Flores’ Career Takes Personal Path

Like most people this time of year, maverick country singer-songwriter-guitarist Rosie Flores is plenty busy. But she managed to carve out a mini-vacation earlier this week in San Francisco between tour stops.

While making time for an interview ahead of her performances this weekend in Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Texas-born, L.A.-based musician paused during that interview to note the arrival of a surprise visitor.

“Oh, my God . . . this is beautiful,” Flores said suddenly. “This huge bird . . . I want to say eagle . . . just landed on top of this tree, right outside the window. I’m way up high on this hill in San Francisco, where I can see Oakland across the bay. It’s so serene right here.

“I really needed to take these three days off. I’m gonna go to ‘The Nutcracker,’ which I’ve never seen before. I went out and saw Chris Isaak perform last night, and hopefully, I’ll be going to an art show later today. . . .

“I flew up here, but a girlfriend and I are gonna drive back down the coast . . . and just enjoy the scenery,” she adds.

Thus does Flores embrace life’s simple pleasures, which for her includes the American roots music she’s made significant contributions to over the past three decades.

Growing up in San Antonio, Flores was exposed to a variety of musical styles, including Tex-Mex, blues, rockabilly, honky-tonk and rock ‘n’ roll. Her influences run from country crooners Kitty Wells and Loretta Lynn to rockabilly giants Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and Wanda Jackson to such ‘80s-era “new traditionalists” as Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett.

Her family moved to San Diego when Flores was 12, and by 1978, she was fronting Rosie & the Screamers, a band Flores described as “a cross between Jimi Hendrix and Gram Parsons.”

After a move to L.A. a few years later, Flores worked both as a solo acoustic rockabilly act and as lead guitarist in the Screamin’ Sirens, an all-female cowpunk band.

Her first album, “Rosie Flores,” came out in 1987 on the Warner Bros. Records label and was critically praised for its rootsy vibe and artistic invention. But it went largely unnoticed by the public, and plans for a follow-up were scrapped by Warner executives. (Retitled “A Honky Tonk Reprise” and featuring six previously unreleased tracks, the album was reissued by Rounder Records two years ago.)

Flores moved on to the independent, roots-minded Hightone Records, which released her next three albums, beginning with 1992’s splendid “After the Farm.” But feeling a need for a bigger marketing push, Flores left Hightone after 1995’s rambunctious “Rockabilly Filly,” which featured Wanda Jackson and Janis Martin.

Now signed to the folk-based Rounder, Flores is optimistic about her career direction.

“Rounder functions more like a major label, particularly in terms of marketing and distribution,” she said. “Let’s face it; we’re a product, and someone has to figure out a way to sell us.

“Industry people have said they have a hard time describing who I am, and that kind of baffles me,” she said. “I think it’s easy to hear that I’m a country singer. If I’m a little more bluesy and rockabilly than most, then call me ‘alt-country.’ But country is who I am.”

Already recorded and due in March, Flores’ “Dance Hall Dreams” again features her winsome soprano, strong yet supple guitar licks and a mix of finely crafted originals and well-chosen covers (including Wanda Jackson’s sassy “Funnel of Love”).

There’ll be some differences too.

“We cut the record over two days in San Antonio before a live audience, mainly so I could get a fresh vocal and not have to overdub anything,” Flores said. “In the past, when we’d record the [instrumental parts] first and then lay down the vocal tracks, songs wound-up sounding--or at least feeling--sterile. This time, I wanted to capture the true performance side of me.”

One of the songs on the new album that’s closest to her heart is “Who’s Gonna Fix It Now,” a cry-in-your-beer ballad. Flores’ inspiration for the tune--which she’s dedicated to her father, Oscar, who died in 1996--came while cleaning out her parents’ garage. She found his notes on wires and pipes that read: “to fix bathroom sink,” “to fix shower door,” etc.

“It’s probably the saddest song I’ve ever written. . . . People will get up and walk out of the room because they can’t take it,” she said. “But I try to sing it from a place of admiration rather sadness. It’s more of a testimony to how essential all fathers really are in their daughters’ lives.”

“In ‘94, when I broke my hand and couldn’t play for six months, I moved home with my parents for several months. It brought me a lot closer to my dad. . . . We wrote songs and hung-out together.

“There was this huge rainstorm one night, where all the electricity went out,” she said. “So we sat there, listening to this cool radio station that was playing ‘40s-era jazz. We shared a drink by candlelight. It was the best. . . . I was so bummed when the power came back on.”

Flores said the loss of her father has compelled her to enjoy life’s many pleasures--both big and small--while she still can. Celebrating Elvis Presley’s birthday at the House of Blues in L.A. each year qualifies as a perfect example.

“Playing Elvis songs to celebrate his birthday is such fun, and I try to pick a different one each year. For this coming show [scheduled for Jan. 8, of course], I’m working on a Spanish version of ‘Love Me Tender.’

“Some of my Latino followers say, ‘Why don’t you sing more songs in Spanish?’ So, even though I’m not bilingual, I’m working on it. I thought this might be a beautiful way of doing that.”

* Rosie Flores performs Saturday at Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake. 9:30 p.m. $7. (213) 833-2843. Also appearing Sunday at the Blue Cafe, 210 Promenade, Long Beach. 9 p.m. $6. (562) 983-7111.