San Antonio Express-News
by Ramiro Burr
As Tejano entered the year 2000, Intocable found itself at the top.
The group's latest CD, "Contigo," has been selling at a record pace, and tour stops everywhere are sold out. Nominated for a Grammy Award and multiple awards at Saturday's Tejano Music Awards, the group is on the charts and all over the radio.
By all indications, Intocable is a dominant force in the Tejano world.
Contrast that to only 12 months ago, when Intocable almost ceased to exist.
On Jan. 31, 1999, the group was involved in an auto accident in Mexico that killed two band members and a road manager. Bandleader Ricky Mu¤oz and the remaining members of the group were severely injured and spent weeks in a Monterrey, Mexico, hospital.
The rest of the tour was canceled, and the band stayed off the road for almost six months.
In the highly competitive music world, such an extended stay away from the market could have been a career-ender. But through sheer determination, talent and a keen eye for producing fresh and original rhythms, Intocable has managed to make a comeback.
"There was a time there when we wondered about retiring," Mu¤oz said in Spanish during a recent interview on the band's tour bus. "I felt the people understood what we were going through, and that they would wait for us (to decide). We got hundreds of calls, letters, postcards. We really felt the people were on our side."
Before the accident, all signs pointed up for Intocable .
The group's first four albums on EMI - "Otro Mundo," "Llevame Contigo," "Intocable IV" and "Intocable ," all sold respectably, with each successive release building on the previous one as the hits kept coming: "No Te Vayas," "Llevame Contigo," "Parece Que No," "Y Todo Para Que," "Eres Mi Droga," and "Vivir Sin Ellas."
In March 1998, Intocable reached another milestone when it teamed up with La Mafia at the Astrodome for the Houston Rodeo, drawing more than 50,000.
Billboard Latin bureau chief John Lannert said talent helped the band stand out from the pack.
"They are an excellent group whose superb musicianship, infectious songwriting and stylish arrangements have freshened up Texas border music without corrupting its tradition," Lannert said. "Lead vocalist Ricardo Mu¤oz is a charismatic frontman who is helping the band broaden its popularity beyond Texas."
Deaths in Mexico
Disaster struck about 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan 31, 1999. Intocable had played in McAllen the night before. Riding in two Chevrolet Suburbans with their managers and record label staff, the group was rushing to get to Monterrey's Mariano Escobedo International Airport to catch a flight to Mexico City. One of the suburbans had a blowout and veered out of control, rolling over several times.
Jose Angel "Pepe" Farias, 23, of Monterrey, the band's master of ceremonies, and bassist Silvestre Rodriguez Jr., 26, of McAllen, along with band road manager, Joe Angel Gonzalez, 23, of Houston, died in the accident.
While the other band members recovered from broken bones and other injuries in a Monterrey hospital, fans across South Texas and Mexico reacted with vigils and tributes.
"When the accident occurred ... we were compelled to have a makeshift memorial for Intocable ," said Cesar Camacho, owner of El Norte¤o record shops. "Many fans brought flowers and cards to our stores. All were very concerned and wanted to know which members were killed. We still have a large poster autographed by all the original members displayed at our stores."
Fans also reacted by buying up Intocable music.
"We had a few reports of a few stores selling out, and we were getting requests from everywhere for reorders," an EMI Latin representative said.
Still, the recovery of surviving band members Mu¤oz, Danny Sanchez, Rene Martinez and Sergio Serna was slow.
"We felt we needed take all the time we needed, one to recuperate mentally and also physically," Munoz said.
There were some advantageous to taking six months off.
"It helped in that we were able to spend more time with our families," he said. "It helped us get refreshed.
"And also different today is that we are more relaxed about how we work. We plan everything. ... Say we were playing in San Antonio and suddenly a gig becomes available in another city. In the past we would rush to get out there. Today, we figure we got gigs all over, why rush? So instead we plan it, so we can do it right."
Though Tejano fans were waiting, Mu¤oz said the group felt no pressure to produce a new album.
"At the beginning we were, and are, sad for what happened, but we felt no hurry to get this album out," he said "We did it all very calmly, choosing the material. And we were able to really concentrate because, for the first time, we were not touring in the middle of recording. And so far, I really believe this is our best album."
"Contigo" was released in late July. It debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Latin album chart, and its still charting after 31 straight weeks.
"Intocable is one of our powerhouses Tejano artists," says owner Camacho. "Our sales tabulations that we send to Sound Scan has Intocable 's latest CD, 'Contigo,' in the Number 3 slot for our store. This CD is consistently doing well, considering it was released in July of '99."
Intocable was nominated for a Grammy, though it didn't win, and it will be competing for five awards, including best song ("El Amigo Que Se Fue") and best album at the Tejano Music Awards on Saturday at the Alamodome. Mu¤oz also is nominated for singing on the Kumbia Kings' song "Fuiste Mala."
New lineup
The band, with new bass player Felix Salinas and master of ceremonies Juan Hernandez, returned to the stage June 26 in a sold-out performance at Randy's Ballroom. Its opening 14-song set was tight, driven by a rhythmic intensity that belied a long absence from touring.
The first song was the ballad "El Amigo Que Se Fue (The Friend Who Went Away)," a tribute to the fallen band members. It was the only hint that this was an unusual show. Otherwise, the band was all business, demonstrating it had not lost the hooky melodies, tight instrumentation and vocal harmonies that propelled it to the top.
On "Contigo," Intocable again pushed musical boundaries in a genre where originality and experimentation are in short supply. The band tackled a blues-tinged ballad in "Fuerte No Soy" and injected pop-rock beats and echo-like vocal harmonies into "Es Tan Bello."
The lyrics weren't typical of Tejano, either. In the former, a tough guy concedes he can be vulnerable, and the latter is about finding ultimate happiness in a relationship.
"The lyrics are about finding a person you fall in love with," Mu¤oz said. "It is about reaching the maximum in a relationship, and how beautiful to be in love."
The song fell into the band's lap when composer Miguel Mendoza, who also wrote the tribute, stopped by McAllen's Pro Sound Studio. The group's response is an example of the sense of daring and go-for-it attitude that has helped keep Intocable one step ahead of the pack.
"Mendoza had just come by to hear his song 'El Amigo,' and then he asked us to check out a few songs he was taking to Miami to show to (producer) Bibu Silvetti," Munoz said.
"When I heard 'Tan Bello,' I knew it was a good song, not in our style but still good. So then I got the idea, 'Why not rework it?' And then we rehearsed right there in the studio for an hour, and then recorded it. We felt good about it."
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