Hometown heroes Dos Leones just released a stylistic, cinematic video for their single Shotgun. We put together a short Q & A to get a little more insight into how they created this little gem filmed right here in Laredo, TX. (Video at the end of this interview)

SERGIO: The video looks amazing! I can tell you guys are really resourceful to make this look great. I know you’ve been teasing this video for a while. Tell us a little about the process of how you came up with the idea for this video and how it was shot.

JUSTIN: Well first of all we would like to thank you and let you know we appreciate what you’re doing for the community and artists of Laredo. (thank you!)

I’ll try my best to give you everything that would answer the question and not go too much on a tangent.

So we actually had several ideas directions and scenarios that had to be improvised, but it all started in a room with the director Graviel “gravy” Hinojosa.
The song was written with a comedic thought in a way. The point of the song was thinking robbing a bank is easy but of course, it’s easier said than done. I had imagined, before speaking with gravy, if a video was made for this song, the robbery would be sarcastic. Like the clerks of the bank would be dancing and happily putting money in bags. The security guard giving us high fives and what not. When gravy wanted to make it a serious video, I did not expect that the video would be portrayed in that light but we decided to trust him and started to get into the characters he set for us. So he had the vision for the video.

The script actually had the robbery scenario and we were going around asking banks and anything similar to a bank or just anything with plexiglass on a counter look if we could film but of course, no one wants any liabilities when it comes to money. That calls for a big studio room. We did find an old bank called Milmo National Bank which is located downtown, to at least get the pre-break in scene.

Gravy had some amazing shots that we 100% would not have been able to do on our own. He had stabilized cameras on the windows of the truck we were in. Which was probably the hardest thing to set up. The office, Caleb's room, and briefing room were all shot in the same room with some props gravy built.

Also when we were filming outside of the bank we probably did like seven takes. Someone called the police on us, but who could blame them? Four guys with guns and masks jumping out of a truck and running seems like enough reason. So yeah we were surrounded by like 4 - 5 patrol cars. Fortunately, they arrived when we were looking at the final shots so they knew it was a misunderstanding and we spoke about the video. They offered to close the streets up so we could get the shot. That was so beautiful of them, but we had already gotten the right shots.

This song has more of a narrative and a story that paints a pretty clear picture of what the song is about. Do you think you all will make more songs like this?

You know this is weird to say but I would never appreciate my own songwriting. I submitted "Shotgun" to an influencer on TIKTOK and she kept complimenting the songwriting and I thought, okay so everyone is understanding what I’m talking about, so that’s a good sign that I’m not all over the place which I usually am. I would say another song similar to this songwriting is "The Message" off of our Cowboys From Space EP.

So I would say yes, it’s a recurring writing style of mine that lives in made-up lives influenced by real-life experiences.

I noticed that you all have a new member in your band too! Tell us a little bit about him and how he’s become part of Dos Leones.

Yes, his name is Martin Gonzalez. Caleb brought him into rehearsal one day to check out the band and listen, with no agenda. He was timid I could tell. Honestly, it’s weird but I knew I wanted a member who’s not over expressive or confident. There’s magic in quiet people. Well, he was so quiet, I forgot he was there, so when Caleb brought it up that he can play keys and percussion at a moderate level it intrigued me.

You know I knew we needed another member, and I always thought it was going to be a guitarist, which maybe in the future we will add another, but I love having control of an instrument being able to jam and close my eyes and just feel, so Martin helps the band sound full and helps me because I don’t have to stand at a limit of 3 ft from the keyboard expecting to play the next part.

Random bonus fact. Gravy made the script to where Martin was supposed to be the getaway driver and us the three gunmen. That’s why in the intro when I’m calling them, Martin takes off in the truck. I then had to be the driver because Martin who is 16 doesn’t have a driver's license nor did he ever even drive a vehicle. We were actually teaching him how to drive for about 30 minutes realizing it would be a liability if we crashed. So there’s another improvisation to the video!

What’s next for Dos Leones?

Right now we have six tracks that were going to be on an album, and although an album is such a beautiful journey in a moment of time, I don’t think we have enough fan base to get people who don’t have the will to listen to a new band to hear it all. Only fans listen to albums, so first we need to grow our base a bit more before we make that milestone.

So we’re releasing one track every month, and maybe throw in a couple more videos.

We’re finally going to play again. Our first show will be on July 17th where Downtown Drafthouse used to be. After that show, we’re just gonna start booking like crazy in Laredo.

Make sure to check out our page for Dos Leones and follow them on social media for their upcoming releases and shows! Don't forget to like and share their video too. Support our local talent!