Question: What’s the definition of a rags-to-riches story?

Answer: Going from losing your guitarist, releasing a commercial flop and almost getting dropped from your record label to opening for Disturbed, playing on the OzzFest Tour and having a song on the “Matrix: Reloaded” soundtrack.

This is the story of Dallas rockers UnLoco.

Life wasn’t always so frantic for the band, though. In the early days, everything was simpler. Just playing local venues and getting a good Texas fan base was fine and dandy.

Then, things got a bit more complicated. In 2001, their major label debut “Healing,” released on Maverick Records, failed to live up to expectations. Lead singer Joey Duenas’ drinking and smoking began to take its toll on his voice, and it hindered their performances.

Worse still, the band’s longtime guitarist decided to leave to join Goldfinger, and the timing couldn’t have been worse because they were due back in the studio to record a follow-up album with literally no time to lose.

“We had three years on our first record, and now, we only had a few months and we weren’t even sure it was gonna happen,” said bassist Victor Escarena.

The chips began to fall into place soon enough, though, as UnLoco quickly snagged up guitarist Marc Serrano to fill their vacancy, and composed a new album in no time.

“There was so much going on,” said Duenas. “We were having internal band issues, we were exhausted from the tour we’d just done and we were all having relationship problems. But we did everything right. Our writing was stronger.”

“It was more of all of us coming together and being really proud and just making a record,” said Escarena. “I think, with ‘Becoming I,’ we accomplished getting the best out of ourselves. I guess we just matured, which is a cliche, but I think we did.”

And indeed, their major label follow-up “Becoming I” has succeeded where “Healing” failed. In fact, they’re still riding the popularity of the album and are in the middle of the “Music as a Weapon” tour, where they’re playing alongside Disturbed, Taproot and Chevelle. They’ve also secured a spot on the Ozzfest tour, and they have a song on the upcoming “Matrix: Reloaded” soundtrack.

“I think getting a second chance and having these big tours is really like a blessing,” said Escarena. “We just wanna play for the people and hopefully get some respect. We’re really just excited about how things have been going this past year. We’re ecstatic.”

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