Latin music's Pepe Aguilar moves in many directions

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Ever since he joined his famous parents onstage at Madison Square Garden, Pepe Aguilar has helped to point traditional Mexican ranchera music of past generations to the future.

As the son of Latin music icons Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, Pepe grew up in the business. At age 3, in his hometown of San Antontio, Texas, he made his debut in his family's charro show and has never looked back. His first love, however, was rock music. "I've always been a huge fan of Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull and fan of progressive rock in general."

Pepe Aguilar will launch his latest tour Saturday at the Allstate Arena.
(Oscar Lopez/For the Sun-Times)

PEPE AGUILAR, MARCO ANTONIO SOLISWhen: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Rd., Rosemont
Tickets: $45, $55, $75, $95, $125
Info: (312) 559-1212 or (800) 745-3000; www.allstatearena.com

Now 41, after releasing 20 solo albums, maintaining a busy production schedule and recording dozens of hits, Aguilar is ramping up for the next phase of his career -- the introduction of apparel and lifestyle brands.

But first, Aguilar will launch his latest tour Saturday at the Allstate Arena. Joining him as co-headliner is Latin music legend Marco Antonio Solis, who Aguilar regards as "one of my musical godfathers," along with Mexican composer-producer-superstar Joan Sebastian. Aguilar has recorded many of Sebastian's songs, but his latest disc, "Homenaje" (EMI Televisa), is a tribute to his late father, done in the traditional Mexican brass-and-clarinet-based style known as banda.

We caught up with Aguilar recently from Los Angeles, where he was working on assorted projects, including a new disc, due out this fall on his own label. It will feature some of his favorite writers, including longtime collaborator Fato, the author of Aguilar's signature hits such as "Por Mujeres Como Tu," "Perdoname," "Miedo" and "Mi Credo."

Q. Last time through, you toured with Joan Sebastian. Now it's Marco Antonio Solis. Why are you doubling up?

A. Those two guys are my best friends in the business. Normally I go out on tour by myself, but we are such good friends, so that's why changed my rules. It's the first time I've toured with Marco, and I'm excited.

Q. What's it like working with these legends?

A. They represent two different generations, Joan is older and Marco is younger, but they both are so important in their influence on [contemporary] Latin music.

Q. It has been two years since the death of your father, the great Antonio Aguilar. How are you dealing with the pressure to uphold his legacy?

A. I recorded "Homenaje" a year ago; it was conceived in a way of honoring him 100 percent. After his death, I was going through a difficult time. I felt like I needed to do something to honor him musically. That's why "Homenaje" came about. When I made it, I recalled him with a smile on my face. Now it's time to move on with the normal stuff. The new disc is going to be my 21st, with songs written by Joan Sebastian, Marco Antonio Solis and of course, Fato. It's an album that represents my many musical facets.

Q. Does "Homenaje" signal a change in style away from the synth-based rancheras that became your signature?

A. Not many people realize that I started my career with banda. My first hits, the ones that got me on the road, were banda. For the first five years, I played only banda.

Joan Sebastian was the first one who pushed me into mariachi. I'm a charro, fullblooded, 100 percent. But I'm also a rocker, with tats and long hair. I have that duality.

Along with rock, I still love banda, nortena, everything that Mexico has to offer culturally. I feel I'm just barely starting. I feel comfortable with the different kinds of music I do. I would never do anything that would betray myself. With mariachi, I started something that I need to finish. Though I've been making mariachi records for years, I'm just at the tip of iceberg. If I had four lifetimes, I couldn't even begin to realize all that mariachi has to offer.

Q. You've bounced around from label to label over the last decade -- from Balboa/Musart, Univision, Sony and EMI, and now you're going out on your own?

A. I've been dreaming of this moment for 10 years. It started in 2000, when I was emancipated from Balboa. We were looking for [record] deals that we could get out of. Nothing bad happened. The point was to learn and evolve. It was part of a transition, witnessing the death of one industry and the birth of another. Everything I learned from this experience was pointing me in this direction of having my own label, controlled by me in every way, shape and form. It's a new model of the artist having total control but partnering up with the distribution and marketing powers of a big label. I think it's a winning combination.

Q. What can fans expect on your upcoming disc?

A. I had the tremendous privilege of putting a lot of great composers together. It's a dream team, with Fato, Reyli [Barba, formerly of the rock group Elefante], [Co- lombian hitmaker] Estefano, Leonel Garcia [late of the Mexican pop duo Sin Bandera]. Plus, new songs from Jose Alfredo Jimenez [1926-73]. The guy was amazing, most of the Mexican repertoire is based on his music; he's everybody's idol. His son came to me, he had a lot of songs, just the lyrics, not the music. He asked me if I wanted to choose some songs and write the music. It's amazing -- they're putting this treasure into my hands. To sing the songs of this great legend, what a challenge. That's what this album is all about.

Q. You're a big follower of American pop music; any thoughts about the death and rebirth of Michael Jackson?

A. It took the tragedy of his death to make people recall how great he was. His musical legacy is the part of Michael Jackson that everybody deserves to own. Not the weirdness of his life. His death also reminds us how different show business has become. It's a totally different game going on now. That whole era died with him. But the new era is a lot more real and thankfully more aware.

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