebted to that over replicated era.They give a nice 70’s Tex-Mex style rework to the Sonny and Cher classic Baby Don’t Go, but also pull off some doo-wap and change tempos to keep the songs moving. There are moments that could obviously soundtrack your summer, but tracks like Another Day would fit in perfectly with a backyard chimney and a nice blanket on a crisp autumn night. The opening track, She’s Got A Hold On Me, could easily be placed on my favorite songs of ’08 list and honestly, for a debut this record (especially one that is destined to be compared to fantastic songs and bands) is remarkable. – Herohill
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Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys refers to them as, “Mexican-Americans who are obsessed with the Beach Boys” and after listening to their debut album, Loud is the Night, that statement rings true. And it’s a harmonic ringing culled from another time and even with comparable efforts (The Carrots) cropping up in Austin, TX it’s reminiscent of another time zone. How about 1965, Huntington Beach, CA, the sun is setting and a friend opens a cooler of ice cold beer? That sounds refreshing and so does Hacienda. It’s exciting to hear a rebirth of 60’s doo-wop twisted tightly in a pop rock prom dress. Largely recorded in a home studio in Akron, OH with members of The Black Keys and Dr. Dog, the tracks roll out smooth with a comforting sincerity. From the song “Shake Ya”, Nature’s sun / why don’t you come out? / why don’t you feel good? / Yeah you know you ought to know / you say you love me, but you’re just too high bring an easy going, carefree feeling to carry us through the album. – Travis Catsull / Live Music Capitol
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Hacienda—three brothers and a cousin—plays an engaging blend of roots rock and R&B, enriched by an old Korg keyboard with a sound that falls somewhere between “96 Tears” and a roller-rink organ. – Jim Fusilli / The Wall Street Journal
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The album boasts unadulterated, progressive pop prowess—heavy on harmonies, rhythm and soul. – Performing Songwriter
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It seems that as of late, there are countless artists that are chasing after that throwback sound from the 1960′s. Some have got the market cornered on sounding authentic, keeping true to the ways of their forefathers in respect to production and song craft. A handful of these artists do an excellent job and keep the music fresh, while others seem to get bogged down in trying to sound too vintage and sacrifice songwriting and the overall flow of the album. Hailing from south central Texas, Hacienda is one of the very few bands who sound as though they truly could have been transplanted straight from the 60′s pop/rock/garage scene, write hooks that you can swear that you’ve heard before, and deliver some of the best vocal harmonies that hold their own with today’s releases and the music from way back when. What sparked my interest first about Hacienda, before even giving it a listen, was that this album was produced by none other than Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) and was released on Alive Records, both of which were responsible for two of my favorite albums in 2008, The Black Diamond Heavies and Buffalo Killers. However, the album is nothing like what I expected it to be. Unlike the Heavies and Killers, Loud is the Night is laid back and delicate, full of vintage pop sounds that are indeed groove oriented, but never over-driven or distorted. The album’s production sounds as authentic as the songs themselves, leaving everything open and airy, relying heavily on the layers of acoustic instruments and background vocals that are carefully placed far back in the mix, just as it would have been done in 1965. The record is mixed somewhat quiet, bringing the album that low fidelity sound that is a must in achieving what they do. The opening track, "She’s Got a Hold on Me", grabs your ear with a stellar fuzz-bass tone that sets things up and is the perfect way to kick things off for Hacienda. Though the album is steeped in Beach Boys style influence throughout, this one gives things a nod to the early Kings of Leon sound with a bit of the power pop feel similar to that of the Velvet Crush. Changing gears, Hacienda follows up with "Angela", that could easily be a long-lost Zombies gem, complete with distant oohs and ahhs that complement that lead vocals. This aspect of the band is, in my opinion, one of their strongest selling points. Of course, being comprised of all brothers and one cousin really brings the tight vocal harmonies to the table, as it is almost always the case that family members sing best together.

This album has been flying under the radar and often, as in my case, gets overshadowed by the other releases from Alive Records that are a bit rowdier. Loud is the Night is anything but loud, and that in itself sets Hacienda apart from other artists that look towards the 60′s for influence. They embrace the subtleties of the music rather the raw grit, focusing heavily on the layers of vocal harmonies and complementary instrumental parts, creating a sound that is light and relaxed. A perfect listen and new discovery for those who enjoy rock and pop from the 1960′s and those who have embraced the sound of newer artists, such as The Strokes and the Redwalls. – AB / Disc Exchange
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An unabashed beauty. ‘Shake Ya,’ for example, has hit written all over it. Belying its hip-hop title, it starts as a mid-tempo bop and then blossoms with organ fills and soaring harmonies as a seriously pretty piece of pop. Too soon it’s over. ‘Little Girl,’ which follows, is even prettier. It uses shifts in tempo and melody, techniques reminiscent of The Beach Boys that show up in other places on the album, like ‘Useless and Tired.’ ‘Sun,’ another brilliant track, is an organ-driven piece that would sound at home on The Beach Boys ‘Smiley Smile’ album. The title of the opening cut, ‘She’s Got a Hold on Me,’ may derive from The Beatles’ cover of a Miracles tune, but the music owes something to ‘I Feel Fine’ by The Fab Four. And the tingling harmonies of ‘Angela’ have the sound of The Turtles. ‘Another Day,’ a dreamy piece of pop, is The Band’s Canadian Americana filtered through a south Texas lens, with a big helping of California harmony — if you can imagine that. ‘Hear Me Crying’ harkens back to an older era, the late 1950s. It’s reminiscent of the kind of music that Los Lobos plays, but the sound is more Brill Building than south Louisiana. The heavy, bluesy ‘Officer’ follows; it’s a bit like ‘Flying,’ The Beatles’ instrumental, only with words.’Where the Waters Roam’ clumps along merrily with oddly compelling sour harmonies. ‘Wishbone,’ sparse and wistful, has a particularly strong Band vibe. And then there’s a fabulous cover of Sonny and Cher’s hit, ‘Baby Don’t Go,’ an absolute sock-knocker. It doesn’t even get a lyrical gender change on ‘I’ve been in town for 18 years and you’re the only boy I’ve had.’ But it doesn’t need one. The song’s great unaltered. Like the rest of the record, Hacienda’s version is unbelievably good. – Ben Windham / Tuscaloosa News
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The opening track, "She’s Got a Hold on Me," provides a sunny vocal melody that rides on a fuzzed-out bass line, dances atop a lively telecaster and fits just right between the stamping kick and clapping snare. Auerbach and Hacienda show their appreciation for 50′s dance songs with the sock-hop screamer, "Hear Me Crying." The Wonders may have covered this in that Tom Hank’s flick, "That Thing You Do." Not really. The tumbling drumbeat, blissful guitar and softly sweet harmonies sound first rate on the Accord’s speakers and would bop even better atop look-out point. The track escalates into a climatic verse during which the whole band sings with conviction, "Holding you tight, loving you right," as the keys continue to gently weep in the distance. Good things need not be spoiled, so pick-up "Loud is the Night," and get down. – Hunter Embry / Horizon
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Yet another outfit from Texas getting the planet excited. Under the expert tutelage of Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), this quartet defies categorisation; except to say it’s melancholic and exciting, with hints of melodic Beach Boys dreamscapes had Marc Bolan changed his surname to ‘Wilson’. This is music by which to share drinks with friends (She’s Got a Hold on Me), take long drives to nowhere (Officer), or lament relationships shattered (the staggeringly beautiful Baby Don’t Go). As if from a time warp of simple experimentation, poignant tunes and flooding emotions without the rose-tint, this is a joy. – Chris Murray / MAG
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Hacienda make classic pop-rock songs with an ear for a ballad but also the feel for harmony vocals like the Everly Brothers/Beach Boys/Beatles: in fact in Hear Me Crying here they unashamedly reach right back to the late Fifties for some echo guitar, Buddy Holly/Peggy Sue drumming and harmonies. – Graham Reid / Elsewhere
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The San Antonio-based Hacienda’s debut is filled with swampy-sounding garage rock rave-ups much like this one. It was produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, which you could probably tell by listening to it. – Singles file / The Washington Post
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Meet the Mexican Beatles! – Rolling Stone/Smoking Section | Motion Wave pick (Japan) | Gonzai.com (France) | Goddeau.com (Netherlands)
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Hacienda, hailing from San Antonio Texas have captured that early 60s garage rock vibe perfectly–think the Standells, the Chocolate Watch Band, the Count Five (you know, all those great bands on those Nuggets box sets) on their latest release “Loud Is the Night” on Alive records. Formed by cousins Abraham Villanueva (piano/vocals) and Dante Schwebel (guitar/vocals), together with Abraham’s brothers Jaime (drums/vocals) and Rene Villanueva (bass/vocals), this Tex-Mex quartet whips up a time-tested blend of harmony and melody from the sounds that launched a million bands during that post-Beatles invasion era. Oh, and you all know about the Black Keys, right? They’re killer, eh? And, luckily for Hacienda, Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys) practically adopted this band! They’ve opened up for ‘em all over Austin and Auerbach recorded this “Loud Is the Night” album in his personal home studio! If they’re cool enough for the Black Keys, well then…they’re probably cool enough for you! – Ohh … Burn! | Interview with Rene Villanueva
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If you missed Hacienda Wednesday night, you just might have missed one of the better performances of the year in Tuscaloosa. Hacienda blew The Mellow Mushroom away and I don’t think many people expected it.They were high energy, fun, dance-able and musically tight. Their bass player was astounding to watch, their rythm section is their greatest asset. – Cory Pennington / Tuscaloosa News
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Hacienda was the brainstorm of cousins Abraham Villanueva and Dante Schwebel, who started playing together back in 2004. By 2005, having had trouble filling out the rest of their band, they teamed with Abraham’s two brothers, Jaime and Rene, and what is now Hacienda took shape. A digital recorder, the support of Black Keys’ Dan Aurbach and a few years later, the Hacienda family is making some noise. – WNEW
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This San Antonio quartet have found just the right mix of roots/indie rock to keep you locked into their fantastic little groove. Their new album was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and they’re currently touring with one of my current favorites, Dr Dog. – Restless Radio
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It is not often that a first-opener does anything for you except give you a chance to grab another beer, go outside for a smoke, and/or hold your ears shut and scream in agony. Not so, however, with Hacienda, a San Antonio quartet who stayed true to their roots with a solidly talented 45-minute set of Beatles-infused soul rock. Songs like "Hear Me Crying" and "She’s Got a Hold On Me" had the audience thoroughly converted; then, a strange thing happened: these scruffy Texas boys got the hipsters to dance. Indeed, a considerably large circle of plaided, skinny-jeaned kids in the center of the dance floor began moving, to the beat of the music, and apparently enjoying themselves. The set ended with a guest harmonica appearance by the fedora’d and well-received Scott McMicken (of Dr. Dog)–this show was to be henceforth fraught with collaboration, one of the most impressive qualities of the performances. It should go without saying that Hacienda went above and beyond the call of duty and demonstrated what opening bands should have had from the beginning: talent. Take note, fledglings. – Devon Maloney / The Beat Of Boston University
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A truly talented quartet whose sound resembles the Beach Boys in a sort of Beatlesque fashion. In other words, these guys just rock! - It Could Mainstream
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It looks like these guys might be blowin’ up. We can only hope. – Toe Stubber
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The Spanish word “hacienda” means estate or vast ranch. In musical terms, however, Hacienda is translated into a measureless field of colorful vintage tones, brisk harmonies and cropped by a danceable rhythm section, all of which is produced from the sonic soul of three brothers and a cousin from San Antonio, Texas. – Hear/Say
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Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys once described the Austin, TX quartet Hacienda as "Mexican-Americans who are obsessed with the Beach Boys," and while that’s an oversimplification, it isn’t far off from the mark. Auerbach produced and plays on Hacienda’s debut album, Loud Is the Night, and while the guys are clearly enamored of middle-period Beach Boys stuff (think Wild Honey through Holland), there are plenty of other obvious touchstones in their sound — the Beatles (dig the "I Dig a Pony" guitar figure in "Useless and Tired" and the Rubber Soul/Revolver-era melodies scattered throughout), the Rolling Stones in their quiet moods ("Wishbone" suggests a pocket-sized version of "Moonlight Mile"), 1960s and early-’70s studio pop (with scaled-back flashes of Phil Spector and Jack Nitzsche’s production styles clearly audible, and a hint of the Turtles in "Angela" and "Officer") and even Sonny Bono (there’s a surprisingly faithful cover of the Sonny & Cher hit "Baby Don’t Go"). As with most bands who wear their influences on their sleeves, the real question here is if Hacienda can bring anything new to the picture, and thankfully Loud Is the Night leaves no doubt that this band knows how to write songs in the classic style and give them shape in the studio with a precocious grace. Brothers Abraham Villanueva (piano and vocals), Jaime Villanueva (drums and vocals), and Rene Villanueva (bass and vocals) and their cousin Dante Schwebel (guitar and vocals) conjure up a remarkably full and eclectic sound in the studio, and if their harmonies aren’t quite up to the level of the Wilson siblings, they bring a warm, rootsy edge to the music that adds a distinct and welcome Southwest flavor. Hacienda may be in love with vintage sunshine pop, but Loud Is the Night shows they can give the sound a welcome shot of soul while staying true to its melodic roots, and this is a strikingly accomplished debut (especially when you consider that it was recorded in a mere two weekends). – Mark Deming / All Music Guide
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What’s not to like? Four piece harmonies? Check, they’re in there. Solid production? Check. Well written tunes recorded live to give it the authentic feel of a live performance? Check. And I know what you’re thinking. Woody, wouldn’t it be cool if Dr. Dog chimed in on a couple of tunes? One step ahead of you, my friend. Frank and Scott do stop in to lend a helping hand. You can hear them on “Little Girl” and “Angela” lending their vocal prowess to the harmonies.This is a great debut. Some of my favorites include “Shake Ya,” “Sun,” “Wishbone” and the opening track, “She’s Got A Hold On Me.” – Hear Ya
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Hacienda is three Villanueva brothers, Abraham (keyboards, vocals), Rene (bass, vocals) and Jaime (drums, vocals) and cousin Dante Schwebel (guitar, vocals). The band’s sound is a mixture of power pop and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll. It has a ’60s vibe and an alt-rock groove and they go together well. – Jim Beal / San Antonio Express News
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Brothers Abraham, Rene and Jaime Villanueva — along with their cousin Dante Schwebel from Laredo — play this mesmerizing, retro, lo-fi sound, and claim both the Beach Boys and The Band as influences. Other critics have thrown around "sounds like" names such as 60s era Sir Douglas Quintet, the Beatles, etc etc, and they all make sense, but the band’s self-assured sound is all their own. – Ken Burns Hates Mexicans
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Hacienda will be touring with Dr. Dog this September and October, which is fitting because if you like Dr. Dog (or the Beatles, The Beach Boys or The Band), you’ll really love this band. It’s nice to find a good band that compares well to a band(s) you already love, but generally you get a small taste and the rest doesn’t follow through. Hacienda’s new album Loud Is The Night satisfies from start to finish.

These four Mexican-Americans gave a demo to Black Keys’ lead singer Dan Auerbach that "blew my fucking mind…I told everyone about them." One of the groups Auerbach told was the aforementioned Dr. Dog who also guest on the new album. Auerbach also then proceded to put his money where his mouth was and produced and engineered the entire album. You can really hear Dan’s influence on Shake Ya. Baby Don’t Go is a sweet Sonny Bono cover too. – MOKB
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Loud Is The Night is a roots-indierock extravaganza. Hacienda mine the territory where Los Lobos, Sir Douglas Quintet and the Beach Boys all co-mingle in blissed out 60′s AM radio psych/garagerock fervor. – Some Velvet Blog
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Hacienda, straight out of San Antonio, Texas, kicked off the evening’s sold out show. Their sound was sweet and harmonious, reminiscent of early rock n roll, and their cover of Sonny and Cher’s "Baby Don’t Go" brought huge cheers. – Mel.Opho.Be
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Influenced by an array of music, most of it from the ’50s and ’60s, Hacienda crafts songs in which power pop meets Americana. The quartet’s music is borderline lo-fi, laid back in spots, catchy and upbeat in others. – Jim Beal Jr. / MySA
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If you’ve got to model yourself after someone or something, why not shoot for the best? Just as Marc Bolan looked to rockabilly for inspiration, Hacienda turns back the clock a tad further than some of its colleagues, churning out a few surprises (a Sonny Bono cover, "Baby Don’t Go", the overall influence of Memphis soul and doo-wop) and a nice spin on the retro racket. – Zachary Herrmann / Blurt
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Plucked from Texas by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who helmed production for the San Antonio quartet’s debut LP, Hacienda basks willfully in the glow of the 1960s. The gritty pop surge of opener "She’s Got a Hold on Me" bursts with retro flavor before dropping into swaying ballad "Angela." While the tight harmonies of the Villanueva brothers and cousin Dante Schwebel bridge the Beach Boys with the British Invasion, melting throughout "Another Day" and beaming on "Sun," and are further accentuated by contributions from members of the like-minded Dr. Dog, Hacienda finds its best sound in the looser, more playful moments, such as Sonny Bono cover "Baby Don’t Go" and the subdued swirl of "Shake Ya." – Doug Freeman / Austin Chronicle
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