Rock ‘n’ rollers never die

Victoria Ugalde

The Signal

To be able to live beyond the grave and carry on a legacy is what most musicians dream of, and thanks to Houston’s own Carlos Hernandez those musicians are getting that chance.

Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated by many Hispanics as they commemorate the lives of their deceased loved ones, but for Carlos Hernandez, it gives him a chance to pay tribute to some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most famous deceased musicians.

Dia de los Muertos, known in the United States as Day of the Dead, is celebrated Nov. 2 when family and friends gather together to build altars decorated with sugar skulls, photos, favorite foods and beverages of their deceased loved ones.

Hernandez, a fine arts and graphic design artist, is hosting his fourth annual Day of the Dead Rock Stars art exhibit at Cactus Music and Record Ranch Gallery in Houston from Oct. 23 to Jan. 15 where visitors can view and buy his paintings, screen prints and T-shirts.

“I really like the space because it just fits,” Hernandez said. “I mean there’s all this music around and albums. It works. I think a lot of the fans that come to Cactus and the Record Ranch can appreciate a lot of the artists that I do because they’re music lovers themselves.”

Combining his love for both music and his Hispanic culture, Hernandez creates paintings of deceased musicians depicted as Dia de los Muertos skeletons and incorporates pieces of their lives into each painting.

“I love the idea of bringing the dead and living together in a very unique way,” Hernandez said. “The music of some of my favorite musicians who have passed away has been an awesome inspiration to me and what better way to celebrate their existence?”

Hernandez used to have Day of the Dead parties every year and was inspired to create a painting of Joey Ramone of The Ramones the year he died. The Ramone painting turned out to be the first in a series of Day of the Dead Rock Stars paintings.

While most of Hernandez’s paintings are of rock ‘n’ roll artists, such as Richie Valens, Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin, he is now incorporating non-rock ‘n’ roll artists such as Tammy Wynette and Lightnin’ Hopkins.

“Day of the Dead Rock Stars is really just a catchall for everything,” Hernandez said. “It’s jazz, country, blues and everything in between. I love all types of music so there’s so many people that have influenced me growing up that I wanted to pay some sort of tribute to them.”

Oct. 23 marked the fourth annual opening reception for Hernandez’s Day of the Dead Rock Stars exhibit. People were treated to live music by the Houston band Los Skarnales and cold beer from Saint Arnold Brewing Co.

Quinn Bishop, co-owner of Cactus Music and Record Ranch Gallery, finds that more and more Houstonians are showing up to the Day of the Dead Rock Stars opening each year, with around 1,000 people attending this year throughout the evening.

“We have young music fans who are into graphic design and screen printing, but we also have a segment of people who are 50 plus who really like the artists depicted in the artwork because they’re mostly from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s so it’s associated with their youth,” Bishop said. “We sell hundreds and hundreds of Carlos’ prints and usually sell out of his fine art pieces.”

Hernandez moved to Houston in 1992 shortly after graduating from Texas Tech University with a degree in design to pursue graphic design work.

For more information on Hernandez’s Day of the Dead Rock Stars, you can check out his website at www.dayofthedeadrockstars.com.

Cactus Music and Record Ranch Gallery is located at 2110 Portsmouth, Houston. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. For more information call 713-526-9272 or check out their website at www.cactusmusictx.com.

The Signal interviewed Houston artist Carlos Hernandez, famous for his “Day of the Rock Stars” pieces proudly displayed annually at Cactus Music and Record Ranch Gallery. Special thanks to Quinn Bishop, co-owner of Cactus Music. Broadcast Reporter: Hannah Pietsch. Videographer: William Garfield.