Chicano rock legends headline Art & Air Fest

By THERESA HOGUE
The Entertainer

For those who don't branch out far beyond Top 40 radio, the band "Los Lobos," is most easily identified with their rendition of "La Bamba," which graced the soundtrack of the movie of the same name, which followed the life of Mexican American singer Richie Valens.

But Los Lobos, which means "the wolves" in Spanish, is much more than a catchy No. 1 song from the 1980s. The Chicano band from East L.A. has been around for 30 years, grounded in a friendship that started in high school, and dedicated to exploring their Mexican roots and fusing it with modern rock.

"La Bamba," was first made famous by Valens, and was based on a traditional song style popular in Veracruz. When Los Lobos came out with their version of the song, it became the first No. 1 song in the United States with all Spanish lyrics. While "La Bamba" isn't typical of Los Lobos' current style, it does reflect their early days as a band, when they performed traditional Mexican songs they'd learned from their parents' old albums.

Eventually, Los Lobos began incorporating a broader range of Latino music into their sound, at the same time becoming more of a rock and roll band. They explored many genres with their music as they began to write their own songs, fusing Tex Mex and Norteno music with early rock. Their efforts paid off in 1983, when they won a Grammy for Best Mexican-American Performance.

Several albums and many more genres later, they were propelled into the public eye and ear with "La Bamba," which was quickly followed by a deeper exploration of their Mexican roots, "La Pistola y El Corazon," which earned them another Grammy.

In the mid-1990s, they became involved with another film production, this time performing for the score of "Desperado," the second in the El Mariachi trilogy by Robert Rodriguez, starring Antonio Banderas.

Their 2004 "The Ride," which included collaborations with everyone from Panamanian born Ruben Blades to Mexican group Cafe Tacuba, Elvis Costello to Tom Waits, was released. "The Ride," is an infinitely danceable, listenable collection of work, from the sweet, slow ballad, "Matter of Time," with Costello, to the funky, bluesy "Is This All There Is?" with Little Willie G, the dark and sexy "Charmed," and the sultry Salsa "Ya Se Va" (He's going) with Ruben Blades.

Their latest album "Los Lobos: Live at the Filmore," capitalized on the band's reputation as being fantastic live. For those wishing to see, and hear, for themselves, Los Lobos will headline the Wah Chang Northwest Art & Air Festival at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27.

Current band members include David Hidalgo — vocals, guitar, accordion; Conrad Lozano — vocals, bass, guitarron; Luiz Perez — drums, guitar, quinto; Cesar Rosas — vocals, bajo sexto guitar, mandolin; and Steve Berlin — vocals, saxophone.

For more detailed biographical information on the band, go to www.delafont.com/

music_acts/los-lobos.htm.