At the center of Ramona and the Holy Smokes’ self-titled debut LP (due out September 26th) is a question of desire and fantasy; dreaming about making it out of the circumstances that might be holding anyone back, whether it be financial, emotional, or psychological. And like other honky tonk greats who’ve come before them, frontwoman Ramona Martinez, guitarist Kyle Kilduff , pedal steel guitarist Brooks Hefner, bassist Jay Ouypron, and drummer Porter Bralley have fine tuned the art of turning trials and tribulations into a two-stepping good time. That balanced, light-hearted execution of thoughtful, poignant songwriting makes Ramona and the Holy Smokes—which Martinez says “wrestles with the spell this fantasy can cast over your life”—a good listen for both the ups and the downs; a reminder of both where you’ve come from and where you want to be.
Produced by Kai Crowe-Getty (Lord Nelson) and guitarist Kyle Kilduff and engineered by Alex De Jong, Ramona and the Holy Smokes is ultimately anchored by Martinez’s inspired songwriting, much of which she credits to the “honky tonk angels” who help generate her song ideas. The album is dominated by themes of heartache and struggle, of what it means to get stuck in unhealthy situations and to yearn for ways to escape them, and of balancing the need for love and companionship with the need for independence and creative freedom.
Today, Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of the standout track “Esta Herida” along with its accompanying video. Marrying ranchera and norteño music with twangy honky tonk, the song finds Ramona Martinez singing in a combination of English and Spanish to make for a delightful romp perfectly suited for dancehalls on both sides of the border. The band proves adept at incorporating influences of artists like Flaco Jimenez alongside more traditional country music, offering a clever nod to the underrated genre of Tex-Mex music pioneered by the likes of the Texas Tornados and Johnny Rodriguez and presenting it in a way that is downright fun.
“A lot of people don’t realize that the first cowboy was the vaquero from Mexico, and that American western culture owes a huge debt to Mexican border culture. We highlight that connection by performing our country western take on mariachi, ranchera and norteño music we call “mexitonk,” a term I first saw used by the Squeezbox Bandits out of Fort Worth, Texas. As a Chicana myself, I am honored to be able to sing Spanish where there usually aren’t many latino folks around, and introduce people to cowboy music of a different culture.” – Ramona Martinez, Lead singer & songwriter of Ramona & the Holy Smokes
“The arrangement of Esta Herida is inspired by the music of Flaco Jimenez and Texas Tornados. When deciding songs for the album we knew we wanted to add this song with accordion. Matty Metcalfe played beautifully over the song, nailing the feel and style with ease. We added nylon string guitar to several parts to widen the bridge of Tex-Mex, much like some of our favorite Johnny Rodriguez songs.” – Kyle Kilduff
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