Thirty years ago, Los Lobos was just a garage band in East Los
Angeles. And as a band whose success is deeply indebted to its
members’ cultural heritage as Mexican Americans, Los Lobos
has decided to make its 30-year anniversary tour an acoustic one in
order to celebrate its musical roots.
For one of its many stops, Los Lobos will perform at Royce Hall
on March 4.
The sound of Los Lobos is drawn from different genres, including
rock, blues, R&B, country and traditional Mexican music.
Louie Perez, the band’s drummer, describes Los
Lobos’ sound as a pure definition of what it means to be
Mexican American.
“We borrow from our own cultural past, our Mexican roots,
and also from our roots as American. Both together equal Los
Lobos,” Perez said. “Some extra seasoning is the
distinct individual sound each member of the band brings to the
table.”
The band first formed in 1974 when its members were still in
high school trying to find their musical fit. They finally realized
that the Mexican music that they heard in the background all their
lives was where their sound had derived. The group then began
performing at local venues and even played for MEChA groups and
Chicano studies departments at various Southern California
universities.
“(Mexican music) wasn’t the cool thing to do at the
time, because young people were mostly into radio hits like rock
‘n’ roll and soul,” Perez said. “Since we
did start at such a young age, we were ahead of the
game.”
The band also attributes growing up in East Los Angeles as a
major factor in its music, as the group writes about childhood
experiences.
“Many of our songs are snapshots of growing up in East
L.A., and listeners can identify with it because experiences of
growing up are universal things,” Perez said.
The group came up with the name Los Lobos, which means
“the wolves” in Spanish, as a joke. When band members
were growing up, there was another band called Los Lobos del Norte
Los Angeles (The Wolves of North L.A.), so they decided to call
themselves Los Lobos del Este Los Angeles (The Wolves of East
L.A.). But they cut the name to just “Los Lobos”
because it was too long to put on venue signs.
In its latest album, “The Ride,” the band focuses on
its rock roots and features many guest stars, such as the Mexico
City rockers Café Tacuba and another East Los Angeles cultural
icon, Willie G.
The decision to go back to their early days meant unplugging
their instruments so they could best focus on the rich diversity of
Mexican and Latin American music by having a traditional acoustic
sound. The last time the group attempted this was 15 years ago with
its “La Pistola y El Corazon” (The Pistol and the
Heart) tour, where it focused entirely on imitating traditional
Mexican music.
“We are proud of what we’ve accomplished,”
Perez said. “We feel like the elder statesmen of Chicano rock
who have paved the way for other Chicano bands like Los Lonely
Boys.”
But Los Lobos expresses no desire to retire any time soon.
“The fact that we are just a garage band from East L.A.
and have made it this far proves that we are here to stay,”
Perez said.