Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-10-23
photo by Kayla Von Der Heide
For Tucson songwriter PJ Bidwell, the story behind “Culebra” began with accounts of lives caught in the violence and exploitation of the borderlands. Co-written with longtime friend Eric Cunningham and released October 16, the murder ballad brings that storytelling into an arrangement of nylon-string guitar, steel, electric guitar and trumpet.
The song also reflects the community around The PJ Bidwell Band: musicians who have developed it onstage over several years, friends finding the right moment to record together, and a Tucson studio collaboration that became the group’s most ambitious production to date. With “Culebra” set to appear on an upcoming album, Bidwell answered Grateful Web’s questions by email about the writing, the recording and the city that informs his music.
Watch The PJ Bidwell Band perform “Culebra” live. | Listen to the studio recording.
GW: Where did the story of “Culebra” begin? Is it fictional, drawn from something real, or a combination?
“Culebra” is a fictionalized version of very real stories. Living this close to the Mexican border, we’re familiar with the stories of smugglers and cartels operating in the region. Sometimes those stories make the news, and a lot of times they don’t. Beyond the politics of immigration, there are real people whose lives are affected by violence, exploitation, and the dangers of crossing the border.
I remember reading about a female smuggler who was killed by members of her own smuggling organization. That story stuck with me. I’ve read quite a bit about the subject over the years, and I wanted to draw from those stories and the folklore of the borderlands. My goal was to focus on the people and the stories, not the politics of the region.
GW: How did you and Eric Cunningham write it together, and what did each of you bring to the song?
Eric Cunningham is a buddy. We go back to when we were both starting out. We’ve played a lot of shows together and regularly send each other song ideas, but “Culebra” was our first formal writing session.
We sat down one afternoon wanting to write a murder ballad. We already had a general story idea and a title, and from there it was pretty collaborative. While I really focus on storytelling, Eric brings a musicality to the process.
I think the bridge is a great example. It steps outside the narrative and changes perspective. Up to that point, we’re telling the story of what happened. The bridge shifts to how people feel about it and the lives affected by it. Musically, it creates a great dynamic change, and most of that came from Eric.
Our approaches work well together, and the whole process went pretty smoothly.
GW: You mentioned a story behind the recording. What happened, and who helped shape the finished track?
After we wrote “Culebra,” I incorporated it into my live set almost immediately. It’s been part of just about every show I’ve played for the past few years. When The PJ Bidwell Band started working on our upcoming album, I knew it was going to be included and would probably be a single.
This was our most ambitious production to date. We recorded at Cimamusic Mix & Mastering in Tucson. The band recorded their parts, and we brought in Eric and Jon to add theirs.
Ricky Wascher Tavares, who runs Cimamusic, and I went back and forth on the mix more than we have on any other song. Not because it needed more work than the others, but because the arrangement was more complex. I knew we had something that could be really great, and I wanted to make sure we got it right.
Ricky was great through the whole process. He knew when to make adjustments, but he also knew when to tell me the song was finished and I was just overanalyzing things. Sometimes you need somebody who knows when to tell you to leave it alone.
GW: How did the nylon-string guitar, steel and trumpet find their places in the arrangement?
I knew from the beginning that I wanted Eric involved in the recording. He’s a great guitar player, and he has this cool Spanish-style approach that he sometimes plays on his nylon-string guitar. It felt like a natural fit for the song, so we brought him in to record the intro. What you hear at the beginning is all Eric.
The steel guitar is really part of our band’s sound. When Tim Puckett first joined, I was specifically looking for someone who played steel guitar. I’m a big fan of the color it adds to music, and it’s become a staple of a lot of our songs.
Tim had always played steel on “Culebra” live, but when we got into the studio, he came up with the idea of adding electric guitar. The part he created gave the song a spaghetti Western feel that I think works really well alongside the Mexican-influenced trumpet parts.
My friend Jon Villa is the frontman of The Jons and has played trumpet and percussion with Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers for years. Jon and I had talked about recording together for a while, and “Culebra” seemed like the right opportunity. He happened to have a week off between shows with Roger, so we got him into the studio, and he laid down those fantastic trumpet parts.
GW: What does living and playing in Tucson bring to your songwriting? Is there something about the borderlands that you wanted this song to capture?
Tucson has a great creative community, with art, murals, and live music everywhere. You can find live music just about any night of the week, from the eclectic music scene along Fourth Avenue to honky-tonk bands playing bars and dance halls throughout town. I’ve got friends in metal bands and others who are freestyle rappers. Being around that kind of creativity is inspiring. It makes you want to write better songs.
There’s also a unique culture here, shaped by generations of American and Mexican influences. You’ve got Old West storytelling, Mexican folklore, and traditions that have crossed back and forth over the border for a long time.
I wanted to capture that borderland feel with “Culebra” and create something that felt both American and Mexican. Not just in the story, but in the music itself.
GW: For readers meeting your band for the first time, who’s in the group, and what would you want them to know about your live shows?
The PJ Bidwell Band is a Tucson-based Americana and alt-country band. I’m the singer, songwriter, and acoustic guitar player. We’ve got Tim Puckett, who moves between lap steel, electric guitar, keys, and harmonica, and Rick Nuño on bass. We also have two drummers, David “Bonzo” Samek and Tony Castro. Bonzo also sings backing vocals, and on bigger stages when they’re both available, he moves over to auxiliary percussion while Tony handles the drums.
Our music is rooted in storytelling, but we’re definitely not just a sit-down-and-listen kind of band. There’s a lot of roots-rock energy in what we do, and we don’t mind getting a little loud. Tim might be playing lap steel on one song and electric guitar or keys on the next. Some songs give the lyrics room to breathe, while others are built around getting the whole band going.
I think that’s one of our strengths. We can cover a lot of musical ground without losing our identity. You might come for the stories, but we want to give you a reason to stick around for the whole show.
“Culebra” — Recording Credits
Artist: PJ Bidwell (The PJ Bidwell Band)
Songwriters: Phillip Jon Bidwell and Eric Cunningham
Recording, Mixing & Mastering: Ricky Wascher Tavares
Studio: Cimamusic Mix & Mastering, Tucson, Arizona
Upcoming Shows
November 5, 2026 — Casa Marana — Marana, Arizona
November 14, 2026 — On The Rocks — Tucson, Arizona
November 15, 2026 — Pizza Festival — Phoenix, Arizona
November 21, 2026 — Jackrabbit Lounge — Tucson, Arizona
November 22, 2026 — The Brickyard — Florence, Arizona
Listen to “Culebra” on Spotify | Follow The PJ Bidwell Band on Instagram
