EDDIE SANCHEZ-JUAREZ: The Man With Experience

In 1998, Eddie Sanchez-Juarez of Tragic Komic lost a bit of his musician persona when chopped off his waist-long hair in lieu of a more cropped do. But unlike his hair, his rocker heart and Tragic Komic have stood the test of time.

The band has been together for 15 years and has not had a lineup change in 12. Even in mainstream music, Sanchez-Juarez knows that kind of staying power is rare.

"There're a lot of people I see and aren't in bands anymore or trying to start a band again. So it feels good, especially when you keep band members together for that long," he said. "So I guess we're the Rolling Stones and maybe Bon Jovi."

And like the established rockers, they don't rush the creative process. The entrepreneur and his band have been on a five-year break, writing songs, recording and dedicating time to their day jobs. But they're starting to book live sets again.

What he's found, however, is a live music culture much different than the one Tragic Komic grew up in. The new Valley music scene, he said, has more venues and appreciates original music more than in the past, when cover bands dominated the club scene.

"It was really, really hard to play clubs back then (if you played originals). We used to learn covers in order to play at clubs and we had to thrown in originals," he said.

But even as the live music scene changes, members get older and the future of their music remains unsure, Sanchez-Juarez said Tragic Komic will continue on, just like a rolling stone.

"It's in our blood; it's one of those things that will never die."

All About EDDIE SANCHEZ-JUAREZ
AGE 39
BORN/HOMETOWN Mexico City/ McAllen
STATUS Married, 8 years
ROLE Bass player for Tragic Komic
DAY JOB Entrepreneur, based in Reynosa
GRADUATED McAllen Memorial High School, 1988
ZODIAC SIGN Aquarius     
ONLINE www.myspace.com/tragickomic

• Watch him live at 7pm Friday, June 6 at Best Buy  on Jackson Road and Expressway 83 in McAllen

If a girl had these three albums, I would fall in love with herimmediately:
Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N Roses, Back in Black AC/DC and something like Neil Diamond, something that shows versatility.

Who is your celebrity crush?
Megan Fox, she's got a little rebel side to her

What's your worst bad habit?
I procrastinate. I do it more often than I should.

Which Valley restaurant would you take a first date to?
I kind of like Quinta Mazatlan. I'm an outdoor person, so something outdoors. I wouldn't want to do anything too cliché; it would have to be something different. Maybe a haunted house or something.

What physical feature are you most insecure about?
My nose, I had a boating accident and one nostril is bigger than the other.

What's the worst date you ever had?
Hello and goodbye. Not even getting to the date.

Ever have a fan that was in love with you? Describe.
I did. I had one that would even follow me home. That was scary. That was back in the day when we would play at Klub X. That was bad. She would like park down the street. Then, I found out she stalking me. I said I had a girlfriend or I made some bull**** up. And I found out that she had been doing it for a month and a half. It was scary because I was living with my mom at the time.

• THAT'S HOT

>> British or Spanish accent? Spanish

>> Brown or blue eyes? Brown

>> Good body or pretty face? Smarts

>> 80's or 90's - 80s

>> Convertible or pickup truck? Pickup

>> London or Tokyo? Tokyo

>> Sunlight or moonlight - Moonlight

• SPILL IN THE BLANK

The reason I broke up with my last boy/girlfriend is _____________________________________
it was so long ago. I can't even remember. I think jealousy.  

I would do a spread in Playgirl if they paid me $____________
$5

I got my first kiss when I was ____
9 years old. And I still remember it.

My secret turn-on is ___________________________
a well-dressed, smart woman with a little Megan Fox, a little rebel stuff, on the side.

Read about the other nine Hottest Guys of Valley Rock 2009, or check out 2009's Hottest Women of Valley Rock. How does this group measure up against 2008's Hottest Men & Women of Valley Rock? Click here to decide for yourself.

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