Los Lobos brings their high-energy show to the Colonial Theatre
Offering a unique blend of rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues and soul Los Lobos (Spanish for “the Wolves”) rose to international prominence in the late ‘80s with a hit remake of the classic Richie Valens song “La Bamba.”
“We are basically doing what we do,” says Steve Berlin, from his home in Portland, Oregon. “Traveling all around the world making music. We were about to make a new record earlier this year but the plans fell through at the last minute and we weren’t able to pick up the pieces so we’re not really sure when that is going to happen at this point.”
Formed in 1973 in East Los Angeles, California, Los Lobos whose line up features David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle, requinto jarocho (1973–present), Louie Perez(vocals, guitar, drums, jarana huasteca
(1973–present), Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar, bajo sexto (1973–present) Conrad Lozano (vocals, bass, guitarron) (1974–present) and Steve Berlin (keyboards, woodwinds) (1984–present) celebrates more than
40 years.
“The original lineup is still the same line up. It isn’t any different,” says Berlin. “I’d like to think we are doing the same job we’ve done all these years. We really haven’t changed all that much. I would be vey gratified if people came away from our shows feeling that way.”
Growing tired of performing American Top 40 rock, Los Lobos laid the foundation for their signature sound, experimenting with the traditional Mexican songs from their youth. The high-energy upbeat sound soon made them a hit on the dance and wedding circuits.
In 1983, they released the EP “…And a Time to Dance.” The critically acclaimed album sold 50,000 copies affording Los Lobos the opportunity to tour the U.S. They returned to the studio the following year to record their debut Warner Brothers album release “How Will the Wolf Survive.” Their breakthrough record that Rolling Stone Magazine would later list as
#30 of the top 100 albums of the ‘80s and number 455 of the 500 greatest rock albums of all time.
Following the release of their sophomore effort “By the Light of the Moon”
(1987), they returned to the studio to record covers of Richie Valens’ songs for the soundtrack of the film “La Bamba.” Their version of the films title track became a smash number one hit for the band. They would go on to make a guest appearance in the film performing on stage.
“I’d like to think that there is a uniqueness,” says Berlin. “That we’re trying to do something that we’re more or less unique at. If there’s a take away, ‘there’s nothing that really sounds like these guys,’ then I feel like we’ve done our job.”
“We’re too busy doing what we do musically to think about what it’s called, adds Berlin. “I guess it could be called Latin Rock, but I don’t really know if that is what it is. It’s a lot of different things. I can’t believe it had gone on as long as it has. I couldn’t have imagined that when we started and here we are.”
Los Lobos has shared the concert stage with Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, U2 and the Grateful Dead. Their music has been covered by such luminaries as Tom Waits, Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack and Elvis Costello, among others.
Nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, Los Lobos has been the recipient of numerous awards including Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the song “Mariachi Suite” used in the film “Desperado,” Best Mexican American Performance in 1983 and 1989 for the song “Anselma” and the album “La Pistola y el Corazón,” the El Premio Billboard Award in 2001 and the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Los Lobos appeared in the 2017 award-winning documentary film “The American Epic Sessions.”
“Success is getting to work on your music full time on any level,” says Berlin. “That’s a really hard thing to do these days. A lot of friends of mine have been at it for a long time and they’re definitely still struggling. My heart goes out to young bands anywhere and everywhere. I know it’s not easy. But if this is the life you’re called to, it’s kind of hard to put it down. You have to bring something new to your music, something different.”
“The reward is the journey,”
adds Berlin. “I think to a certain extent I really believe that. It really has been a remarkable thing that we’ve been able to pull off 40 whatever years. It is very gratifying and I try to enjoy every experience that we get. Every show, every album. It has just been a remarkable experience and we’ve been lucky enough to do it our way. We’ve certainly made our own mistakes and been ill advised on occasion but whatever we’ve done, effectively speaking, we’ve done it the way we wanted to do it.”