The law was a bit sparse in the Old West, often not a lawman around for hundreds of miles. If a criminal knew how to live off the land and he owned a fast horse, he was pretty well guaranteed an escape. What’s a sheriff to do?

In 1872, the Supreme [...]]]>

The law was a bit sparse in the Old West, often not a lawman around for hundreds of miles. If a criminal knew how to live off the land and he owned a fast horse, he was pretty well guaranteed an escape. What’s a sheriff to do?

In 1872, the Supreme Court ruled that bounty hunters were a part of the U.S. law enforcement system with a decision in Taylor vs. Taintor:

When the bail is given, the principal is regarded as delivered to the custody of his sureties. Their domain is a continuance of the original imprisonment. Whenever they choose to do so, they may seize him and deliver him up to his discharge; and if it cannot be done at once, they may imprison him until it can be done. They may exercise their rights in person or by agent. They may pursue him into another state; may arrest him on the Sabbath; and if necessary, may break and enter his house for that purpose. The seizure is not made by virtue of due process. None is needed. It is likened to the arrest by the Sheriff of an escaped prisoner.

As you can see by this decision, bounty hunters didn’t have to adhere to the same rules of due process that lawmen did. (This is still true in some states.)

One of the greatest bounty hunters was Pinkerton Detective, Charlie Siringo. Siringo had a long and distinguished, if not controversial, career. He had steely nerves and his cleverness got him out of more than one jam. But he wrote a book, and the Pinkerton Agency wasn’t too keen about that, so he spent several years at the end of his life arguing with them. Could be that the Pinkertons were the only ones to ever best him.

Lots of town marshals and county sheriffs supplemented their meager incomes with bounties. Of course, they had to follow the rules of due process while a bounty hunter had no such restrictions. Then again, if there’s no one around for a couple hundred miles, who’s to know? This is part of how the West was tamed. Many lawmen straddled the fence between law-enforcing and law-breaking.

Charlene Sands, author of Bodine’s Bounty, blogged about bounty hunters on Pistols and Petticoats. Really good info at this site on lots of Old West topics. Anyway, she points out that in order for a bounty hunter to get his money in British Columbia, he had to bring the criminal in alive. The US had no such compunctions, but the bounty was half if the prisoner died before making it to jail. She also mentions that the bounty hunters didn’t receive payment until later, so when they brought in prisoners, they’d either have to wait, or have the money sent to a bank. (They’d probably wait, considering the state of banking at the time.) But the most important thing that Ms. Sands mentioned was that bounty hunters’ names were never, ever recorded, because their anonymity was their protection. This little item is what makes research difficult.

Much to movie and TV viewers’ delight, popular lore glorifies the Old West bounty hunter. The role of Josh Randall in Wanted: Dead or Alive in the 1950s made Steve McQueen a star.

Josh Randall (Steve McQueen) was a man of few words. A bounty hunter by trade, he tracked his prey all over the West. Randall carried an 1892 44/40 center fire Winchester carbine that he called “Mare’s Laig.” It handled like a revolver by had the punch of a rifle. Unlike other bounty hunters, Randall had scruples. He tried to bring the prisoner in alive and often found himself called upon to protect people in need.

Then there’s my personal favorite, Paladin, played by Richard Boone on “Have Gun-Will Travel.” (Okay, so he was more gunslinger than bounty hunter, but they go together well.) I’m not the only one impressed with that character: Eminem will be starring as Paladin in a contemporary movie remake. Does Eminem have what Richard Boone had? We’ll see.

Remember Justin Saragueta?  He was our guest on Texty Ladies last spring.  Well, his CD is out, and we’re having a contest over at 1st Turning Point.  Any commenter this week is eligible to win.  See his Texty Ladies interviews:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

And he’s written and article on the music business that will be published September 29, Expectations And Realities: Another Brass Horn In The Music Biz

In fact, I bought another CD to contribute, so any commenter to my post or any other post on Texty Ladies this week will be eligible to win.  Be sure to include your email address or some way for me to reach you.  Drawing will be held at 10pm Oct. 3rd.

My announcement: my new novella, Faery Merry Christmas, will be available on the Kindle on October 5.  Stay tuned for more fun!

Jacquie
Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie’s website * 1st Turning Point * Myspace *** Twitter * Facebook
Faery Special Romances * Book Video Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

Continuing with Part 3 of singer/songwriter Jusin Saragueta’s interview.  In case you missed the previous posts, you might want to read Part 1 and Part 2.

Justin draws from his Basque heritage as well as the diversity of cultures in California where he was raised.  His songs [...]]]>

Continuing with Part 3 of singer/songwriter Jusin Saragueta’s interview.  In case you missed the previous posts, you might want to read Part 1 and Part 2.

Justin draws from his Basque heritage as well as the diversity of cultures in California where he was raised.  His songs obviously have a Basque flavor, but also riffs of traditional Spain, a little salsa, some islander beats, all to make a rich sound that will touch your heart.

I’m really looking forward to his debut CD, gueta.  Justin is well respected in the music industry.  Brain of Guns N Roses plays drums on some tracks as well as Billy Johnson formerly of Santana.  This will be a great album!

So let’s get on with it.  Remember, if you commented on parts 1 or 2, or you comment on this post, you’ll be elegible to win a free, autographed copy of gueta!

JR: We talked about your songwriting in parts 1 and 2 of this interview. You also write stories, poetry, and vignettes.  How does your thinking process change when you go from writing music to writing words on the page?

gueta:The process always stays fairly consistent. Writing a song, poem, short story or even a novel all has to do with telling some type of story or conveying some type of message. Obviously a song or poem will tend to be very short in length in comparison to, say, a novel. I have the utmost respect for authors who wrestle with the novel all their lives. It is a very rewarding feeling to finish a novel but the process is very demanding and can take years or even lifetimes for some.

My songs and poems tell stories but in a more ambiguous short breathed manner. With the novel or even short story, one can be very detail oriented. They are the same type of beast but I believe one for me is more demanding than the other. My father tells me I am the only guy he knows who can get bored of his own shadow.  That’s probably why I love writing songs so much. But in retrospect, I just love to write.

Words are the bridges to many things in my life .

JR: What else would you like to write?

gueta: I haven’t written a screen play yet but have brainstormed through some ideas. I know that I have one in me. This will be something that I will list as a must do before I die!

JR: Do you tour?  Do you enjoy performing?  Do you get stagefright?

gueta: I do tour. I was up in Seattle last year playing through Washington, Oregon and parts of Canada. Once the new CD is released, I am going to hit the road again. I love being on the road and playing. I feel like a bird released from a cage. It’s funny: through the displacement of travel I become the most grounded and liberated. My soul sings when I’m on the road.

Let’s see. The second part to this question…I do enjoy performing as much, or even more so than the actual creating. Writing, music, art, it’s like life, needs to be shared!  To play in front of a crowd who is singing along is unlike any other feeling in the world for me. It justifies all the hard and good times. It tells me I am on the right path. That maybe I am still as crazy as most think but at least I can be crazy with purpose. The type of warm loving energy playing live creates is as addictive and amazing as anything in the world.

I don’t get stage fright anymore. Let me stress anymore! Now I just get excited. I am always eager to get back on stage. I don’t know one kid who doesn’t want to rip open presents during Christmas, and playing a live show is no different for me. But there was a time, the first few times, where it might have felt a little more like going in for your very first kiss.

The first time I performed live at a real venue, I had only been playing guitar for about three months. I could barely play the thing at all. It felt a bit like trying to hold onto some upside down planet without gravity. I was just trying to hold on so I wouldn’t fall off. On top of that I had to bring in my computer so I could read the lyrics I hadn’t yet memorized off the screen. Cockiness and stupidity are not always a good combination.

I remember being so sick with nerves that I thought I was going to vomit in the guitar. So my buddy Daniel and I went to a dive bar and tied on a pretty good one. Half nauseous from whiskey and half nauseous from stage fright we swayed to the venue. Half laughing and half crying I took the stage at a full bar filled with eyeballs piercing through my wall of toughness. I was shaking so badly I had to sit on a stool to steady the guitar on my leg. I took a deep breath and a longer pull off my beer and decided to start with what I felt was the easiest song to play . . . because it then occurred to me that I had left my playlist on the counter at home!

Luckily most at the show were my friends and even more fortunate was the fact that I didn’t know my lyrics so I just used the computer and sang songs in chronological order as to when they had been written. When it was all said and done it actually went really well. They wouldn’t let me leave. I played about four encores. Yeah, they were all of the same songs written off the same computer screen played with the same missed and choked chords and notes but it was one great first show! I just sang really loud through the mistakes.

JR: What’s next from Justin Saragueta?

gueta: What’s next? In the immediate future finishing the CD takes precedence over all else. Once that is completed and released I am going to start playing shows and meeting people, so please log onto www.justinsaragueta.com and join the mailing list.  I hope you can catch a show when I am in your area.

I have a few tricks up my sleeve but they wouldn’t be so wily if I were to cough them up at the moment. But I will be doing the ‘if all else fails’ grass roots approach of playing out and sharing what I am creating.

JR: Please list your contact information.

gueta:
Website: http://www.justinsaragueta.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/justinsaragueta
Facebook: http://wwwfacebook.com/justinsaragueta”
justin@justinsaragueta.com

Thank you, Justin, for taking the time to answer these questions so thoroughly.  We deeply appreciate your candidness and wish you lots and lots of sales for your debut album.

And speaking of the debut album, who’s gonna win it?  To be eligible, simply comment on Justin’s interview, any or all of the three parts, and you could win an autographed copy!

Have a great day!

Jacquie
Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie’s website *** 1st Turning Point ***Myspace *** Twitter *** Facebook
Faery Special Romances * Book Video * Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

Today’s guest is Justin Saragueta–songwriter and musician. We first met him a few weeks ago at Texty Ladies in Justin Saragueta, Part One.  Welcome back, Justin!

You can read about his background and the making of his current CD, gueta.

Now that we’ve read what [...]]]>

Today’s guest is Justin Saragueta–songwriter and musician. We first met him a few weeks ago at Texty Ladies in Justin Saragueta, Part One.  Welcome back, Justin!

You can read about his background and the making of his current CD, gueta.

Now that we’ve read what makes him who he is–if we can ever really know that about any artist–let’s explore how he does what he does.

JR: Tell us your process–how do you write a song?

gueta: This isn’t always a constant. I find that in my imaginary world there is no such a thing as black and white. Borders tend to be obsolete. Boundaries are better left for landmarks. But usually I will pick up the guitar and start playing until I hopefully find that point when thought ceases and I melt into the instrument allowing it to convey some type of emotion. Chords and notes have as much character as Broadway plays. Once I have stumbled upon some type of rhythmic progression I start writing.

This usually takes place in blocks. I ask myself how I feel, what’s on my mind, what’s going on in the world and with its people, and how do I want to convey it all? Or I just open a bottle of wine, light some candles, lock the doors, dim the lights and allow myself to get out of my own way and just let the pen and guitar do the work. The beauty of writing imaginary circumstances or even the ones that tend to be sautéed in a sense of realism is there just aren’t any real rules.  For the non-conforming type this is much like a poodle in a Christmas sweater, pretty nice!

JR: Do you have a favorite piece that you’ve written?

gueta: This is one of those unfair questions. They all hold meaning, convey a period of time or cross some path I was on.  I’ve written songs for and about loved ones, strangers, friends, family and situations I or someone I know may have been in.  I write to try and find meaning through confusion.  I sing in happiness and sorrow.

It’s meditative. I need it much more than it needs me.

Mostly I fathom it’s about hemorrhaging true emotion through song, poem or story. It’s exposing frailties through bravery. Writing for me is about being honest with myself. It’s about saying this is how I feel and I’m not going to cover it up. True freedom is true honesty. I feel I obtain that in all my art. My first song to the one I am currently working on all hold a fondness inside me that allows me to view life’s grayness with a bit more color.

JR: I love your song San Sebastian.  Tell us how this song came about.

gueta: Thanks! I really enjoy playing and singing San Sebastian Spain as well. My mother’s side of the family is from there. If you haven’t been there, let me tell you, the place is magical: absolute beauty wrapped in an energy unlike any other place in the world for me. I was fortunate enough to visit San Sebastian in 2002– I think it was then or possibly 03. My memory bank tends to take holidays from time to time. But I do recollect running with the bulls in Pamplona with my best friend Haasy and his wife Jackie. Those things are like ghosts…SCARY! After flirting with four legged death and liver poisoning the three of us jumped in this tiny little car that my aunt had given us and we basically lost ourselves in the people, culture, beaches, wine, tapas, cobblestone streets, music, dance, architecture and all the vibrant life encompassing the place. It’s one of those places that I feel I am not walking on but in.

A few years had passed and I was back in the states after an eight month stint in Australia. I was living with my cousin James at the time in San Francisco’s North Bay. It was a weird month. It rained for three weeks straight. I was depressed, lonely, just back from an amazing trip and all of a sudden everything came to a screeching halt covered in cold gray water.  James was gone, actually visiting San Sebastian at the time. My phone rang one day and it was James on the other end telling me about how much he loved the place. It brought back all the smells, sounds, memories and warm feelings for me. I sat down after the phone call and about two hours later had written a new song.

JR: Your music really connects your heart with your audiences’.  How do you do that?

gueta: Thanks, Jacquie. I believe connecting with people on any level starts with being honest and connecting within ourselves. As I mentioned before, I try to convey pure and honest emotion in my art. I started writing because I had so much love for it and I could be whatever I wanted to be on any given day, in any given circumstance. It took a hold of me and wouldn’t let go. It gave me no choice: I had to give in! I was able to lose myself in it.

I hope that people feel that voice of truth. When someone tells me that they relate, that they get lost in the words and melodies it makes all those nights living in the back of a truck or on the side of the road in Australia eating one peanut butter and jelly sandwich a day with four golf pros eating veggie mite sandwiches sleeping in army pop up tents worth it!

True acceptance for me is true honesty. If I can’t convey how I truly feel than it’s not worth it because it’s not honest.

Thank again, for joining us at Texty Ladies today.  We’ve had great fun reading your interview, and now there will be Part Three!  So we’re really looking forward to reading what else you have to share with us.

Justin Saragueta’s debut album, gueta, is sort of here already!  Check out his store for downloads.  The physical CD will be ready for shipping any day now.  When Justin visits Texty Ladies next week, I’m hoping to tell you that it’s on its way.

Contest!

And don’t forget, if you commented on the last interview, this one, or part three, you’ll be eligible to win an autographed CD.

Authors, Artists, Songwriters, Screenwriters, Crafters, Poets
Do you know what you need to know about marketing and promotion?
Check out 1st Turning Point–All About Promotion
Yes, it’s FREE: a bunch of writers and artists–all trying to
navigate the treacherous waters of selling our wares.

Have a Magical Monday!

Jacquie Rogers
Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie Rogers *** Myspace *** Twitter *** Facebook
Faery Special Romances * Book Video * Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

Instead of an article on the craft of writing, today’s Magical Monday welcomes Justin Saragueta–musician/singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist. He’s better known as gueta and that’s the name of the CD he’ll be releasing in a couple weeks.

I’m a Gueta fan through [...]]]>

Instead of an article on the craft of writing, today’s Magical Monday welcomes Justin Saragueta–musician/singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist. He’s better known as gueta and that’s the name of the CD he’ll be releasing in a couple weeks.

I’m a Gueta fan through and through. Justin wrote the marvelous theme song for my Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues book video, which has garnered tons of kudos. How did he come up with such a perfect song? I don’t know. He read the beginning of the book for tone, asked me what I wanted . . . I could only think of “attitude.” What you hear is the first version I heard–loved it, didn’t want a single change. I was astounded at how perfect it was, especially since he had to use a completely different style than is normal for him. So yes, I’m a fan forever. Justin is a very talented man.

So now, let’s get on with the interview!

JR: Welcome to Texty Ladies, Justin! We’re delighted you could take some time to share with us today. We’d like to know a little about you, your name, and your music.

gueta: Before I start tooting my own proverbial brass horn I’d like to thank Jacquie Rogers for the interview and for the chance of writing the theme song to her newly released novel Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues. Also, a quick thanks to those of you taking the time to read this, and everyone involved in some form or another for having me do this interview.

So!? Just who in the heck is Justin Saragueta? Well, that seems to be one of those elusive quandaries that stays as close and as a far away as a Swiss cheese shadow in the shade at high noon. What can I say…you asked for it.

I guess I should start when I first started crying. I was born in Southern California- Redondo Beach to be exact. Both of my folks are full-blooded Spanish Basque. No, this is not nor does it have anything to do with being a fish, catching a fish, smelling like fish or tarter sauce. I know, I know. Darn!

My father, Justo Saragueta, was born in a small village on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees Mountains a few gorgeous mountain sloped minutes to the border of France. Contrabanding rifles, horses, food, and Portuguese men and women- just to name a few that he has actually confessed to- is frowned upon in most countries. Yes, I was shocked by this as well. So, at the ripe age of sixteen he was sent to the states with twenty bucks, a tuna sandwich in a brown bag, and a note pinned to his chest, “Hello. My name is Justo Saragueta. I am sheep herding for Antonio Zalba in Fresno California,” written on the front of it. My mother, Marsha Saragueta, has been shaking her head ever since! Yes, some women ARE stronger than others!

We moved around a fair bit while I was growing up. My father became a restaurateur, finally settling us down in a small dairy town, Hanford, in central California when I was about thirteen. Our home was a loving and fun environment for the most part filled with laughter. It was an upbringing with loose to no rules that allowed my younger sister Jessica and I the liberty to fully explore who and what we wanted to be without judgment. My father, unlike my mother, has always been very non-conforming. And as the saying goes, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, regardless of height, weight or maturation.

It seemed like from the moment I graduated high school I wanted out of the house so I could finally start being my own man. So I did that which I thought most boys in my position would do, I partied enough to sedate a continent of full grown rhinos. I hid from the real world for four years at University of Pacific. With a freshly printed and signed BA that my father at times finds to be BS, I started working in what others consider to be the real world. Sales, bartending, truck driving, golf professional, that one failed attempt at ownership and employment of a high end super model only cliental escort service. I would have made one heck of a pinball machine but that thought never occurred to me until now. Then the day came when I just couldn’t fight it anymore. I listened to that intuitive voice clawing at my insides and I sold all my possessions, bought an around the world plane ticket, $200 guitar after tax and started writing my first novel, A Life too Important to Take Seriously. The creative dam didn’t just break, it exploded.

Since 2002, I have been traveling the globe with a guitar, ink-deprived notebooks, empty pockets, a curious disposition, and thirst for the unknown. I’ve played music for people in Australia, London, Scotland, Spain, Indonesia and Fiji to name a few. For me, life has become about unplugging from the societal norm so I can chase the search for inner understanding. The best way I know how to do this is through song, poem or short story. But I would have to say that the music has bullied its way to the front of the priority list. Not a second goes by that I don’t feel grateful for having the music in me.

JR: Congratulations on the release of your new CD! Please tell us about it–genre, how it came about, who’s playing on it, and how to buy it.

gueta: Actually, I am still in production on the new CD. My producer Cookie and I are hoping it will have an early May release date. It’s one of those things that you just want to get done so you can get to another rung on the ladder but then realize part of that journey is making it and the making of it is nothing short of a BLAST.

The genre would probably fall under Pop as most artists like John Mayer, Matchbox Twenty, etc. are these days. But I think it has some of that good old traveled grass roots folk rock with a splash of reggae, acoustic and Latin feel as well. They are songs with stories. My travels have molded me into something I may not have fully comprehended I was before embracing them. These things for me are hard to pigeon hole. But I am VERY proud of the work.

There are some amazing artists on the project. Cookie Marenco of Blue Coast World is producing it. She is a brilliant woman and a good friend. Patrick O’Connor of OTR Studios is the engineer and plays some mean guitar riffs while giving me much needed worldly advice on a day to day basis. Brain of Guns N Roses plays drums on some tracks as well as Billy Johnson formerly of Santana. It’s really kind of a who’s who instrumentally speaking.

So how do you buy it? Money helps! Please check out http://www.justinsaragueta.com

We, Cookie Marenco and myself, are taking a grass roots approach to this album. Just ask Cookie and she’ll tell you the music industry isn’t what it used to be. The solo artist needs to be a clever business person as well these days. Performing for the love of it won’t get you there unless you are meeting people and collecting names and email addresses along the way. So if everyone can please visit my website and join my email list you will be updated monthly on shows, events, the progress of the CD, and how to purchase tracks. Other sites to visit also include:

http://www.myspacecom/justinsaragueta

http://www.facebook.com/justinsaragueta

JD: Thanks so much for talking with the Texty Ladies today, Justin. We’re looking forward to the second part of your interview May 2, and I understand some lucky person who comments on either Part 1 or Part 2 of your interview will win a free, autographed CD, before anyone else gets it! Believe me, we’re really looking forward to that.

For the most impatient of us, you can buy a Special Pre-Release version of “MmmHmm” only available at Justin’s store.

Have a Magical Monday!

Jacquie
Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues (See the Book Video featuring Justin Saragueta)
Jacquie Rogers *** Myspace *** Twitter *** Facebook
Faery Special Romances * Book Video * Royalties go to Children’s Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research