Gabe Hizer (vocals, guitar) graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1971, then worked as a guitar teacher and played in various bands around New England until 1980, when he entered Boston University School of Law.
While his musical pursuits had to take a back seat for a while as he started his legal career, he nonetheless continued to hone his musical chops, leading several bands and devoting much of his time to songwriting.
Following a move to Nashville, TN, in 1991, he concentrated on songwriting even more, culminating in his first CD, of all original songs, "Persistence of Memory," in 2010.
Since moving to San Miguel de Allende in Oct 2014, he has once again been devoting himself to songwriting and producing his own songs.
Carmi Simon (bass) has had an illustrious career not only as a professional musician (guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, dobro, and steel guitar) but also as a guitar tech, repairman, and builder. Some of the many musicians and bands he has played with include:
Chicago: Chicago Slim Blues Band (Noel Schiff), Sam Lay and the Mojo Workers, The Moving Violations (Nate Herman). Music Coordinator, Stony Island, the movie.
LA: The USA (last version), accompanied Belland and Summerville (Four Preps and The Diamonds), and Leonard Nimoy, McCabe's Floating House Band (Bobby Kimmel), Wendy Waldman Band, The Gypsy Hollow Boys and The Stomp Band (the legendary Steve Ferguson).
Bob Block (lead guitar) started playing guitar at the age of 13, and subsequently played in a band through high school, with the high point of opening the show for The McCoys and Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs.
A brief stint in college had Bob playing with the well-known Rob The Drummer of Hartford, Ct
At the age age of 20, in 1970, Bob spent three years immersed in the London music scene, where he recorded in CBS Studios with recording artist Gary Farr, whose previous guitarist was Richard Thompson of Fairport Convention. During those years, Bob also had the opportunity to jam with The Jeff Beck Group and audition for Foghat. In 2005, Bob and fellow musician Pat Vitagliano, current leader of The Bones Las Vegas, opened the show for The Misfits, at The Worcester Palladium, Worcester, Mass.
Since moving to SMA, Bob has gotten back to devoting his time to music
Formed in 2016, Buenos Tiempos consists of Gabe Hizer (vocals, guitar), Bob Block (guitar), Carmi Simon (bass and vocals), and Valentino Guzman (drums).
All the guys are from the States and wound up in San Miguel de Allende for the Mexican culture, great weather, fabulous food, and thriving art and music scene.
Valentino Guzmán began playing drums at the age of 2, instructed by his father, and by the age of 6 was already performing in public. At the age of 13 he began to play in several rock groups with other musicians his age, in secondaria and in preparatoria as part of the group MTK Rock Blues Band.
Later, he finished his basic studies and then moved to Querétaro to continue his university career as an Industrial Engineer at the Instituto Tecnológico de Querétaro. While there, he continued to participate in two music groups and was part of the Banda de Guerra (War Band) of his university, attending two events of the “Nacional de Banda de Guerra y Escoltas” (National Band of War and Escorts) carried out in Chetumal, Quintana Roo and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
Valentino returned to San Miguel Allende in 2015 to work as a math teacher and continue his participation in different groups: Naufrago, MTK Rock Blues Band, Uniko's, La Korporaz! On, The Swans and Granada Rock. He has also attended several clinics and master classes in different parts of the country with international drummers such as Alex Gomez (Emmanuel, Rio Roma and session drummer), Christian Gomez (Parazit), Winston Marcos (Independent), Luis Huerta Downs), Chuy Estrada (Independent, Jesse and Joy), Tony Saldivar (Independent), Alfonso Andre (Caifanes-Jaguares) among others.