VALLEY COUNTRY: Route 66

Route 66 plays with range. The four piece group can do classic rock, country and folk. Upon request, they can even bring in an accordion player and jam out to Tejano music.

But make no mistake; Rick Gomez says the band's true passion is country music. And they play all across the Valley, from Hillbilly's in McAllen to Wink's Saloon in Brownsville. And they put on a great show fueled by love of the genre. As lead guitarist Gomez says, "I don't charge a fee to play; I'd do that for free. I have a lot of equipment and I charge to set it all up."

Playing together since 2005

Based out of McAllen

Upcoming shows: 9 p.m., Tonight and Saturday at Hillbilly's in McAllen

Band members: Rick Gomez on lead guitar, Darrel Fuentes on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Eric Trevino on bass and Sam Saenz on drums

Cowboy cred: 4 cowboy hats 

Questions answered by lead guitarist Rick Gomez 

Where do you expect country music to take you? For myself, at (49), I just want it to keep me happy. It's not like I expect to make it big. I just want to continue playing and if the lord lets me do that it will keep me happy. Some of the other members have different dreams. 

What is your dream gig? I'd love to go to Nashville, that'd be wonderful. To go out there and play the Grand Ol' Opry. That's everybody's dream. 

How does a Valley crowd differ from a regular country crowd? It's interesting because the Valley is very challenging. You get a lot of critics and you make a lot of friends. The way we start off a gig depends on where we're playing. Basically what we do is we read the crowd. Depending on the age group, that's the style we play. Generally we end with classic rock. So once they're pumped up and dancing you change the style of music. So it's all good. I love playing here. 

What is the future for your band? I hope we just continue making people smile and dance. And we have been successful for the past few years. People love us, and we keep getting booked for some reason.