El Vez has always been a fan of KISS. He was a KISS IMPERSONATOR before he was an ELVIS IMPERSONATOR! Now, one of his dreams has come true. To share the stage with one of his all time favorite bands the KISS! EL VEZ will be touring Spain, the UK and selected California dates to prepare for a kings crowning moment. This tours show along with all his Juke Box Exploding Style will include a tribute to the KISS as only EL VEZ can do. This is a once in a career time event for EL VEZ. A moment he has been waiting for since he was 14 years old!
VIVA KISS!

for dates check out the TOUR PAGE »

Hola El Vez Fans,

Boy time is fun when you are having flies.
More then a year has passed since our last update!

As you might have heard I did not win the elections for President of these United States of America. Oh well. We had fun.

Congrats to Mr. Obama. Thanks to all who helped with the El Vez campaigning. Here is a clip from our road stop in San Francisco. It was used for an Austrian television special on the US Elections, entitled "Who is afraid of America"

If you did not see the tour here is a dissertation on the show by well known scholar and El Vez expert Karen Jean Martinson entitled "Unsettling Intentions: Activism and the Limits of Empathy".
download the pdf »

Since nobody likes a quitter but everyone loves to be acquitted. EL VEZ for PREZ will try again in 2012! According to the Mayan Calendar 2012 is also the end of the world! So, Vote for EL VEZ ... what do you have to lose?!?!?

We did a great tour of Spain in the Spring with our new
Spanish promoters Bloody Mary. Great shows! New Cities!

Found a great Spanish wine Flor de Pingus.
Me and the Elvettes recommend it highly!

My yearly hosting of the Burlesque Hall of Fame was a blast! Besides hosting we closed the weekend with a full performance with the Lovely Elvettes & the Memphis Mariachis! A special thanks to Frank theRat for loaning his chopper motorcycle to drive me onto the stage.

Opening for us was the Legendary Little Jimmie Scott. He performed in a wheel chair due to his but alas El Vez had to leave the theater in a wheel chair, having sprained his ankle during the show. But he kept on dancing!

We premiered a brand new original El Vez tune LIZ RENAY. A rocking tune describing the life and times of a personal friend of mine the late great Liz Renay. author, actress, painter, raconteur google her! We were accompanied by the wondrous Paula the Swedish House wife doing a fine impersonation of the Burlesque queen.

Click on the above images for enlargements plus additional fabulous photos of El Vez featuring the Elvettes with the Memphis Mariachis performing at this event
– photos by Richard Just

We hope you all come out this year to see the "Viva Christmas!" show!
A new peppermint twist to the Mexican Holidaze seasoned, this year! El Vez gives the Memphis Mariachis the Holidays off and hooks up with the world famous "Los Straight Jackets!"

Two great shows that taste great together. EL VEZ and the Lovely Elvettes with Los Straight Jackets playing the music! All the El Vez Holiday Hits combined with the Los Straight Jackets Christmas Classics in one great party!

Due to popular demand we will be brining back the:
$10 "Have your Picture taken with Santa Vez" pre-show event!

Ten lucky pre-scheduling fans with have their photo taken with EL VEZ right before the show begins. Where they will pick up their personalized signed booklet color photo after the show. Only 10 photos taken so sign up soon. write to elvezco@aol.com check the tour date section for the city nearest you.

HEADS UP!: This will be El Vez's last tour of the year and last tour until next year if even then (Mex-mas 2010 perhaps)! So come out and see the show!

Also! remember EL VEZ makes the perfect Mex-mas gift. Buy at the showsmerch table. There will be a limited edition of EL VEZ faced M&M's in convenient to carry miniature tin boxes.

Elton John's Christmas Party - featuring Feliz Navidad by me, El Vez - is being re-released on Universal Records this year ... just in time for the holidays. Gracias, Sir Elton!

Speaking of Mex-mas what ever happened to that Jinglebell Rock documentary featuring El Vez.
www.jinglebellrocks.com
www.jinglebellrocks.blogspot.com

Here are some great drawing of El Vez drawn by the kids at Loma Vista Elementary School Room 28. Mr. Guevara's class did them a few years ago.They are all probably in college now. Mr. G even had them perform to an El Vez song at a school production.
click on the right and left sides of the enlarged images to cycle through the collection

Film bits:
It maybe too late to let you know but there is always DVD. El Vez's old chestnut "Its Now or Never" is the opening track for this past Summers Blockbuster comedy "The Hangover". A comedy romp set in Las Vegas. Of course it had nothing to do with stopping gang violence but they made the song fit. It was a funny movie.

Last years Mike Leigh's Miramax's Golden Globe nominee for "Best Picture" , "Happy Go Lucky" featured an old british advert for an El Vez Christmas Show in London. The star of the film opens her fridge door and there I am!

YouTube bits:
See a clip of EL VEZ in the early baby part of his career in the late 80's at a legendary Allie Willis (artist songwriter: author of "Boogie Wonderland" and "Neutron Dance") party. These were the must go fêtes of Los Angeles in the day. Where you would see everyone from Pee Wee Herman to Elvira.
see it on the YouTube »

HBO had a great documentary ¡AMERICANOS! that came out in 2001. At one point we thought we were going to be able to sell copies of it here on the site but it never came about. El Vez is though out the full documentary show. This clip has little bits here and there but a long bit is towards the end about 5 minutes into it. Americanos: Latino Life in the United States (81 min., 2001)

Here is a Power Point presentation comparing the lyrics to the actual events on EL VEZ's song "Cinco de Mayo" by Jennifer Mendoza.
download a pdf version »

2010 will be fast upon us. Most likely El Vez will be performing with the Teatro Zinzanni for most of it. See him there if you can.

Merry Mex-mas and Happy New Year xo

EL Vez Press Praise -

"Elvis con Salsa"
People Magazine

"El Vez is more than an Elvis Impersonator...
he is an Elvis translator, a goodwill ambassador
for Latin culture."
Rolling Stone

"VIVA EL VEZ!"
Dallas News - San Francisco Chronicle - London Evening Standard

"El Vez is the world's most intelligent Elvis Impersonator"
Chicago Sun-Times

"... viciously overrated"
Buzz Magazine