HOUSTON (CAP) - Alberto Gonzalez leans casually against the bar, no sign of his recent occupational problems evident on his face or in his mannerisms. Behind him in the murky depths of Houston's Pedro's Bar and Grill, his band's first ever sound check is underway.
"I feel good, great even," Gonzalez confesses as he absently twirls one of the frills on his western shirt. "I can't recall ever feeling this sure about something. I mean seriously, I just can't remember doing so."
The "something" in this case is Gonzalez' latest gig, a Latin country fusion band calling itself Alberto and the Gonzes. It's a band of privilege, heavy on pricey equipment, light on talent. It's rich with name recognition, yet poor on tempo, rhythm and completely lacking a credible 10-minute drum solo.
More...
Despite its limitations, the band has been generating a sizable amount of press since its unveiling earlier this week, and a look at the group's lineup quickly shows why: all the members are fired US attorneys, and they are being leg by soon-to-be ex-Attorney General Gonzalez himself.
"Was there bad blood? Oh sure, for a while," says Bud "Buddy-C" Cummins, who served as US attorney in Arkansas' Eastern District from 2001-2006 and now blows sax for Alberto and the Gonzes.
David "Eagle-Eye" Iglesias, former US attorney for the District of New Mexico, agrees.
"I wanted nothing to do with Justice for the longest time, but I've managed to compartmentalize the rage, frustration and contempt and channel it into the book I'm writing," Iglesias says as he polishes his bass for the night's show. "I think I actually got the band ball rolling by e-mailing Alberto looking for a Toby Keith CD that he borrowed, and it grew from there.
"Our collective love of music helped us to heal and allowed us to perform together, just like The Eagles," he adds.
Alberto and the Gonzes certainly won't be the first musical collaboration spawned by government. The most famous was a quartet calling itself the Singing Senators, four Republican congressmen who actually released an album in 1998 called Let Freedom Sing.
One famous alum of that group, John Ashcroft, would later go on to head the Justice Department, where his weekly prayer and campfire sing-along breakfasts became the moist dark fertilizer from which Alberto and the Gonzes would spring.
For now though, the group is looking forward, not backwards. They are not dwelling on past firings and name-callings, but are eager to play several small clubs in the Houston area in preparation for a two-state tour they are calling The Red State Rodeo Review. As the band breaks into the optimistic opening notes of a Go-Go's "Vacation" cover, Alberto Gonzalez succinctly sums up his group's chances for success.
"If I can remember the words, and recollect attending practices, how can anyone possibly fault us for our playing?" Gonzalez asks before boarding the stage.
Cross-posted at CrystalAir.com