Los Lobos - September 22
"Los Lobos is one of America's most distinctive and original bands. They a huge had a hit with "La Bamba" in 1987, yet that cover barely scratches the surface of their talents. Los Lobos are eclectic in the best sense of the word. While they draw equally from rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music, their music never sounds forced or self-conscious. Instead, all of their influences become one graceful, gritty sound. From their very first recordings, their rich musicality was apparent; on nearly every subsequent record, they have found ways to redefine and expand their sound, without ever straying from the musical traditions that form the heart and soul of the band." - Allmusic.com'
Los Lobos were formed in 1974 by David Hidalgo, Conrad Lozano, Louie Prez and Cesar Rosas -- four friends from Garfield High School in east Los Angeles. Originally, they called themselve Los Lobos del Este (de Los Angeles) ["The Wolves of the East (of Los Angeles)"], which was a play on the name of a norteno band called Los Lobos del Norte and the fact that they (Los Lobos del Este) were from east L.A. The name was quickly shortened to Los Lobos.
Though they started out as a rock 'n' roll band, they soon chose a more traditional Mexican acoustic style. For years the quartet played wedding gigs as well as other traditional Mexican gatherings around east Los Angeles. The band's first noteworthy appearance was in Los Angeles when they were hired by open for Public Image Ltd.. In 1983, the band released an extended play entitled ...And a Time to Dance, which was well-received by critics but only sold about 50,000 copies. However, the sales of the EP earned the group enough money to buy a van, enabling the band to tour the country for the first time.
Los Lobos were signed to Slash Records. With a small budget and a little time between gigs, Los Lobos recorded another EP, an eclectic mix of roots rock 'n' roll and Mexican Nortea music. One of its songs, "Anselma," won a Grammy for best Mexican/American performance. The group enjoy significant commercial success in 1987 when the band's remake of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba," from a biopic of the same name, topped the pop charts. The band signed to Mammoth Records for 2002's Good Morning Aztlan and 2004's The Ride. In 2004, as Los Lobos celebrated 30 years in the music business, they recorded a pair of sold-out shows in San Francisco, which became the basis for a live album and DVD, Live at the Fillmore. The band released Wolf Tracks: The Best of Los Lobos, the first successful attempt at a concise overview of the band's weighty catalog arrived in 2006.
don't miss Los Lobos on the Green at Peppertree Ranch in Hollister -
Saturday September 22.
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