Daily Discovery: Giovannie & The Hired Guns Pay Homage To One Of Their Heroes On “Ramon Ayala”

When Texas-based singer-songwriter Giovannie Yanez gets drunk, he still listens to an old hero who’s entertained his family for generations: Ramon Ayala. That’s what inspired “Ramon Ayala,” the newest single from his rock band, Giovannie & The Hired Guns.

“The single was a way of me being able to bring my culture and let it be known, as well as making it relatable,” Yanez says. “Ramon Ayala is a very respected artist from Mexico that I’ve heard my grandpa, grandma, uncles, aunts, dad, mom—you get the point—jamming to, sometimes until the long hours of the night. When I say ‘I still bump Ramon Ayala when I get drunk,’ it’s because I do and I know a lot of other people do as well.”

While Ayala made history for his contributions to the norteño musical tradition from Northern Mexico, Yanez and his band pay homage with their straight-ahead style of rock, lyrically following the same path as songs like Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues” and Beck’s “Loser.” That is to say, with the chorus refrain “I’m just an ordinary fuck up,” it’s a cathartic anthem for the underdogs and rejects of society. 

“The meaning of the song to me is: don’t care what anybody thinks of you, be you, and don’t worry if society will take you in,” Yanez explains to American Songwriter. “Be unique, because every person is just an ‘ordinary F up’ like me.”

Even with songwriting itself, Yanez likes to try to remove any self-critical middleman and get as much of his own raw expression in there as possible. “I have to feel the vibe of the song before anything,” he said. “Then I pour out my feelings that I’m either experiencing then or have experienced in the past. I never force anything. I personally think it shouldn’t be forced or rushed. The greatest and biggest songs just come freely.”

Coming out alongside a slapstick music video, “Ramon Ayala” is a great vehicle for conveying Yanez’s rock-inspired point-of-view. With tour dates on the horizon, he and his Hired Guns have a lot to be excited about and a lot to look forward to.

Giovannie & The Hired Guns’ new single “Ramon Ayala” is out now—check out their upcoming tour dates and watch the music video below:

July 30 – Fort Smith, AR @ Peacemaker Festival 2021
July 31 – Gun Barrel City, TX @ Gun Barrel City July Fest
August 6 – Lamesa, TX @ Lamesa Rodeo
August 7 – Hutto, TX @ KOKEFEST 2021
August 24 – Denton, TX @ North Texas State Fair and Rodeo
August 26 – San Marcos, TX @ Cheatham Street Warehouse
August 27 – Marble Falls, TX @ Marble Falls Concert Series
August 28 – Albany, TX @ Carefest
September 1 – San Antonio, TX @ Thirsty Horse Saloon
September 10 – Stillwater, OK @ Tumbleweed Dance Hall
September 16 – Stephenville, TX @ Larry Joe Taylor’s Texas Music Festival
September 17 – Brenham, TX @ Washington County Fairgrounds
September 18 – Wichita Falls, TX @ The Warehouse
September 24 – Manhattan, KS @ The Hat
September 30 – Springfield, MO @ The Shrine Mosque
October 1 – Fort Smith, AR @ Riverfront Amphitheater
October 22 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tulip’s FTW
November 12 – Lubbock, TX @ Charley B’s
November 26 – Webster, TX @ Rowdys Dance Hall