I have been doing indie music docs that look at Mexican American influences on Texas music primarily conjunto and Tejano, which are American music genres native to Texas. I had been wanting to do a story on Mexican American music from West Texas where I’m from. I heard about a band of three young brothers called Los Lonely Boys from my hometown of San Angelo in West Texas that I should check out. A few months passed, and I finally got a chance to go see the boys perform at an intimate music venue in Austin, the Saxon Pub. It was at that moment watching them perform an amazing rendition of their song Cottonfields and Crossroads that I felt an immediate connection. I knew I had to tell their story. For a filmmaker, the timing couldn’t have been any better as I was able to capture what became their rise in the American music scene. This was a time when the stars aligned in the boys’ favor and things finally started happening for them after so many years of struggle-yet it seemed to be happening suddenly and quickly. This was an innocent and magical time in their rise- and that was part of what I was able to capture in this film.

To me, Los Lonely Boys have a unique West Texas sound that is reminiscent of music I listened to growing up in San Angelo. It was a sound created by a people with a dual identity, that of Mexican and American. Through their musical performances I was able to tell a story with deep West Texas Mexican roots. The music of the three Garza brothers provoked in me a profound sense of identity. I understood where the influences of their music come from. It’s a music born of the working class.

Los Lonely Boys are weaving their experiences of West Texas and those of their family into a new American musical genre they call “Texican.” In a cut-throat music industry where image and marketing are the cornerstones of any successful musical act, it’s refreshing to see Los Lonely Boys keeping true to their roots with their “pachuco” style and music that pays homage to their people, to their past. Theirs is a rock n roll that is unapologetically Mexican American and supremely real. Theirs is a music of West Texas Mexican Americans.
- Hector Galán

“Perhaps by creating a strong voice for Mexican-Americans and an opportunity to identify visually with characters on-screen, we can find solutions to stop the spread of HIV.” - Hector Galán

Hector Galán directed one of the first short teen awareness films for Scenarios USA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that aims to inspire teens to make healthier and safer decisions by offering them a creative approach to thinking through and discussing their lives, their choices and their future.

Based on the Mexican myth “Devil in the Dance Hall,” a night of fun turns serious for four chicas when an unwanted image appears.

“Don’t Dance with Death”, tackled the subject of HIV/AIDS prevention. Shot on location in South Texas, the film stars Mexican American actress Ruby Nelda Perez as the curandera, Doña Rosa, and students of PSJA North High School play themselves. The film also features performances by Jennifer y Los Jetz.


“Don’t Dance with Death” is produced by ScenariosUSA in New York, part of a world-wide effort in AIDS prevention. The producer is Avram Ludwig and executive producers are Maura Minsky and Kristen Joiner. Director of Photography is Lee Daniel.

To learn more about Scenarios USA and to watch the film, please visit www.scenariosusa.com