Hacienda

Originating in San Antonio, Texas, Hacienda blend retro influences from 1960s and 1970s pop, soul, and blues with a modern sensibility and drive. The group operates as a family enterprise, consisting of brothers Abraham Villanueva on keyboards, Rene Villanueva on bass, and Jaime Villanueva on drums, alongside their cousin Dante Schwebel handling guitar. Abraham and Dante initiated the project in 2004 yet struggled to locate a rhythm section aligned with their vision, while Rene and Jaime performed in a neighborhood bar band that no longer satisfied their artistic goals. Once that ensemble disbanded, the pair joined forces with Abraham and Dante to establish Hacienda.

From the outset the musicians explored studio techniques by acquiring a portable digital recorder and converting their rehearsal area into a temporary recording facility. Their developing compositions yielded a six-song demo CD. During a late-2005 club performance by the Black Keys in San Antonio, band members encountered the group’s guitarist Dan Auerbach at the bar. Following a discussion about music, Auerbach received the demo, responded positively enough to reach out with feedback on the material, and forwarded the recording to A&R personnel at Fat Possum Records. Although the label ultimately declined to sign the act, Auerbach arranged for the musicians to track material at his Akron, Ohio studio; those sessions resulted in the 2008 debut album Loud Is the Night. After securing a contract with Alive Naturalsound Records—the same imprint that had issued the Black Keys’ first release—Hacienda began touring in support of the record. When Auerbach issued his 2009 solo album Keep It Hid, he enlisted the band members for his Fast Five backing unit, augmented by Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket.

Hacienda subsequently reunited with Auerbach to record their follow-up, the 2010 release Big Red & Barbacoa, and expanded their live commitments to roughly 200 shows annually, both headlining clubs and supporting Dr. Dog, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, the Greenhornes, and My Morning Jacket on larger stages. By 2012 the group had finished its third album, Shakedown, marking its debut on the Collective Sounds label with a June street date.