Daniel “Dude” Cervantes is a man of many hats and a picker of many things with strings.  It’s no stretch to say what Doug Sahm was to the alt country scene back years ago is what Dude Cervantes is to the current world of West Coast psychedelic garage – laced with roots rock, a splash of world music, and infused with essence of red-hot 6L6 power tubes.  Along with solo recordings, his resume includes tours of duty with Howlin’ Rain, Mrs. Henry, Chest Fever (whose live tributes to the music of The Band include annual Last Waltz performances), and an upcoming project celebrating the music of Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green, Blues For Greeny. 

While any and all of these settings allow for musical exploration on Cervantes’ part, there’s something special about the newly-released live album The Ride Or Die of Dude Cervantes And The Panchos – co-guitarist Dylan Donovan, drummer Justin De La Vega, and bassist Ryan Grenda – that feels especially wild and free.  Captured during Cervantes And The Panchos’ 4/15/23 gig at LA’s Hotel Café, The Ride Or Die is as fun-soaked as it is sweat-soaked.

“Lessons Learned” starts things off: a blend of Georgia-Satellites-at-their-best-style chug with a bit of cabaret swagger in the middle just to keep you on your toes … and give you fair warning of what’s to come.

“Dreamers” churns through a couple verses of four-packs-a-day growl and howl before turning things over to some wild-ass guitar with Cervantes and Donovan swapping paint on the back straight before fishtailing their way into the homestretch for the finish.

The bass/drum foundation of “Blood In The Water” feels like a work boot-clad brontosaurus foot stomping on a well-worn back porch plank – think John Lee Hooker at an Acid Test; “Everyone, Everywhere, Everything” is a slow-motion magic carpet ride made up of equal parts dreamy raga and barely-held-in-check six-string bellow (there’s a clearing amongst the multi-colored swirls around the seven-minute mark, allowing you to catch your breath before the final push to the other side); and the opening moments of “Billion Dollar Art” feel like a distant cousin to “Friend of The Devil” – skipping along lightheartedly in the twilight with baskets of rose petals before shapeshifting layer-by-layer into a full-throttle psychedelicized rave-up.

My favorite cut on the six-tune set is the cover of the classic Santana instrumental “Samba Pa Ti” – worth the price of riding with Cervantes’ and The Panchos all by itself.  The quartet plays it pretty close to the original arrangement for the opening moments, while making the most of the tools they have at hand: the weave of Cervantes and Donovan’s guitars do the heavy lifting; guest Jody Bagley (an original Mrs. Henry member) adds some sweetness with some gentle keyboard work (soft and subtle compared to Gregg Rolie’s muscular B-3 on 1970’s Abraxas album); and while the Santana band’s rhythm section 55-plus years ago featured multiple percussionists, Grenda and De La Vega keep the groove full and rubbery all on their own, no matter how wild the going gets.

And it does get wild: once the romance of the original’s dim-the-lights vibe is firmly established, Cervantes and The Panchos light the fuse and let fly with the kind of jam you always wished Sir Carlos himself would lead his ensemble into.  The twin guitars soar, dive, and spiral around each other – quoting the theme and tone of the main melody while blazing brand-new territory, as well.  After multiple rounds of tension and release, things settle down gently with the guitars nipping at each other’s heels lovingly, all sweaty-furred and bared teeth still … but with the biggest kind of grin.

Which is what you’ll have after taking a spin with Dude Cervantes And The Panchos.