Below are the musicians
who've played with Radio Aztlán since its first incarnation
from 1990- 1991 to its second 2002- 2006. Since 2008
and moving forward, I'll simply call the groups I put together
for shows the Mark Guerrero Band.
Ron Reyes (lead
guitar)
Ron Reyes’ history, like
Mark Guerrero’s, goes all the way back to the golden
age of East L.A. Chicano rock & roll. As a teenager
in the 60s, Ron played with The Impalas (Whittier Records),
Strange Brew (ABC Records), Old Tyme Religion (Warner Brothers
Records), and in the early 70s, Yaqui (Playboy Records).
He then worked from the mid-70s through the 80s with the hit
group Cannibal & the Headhunters. From 1993 to ‘98
Ron toured 47 states with the “30 Years of Rock &
Roll” tour where he backed artists such as, Mickey Dolenz
of The Monkees, Bobby Kimbel of Toto, The Coasters, The Drifters,
The Platters, Len Berry, and Mitch Ryder & the Detroit
Wheels. He has done many recordings with Mark Guerrero
over the years and now plays with Mark Guerrero & Radio
Aztlán and legendary Native-American band, Redbone.
Bob Dominguez (drums)
Bob Dominguez studied drums and
Latin percussion with greats such as Joe Porcaro and Chuck
Flores. Bob has performed with artists such as Les Brown
and Latin jazz legend, Willie Bobo, and given numerous orchestral
and jazz performances in Southern California with the Riverside
and San Bernardino Civic Light Opera, Redlands Bowl Symphony,
and the Inland Empire Symphony. Dominguez also appeared
as the drummer in the 1988 CBS television series ‘Dirty
Dancing.” Bob Dominguez is currently faculty at
the University or La Verne, University of California at Riverside,
and Idyllwild School of Music. Bob has provided instruction
for 22 years at Lier’s Music Co. in San Bernardino,
CA, and has taught at San Bernardino, Crafton Hills, Chaffey,
and Riverside Community Colleges. Bob Dominguez has
worked with Mark Guerrero for 7 years; in Mark’s cover
band, Hot Rox, Lalo Guerrero with Mark Guerrero & the
Second Generation Band, and Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán.
Leo Valenzuela (bass)
Leo Valenzuela has been playing
bass guitar for 35 years. He has a Bachelor of Music
degree from Cal State Long Beach and studied commercial music
under the direction of John Prince. Leo has played with
Gary Foster (formerly of the Tonight Show band w/ Doc Severensen),
Greg Walker (former singer for Santana), Marc Ford (formerly
of the Black Crows), and Steve Hill (writer of numerous songs
for the Desert Rose Band). He's also backed up r&b
artists such as The Intruders and Brenton Wood at many venues,
including the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Leo Valenzuela
has played on several Mark Guerrero recordings as well as
performing with Mark on a Lalo Guerrero recording session.
Leo’s older brother John was a member of Mark Guerrero’s
1970s band, Tango, who recorded an album for A&M Records
in 1973.
Alex Armstrong (acoustic guitar and harmony vocals)
Alex Armstrong studied at the
University of Pennsylvania and earned his Bachelor of Music
degree at San Francisco State University. He’s
a singer/songwriter who’s worked solo and with numerous
rock bands over the years. He’s been working with
Mark Guerrero on and off since 1982. Alex was also a member
of Lalo Guerrero with Mark Guerrero & the Second Generation
Band in the late nineties, and now is part of Mark Guerrero
& Radio Aztlán. A lifetime fan of world music, Alex
says “working with Mark & Lalo Guerrero has expanded
my cultural horizons.”
Al Lopez (alto and tenor saxophone, flute)
Al Lopez studied music at Cal
Poly Pomona, Corona College, Chaffey College, and the USC/Idyllwild
Music School. While in high school, he played in the
Southern California Honor Orchestra for two years. He’s
worked with artists such as Frank Zappa, Terry Kirkman (of
the Association), Tito Puente, Jack Jones, and did a lot of
session work in L.A. He’s worked with Lalo Guerrero
with Mark Guerrero & the Second Generation Band and Mark
Guerrero & Radio Aztlán
Steve Alaniz (alto and tenor saxophone, flute)
Steve Alaniz is one of the best and most respected woodwind
artists in Southern California. He plays with many of
the best rock and jazz artists and is in demand as a studio
musician for CDs, and film music. Steve played often
with Lalo Guerrero with Mark Guerrero & the Second Generation
Band in the late nineties, including in Tucson, AZ for the
Mural Dedication Concert in 1999. Steve Alaniz performed
with Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán in 2004 at The John
Anson Ford Amphitheater and The Kodak Theater, both in Hollywood,
California. Al Lopez or Steve Alaniz perform with Mark
Guerrero & Radio Aztlán depending on availability.
Johnny Guerrero
(congas, timbales)
Johnny Guerrero is a multi-instrumentalist
hailing from Southern California. He attended Berklee
College of Music in Boston, then went on to tour North America,
Asia, Europe and Africa with such bands as the Platters, Inter-national
Reggae All-Stars, Christafari and Temple Yard. Johnny’s
first album, with Christafari, “Valley of Decision”
was nominated for Reggae Album of the Year by the Nelson Mandela
Tamika Awards, and his second, “Temple Yard,”
garnered a coveted spotlight review in Billboard Magazine.
Most recently, Johnny was in the studio producing the legendary
Memphis Horns and joined the duo and Sheila E. backing up
Beyonce Knowles on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
When Johnny is not on tour, he can be found recording emerging
artists in his own production facility, Warriorland.
Johnny and Mark Guerrero are first cousins.
Aaron Guerrero Routtenberg (congas, timbales)
Aaron Routtenberg, Mark Guerrero's
second cousin, is a 17 year old phenom. He's studying
with some of the best Latin percussionists in the world such
as David Romero (Earth Wind and Fire/Wayne Newton), Fausto
Cuevas (Julio Iglesias), and Tiki Pacias (Marc Anthony), who
have taken him under their wing. He's performed at the
popular Conga Room in Los Angeles, the House of Blues in Hollywood
with Rudy Regalado, and at St. Phillips Plaza in Tucson with
Lalo Guerrero. He’s attended Berklee L.A.’s
summer program, where he won the Outstanding Musicianship
Award, and has been accepted for next summer’s program
at the famous Berklee School of Music in Boston.
Karl Carrasco
(keyboards) Karl Carrasco is a pianist/composer/arranger/keyboardist
who's played professionally since the age of thirteen.
He's worked with many diverse artists such as The Drifters,
The Coasters, The Platters, Little Caeser & the Romans,
Cannibal & the Headhunters, Leslie Gore, Mel Carter, Brenda
Holloway, Al Wilson, Merilee Rush, Martha Reeves & the
Vandelas, Brenton Wood, Jewel Akins, Pat Upton of The Spiral
Staircase, Pat Vegas of Redbone, Spencer Davis, legendary
gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, and many more. Karl
was music director for the play "Dementia" at the
LATC in Los Angeles which won the GLAAD award for best play
in Los Angeles. His film work includes the sound tracks
for "Old Gringo" and "Vibes," both for
Columbia Pictures, and "Luminarias," an independent
film. Karl has played on many albums including "2000"
by Little Joe y La Familia on the EMI label, which garnered
a GRAMMY for Best Tejano Album of 1999; "A New Beginning"
by Cannibal & the Headhunters; "Bailando En Aztlán"
by The Alienz, and many others. Karl Carrasco has been
playing with Mark Guerrero & Radio Aztlán since September
of 2003.
Bill Reyes (drums,
percussion)- Bill Reyes was the drummer in the first
version of Radio Aztlán 1990- 91. Bill was and still
is drummer for East L.A. punk rockers, Los Illegals, who had
an album out on A&M Records in 1983 called "Internal
Exile." They did another album in 1997 with Concrete
Blonde called "Los Illegals with Concrete Blonde"
on the Ark 21 label.
