Ramona and the Holy Smokes’ signature “Mexi-tonk” sound, a mix of classic 1950s-’60s country music with traditional Mexican music, has brought plenty of critical acclaim and newfound fans to the Charlottesville-based honky-tonk group.
“We are so grateful to our Richmond fans for coming out to support us on our big release night,” lead singer Ramona Martinez says, speaking of the group’s album release show to a packed house at Get Tight Lounge back in September. “It really meant a lot to us. We do not take for granted that Richmond is a real music town, and it is an honor for us to be making our small waves in this ocean of talent!”
The group’s debut full-length self-titled album, recorded at Spacebomb Studios, has been a long time coming for the band. Style spoke with Martinez on the new record, the stories behind the songs, and why their “Mexi-tonk” is such a big draw.
Style Weekly: You’ve been a band for a good while now. What took so long to release this record?
Ramona Martinez: It’s funny, we’ve been a band for three years and we’re just now releasing an album. It took that long just in terms of putting in the work of playing these songs over and over again live and figuring out the arrangements that way. The actual production of the record was actually really fast. We raised $23,000 on Kickstarter, then went into the studio in January and got the masters by the summer and now that the album is out, it feels surreal. This really has been such a long time in the making, but I’m really glad that we did wait this long because I feel like we now have hundreds of shows under our belt and have made the songs even better.
Is there a central theme or a concept that you put together on this record?
We didn’t have a central theme planned before we picked the songs for it, but once we started putting it together, I had kind of an epiphany that the subjects I wrote about were sort of tied together. A friend actually told me her thoughts on the album through two tarot cards, specifically the seven of cups and the eight of cups. Basically it’s about letting the dream of what you want prevent you from actually moving outside of it. Or how sometimes really wanting something to work out can leave you sort of stuck in a situation you don’t wanna be in. There are songs about being in relationships that you’re not ready to end but you know they’re not gonna end well… being stuck in a pattern of wanting more but not being able to figure out how to get from point A to point B… Or drinking every day after work and knowing that it’s bad for you, but feeling like you can’t get out of that cycle. Yeah, I think there ended up being a common theme.
Do you have a favorite song on this record that you’re personally proud of or something that really speaks to you emotionally?
My favorite and the most surprising song on the album is “Even in My Dreams.” It’s a little bit different than what our usual sound is and kind of leans into almost like [American Country and Tejano singer] Freddy Fender swamp pop, almost even doo-wop with the rhythmic piano part going throughout the song. But it’s really dreamy. It was kind of a last-minute decision to put it on the album and we’ve barely performed that song live at all. I think it’s one of the saddest songs that I’ve ever written, but one of the best songs, so I’m really happy.
What is it about your “Mexi-tonk” style of music that you think people relate to?
The biggest thing that I love to hear is that people can see themselves in the songs. One thing I definitely think is present on the album is even though I’m a woman writing about being in relationships, I get comments from men that are like “your music helped me reflect on my behavior in relationships” and things like that. I think ultimately country music is about being honest with your feelings and expressing them in a simple way. I want people to feel like they also have permission to feel those emotions and express them. I think that there is a lot of tension in our culture and people don’t have permission to share their hearts or they may be out of touch with their feelings or emotions.
What’s next for the band further down the road?
We’re putting together more Honky Tonk Nights in December with dance lessons included. It’s going to be us with two national touring acts from Nashville, Hannah Juanita and Mose Wilson. They are both incredibly good and it’s going to be a great show!
Ramona and the Holy Smokes performs next on Saturday, Oct. 18 at The Annex in Norfolk. Ramona Martinez performs a solo set Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Northside Grille. For more information on Ramona and the Holy Smokes, visit ramonaandtheholysmokes.com.
