Black Hair

The Music:
Creating their own style dubbed “Native Soul Rock,” the music of Saving Damsels is a rich blend of rock, soul, country, bluegrass, blues and Latin. It’s been described as earnest, honest, and original—the music of the people. Saving Damsels has been hailed as one of the best bands in Albuquerque and are guaranteed to be crowd pleasers.

The Band:
Saving Damsels got its start in Spring 2007 when lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist J.J. Otero (Navajo/Hopi) strapped a guitar across his chest and put to music his lonesome story of having done a good woman wrong and broken up a home. Accompanied with other introspection and more songwriting, Otero soon had a collection of “earnest, honest, and original” songs and set about collecting a band.

Through mutual friends and other connections, the band slowly began taking shape and today consists of members:

J.J. Otero (Navajo/Hopi) / Songwriter, Lead Vocalist & Rhythm Guitar
Joe Pacheco (Isleta Pueblo) / Bass
Pax Garcia (Hispanic) / Drums
Chuck Hawley (White) / Lead Guitar
Doug Bellen (White) / Keyboards

Otero, who has played the guitar for nearly 25 years, says the band is a dream come true—one he may not have appreciated as much had this happened in his late teens or early twenties.

“I appreciate what music means as an individual so much more,” says Otero. “It’s a soulful experience anytime I’m playing music or on stage and there’s more of a relationship with the audience through music—as a kid I wouldn’t have understood that relationship. And that understanding has led to some overwhelming emotional responses from our audience.

The Guys:
J.J. Otero, songwriter, lead vocalist & rhythm guitar
Born and raised in Torreon, New Mexico, J.J. started playing the guitar at 17-years old. When he was 35 he found himself in the midst of a painful breakup and other challenging life changes and so he turned to music to help “soften the blow, ground myself, and express myself.” His major musical influence is “AM Rez Radio”, which is as likely to be playing Credence Clearwater and the Rolling Stones as it is The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac.

Joe Pacheco, bass guitar
Born and raised in Isleta Pueblo, Joe started playing the saxophone in middle school, picking up the bass guitar his senior year of high school. He joined Saving Damsels in 2007. Joe says he gets most of his inspiration from the music of the 70s, 80s and 90s and from the late Cliff Burton, bass guitarist for Metallica. But his greatest source of inspiration and support is his mother, says Joe. “Without my mother’s undying support, I would have never succeeded in my music. She was there to support me and my siblings . . . so thanks Mom!” Of being in the band Joe says he loves the chemistry, songs and friendships between the band members.

Pax Garcia, drums
Born and raised in Albuquerque, Pax joined Saving Damsels in 2007. He’s been a drummer his entire life, starting at age 6 and playing his first gig, a wedding, at 9-years old. In addition to Saving Damsels, he’s played for many other local groups over the years. He has a jazz-fusion background and likes music “that is a bit avant garde.” Early influences include music from the 70’s, latin music and rancheros. Pax says he likes to do things that have never been done and is always looking for rhythms that have never been played before. In the meantime, he is in a continuous state of trying to learn new things from other musicians, while doing his best to support the music of Saving Damsels.

“My drumming supports J.J.’s lyrics,” says Pax. “Saving Damsels is all about the lyrics, my drumming supports the stories.”

Chuck Hawley, lead guitar
Born in Las Cruces and graduating from Socorro High School, Chuck joined Saving Damsels in October, 2009. He plays lead guitar for the band but his first love is the piano, learning it an early age before moving onto the trombone in middle school and the guitar in high school. He’s played for New Mexico bands such as Splinter Fish, Animal Opera and Mucho Buddha. He cites his musical influences as Pink Floyd, the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule as well as Blues/Rock.

“My parents would sing around the house,” says Chuck. “I just gravitated towards it. My mom says I’d listen to music as a toddler and just lay down next to the stereo, listening. I’ve definitely always been fascinated and captivated by music.”

Doug Bellen, keyboards
Born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, Doug has called Albuquerque home for the last 15 years. He joined Saving Damsels in the fall of 2009. Doug comes from a musical family and was classically trained in the French Horn for orchestra. However as a kid he always wanted to play the keyboards in an 80’s power pop band and after learning the French Horn and experimenting with guitar, he finally rediscovered his love for keyboards.

“One of my favorite influences is She Blinded Me With Science [song by British musician, Thomas Dolby], but I like a weird mish mash of stuff and I think my music is better for it,” says Doug.

The Album:
After several years of playing shows, lineup changes, and lots of rehearsals, Saving Damsels is ready to bring this collection of soulful rock tunes to the masses. The journey began in June of 2009 with JJ Otero feeling the pressure of the music business and contemplating the breakup of Saving Damsels, the other band members urged him to at least give their first recording session at Frogville Studios (Santa Fe, NM) a shot. At the direction of sound engineer Bill Palmer, the band set out to record 3 tracks in as close to live setting as possible. In the big, main room of Frogville, Joe, Pax, Chuck, & Doug set up all their gear with JJ separated in an isolated vocal room.

Because of the constant rehearsing and live performances, the band was tight but in that huge room they found some magic. Inspiration from the mountain town, the vibe consciousness of Bill Palmer, and the urgency of recording what could be the last recorded Saving Damsels tracks all swirled into what you hear on their new album titled "Find My Way."

At the end of the 6 hour session, it was certain that the band needed to come back a couple more times to finish the album. After 3 more recording and mixing sessions, the band had a record they could all be proud of. The band had captured a point in time for the music of Saving Damsels and finished in inspired fashion.