Even after more than 30 years, Los Lobos can still best be described as eclectic. East L.A.’s favorite sons excel at mastering and synthesizing every form of modern roots music into their sound – R&B, blues, Tex-Mex, country, pop, rock, folk, and psychedelia - while remaining true to the traditional Mexican music that brought them together.
Touring in support of their 13th and most recent release, The Town and the City, Los Lobos will play the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St., on Friday, March 21 at 8 p.m. The event is being presented by CAPA.
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Tickets are $35, $32.50, $25 and $20 and are availalble at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office, 39 E. State St., all Ticketmaster outlets and at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available by phone at 614-431-3600 or 614-469-0939.
Louie Perez, David Hildalgo, Conrad Lozano and Cesar Rosas met in high school. After graduation, they began gathering at Rosas’ home to explore traditional Mexican music. Those sessions lead to numerous East L.A. event appearances at weddings, barbeques, parties, restaurants, clubs and community colleges where they performed the traditional sounds of their Mexican heritage.
Not long after adding bassist Conrad Lozano in 1975, Los Lobos recorded their first independent album, Just Another Band from East L.A., and the booking requests became almost overwhelming. They took up residency in a restaurant where they began to develop an electric rock and R&B set, leading to frequent gigs at popular L.A. rock venues.
In 1981, Los Lobos self-released two indie singles which further fueled their substantial local popularity and earned them an EP label deal. …And a Time to Dance was released to critical acclaim and Los Lobos began their first national tour, as well as won their first Grammy Award for Anselma, as Best Mexican/American Performance.
Saxophonist Steve Berlin joined Los Lobos full-time in 1984, as the band recorded and toured to support their first LP, How Will the Wolf Survive?
As Los Lobos began writing and recording their sophomore album, they were approached to record the soundtrack for an upcoming biopic of Richie Valens. The album, By the Light of the Moon, was released in early 1987, and was soon followed by the summer movie release of La Bamba. The movie became an instant phenomenon and the Los Lobos recording of La Bamba went to No. 1 on the Billboard Singles chart, remaining there for three weeks and gaining them substantial mainstream notoriety.
To avoid being pigeonholed by the mainstream attention, Los Lobos released La Pistola y el Corazan, a non-commercial album of acoustic Mexican folk songs, and gained a second Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Mexican/American Performance.
The Neighborhood was released in 1991, as Los Lobos returned to an electric base, delivering everything from New Orleans R&B to jazz fusion. Their largest national U.S. tour to date followed.
In 1992, Los Lobos released their first of three experimental albums, Kiko, showcasing ethereal, psychedelic dreamscapes, sonic textures, varying rhythmic patterns, and surrealistic lyrics. It received universal critical acclaim and was heralded as the band’s masterwork.
Los Lobos continued to work and released several more albums. Papa’s Dream (1995) was an album of children’s music followed by Colossal Head (1996) which is considered the second chapter in their trilogy of experimental albums. This Time (1999) completed the trilogy with more sonic dreamscapes but retained a basic rock structure.
To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Los Lobos released The Ride in 2003, which featured several notable guest vocalists and musicians and gained the band a great deal of media attention. 2005 brought the release of Los Lobos Live at the Fillmore, the first live Los Lobos recording ever released. Most recently, Los Lobos released their 13th album, The Town and the City (2006), and are currently touring in support of it.
The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, education excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. CAPA also appreciates the support of The Columbus Foundation, assisting donors and others in strengthening our community for the benefit of all of its citizens, and the Greater Columbus Arts Council, supporting the city’s artists and arts organizations since 1973.
Owner/operator of downtown Columbus’ magnificent historic theatres (Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre, Southern Theatre) and manager of the Riffe Center Theatre Complex (Columbus) and the Shubert Theater (New Haven, CT), CAPA is an award-winning presenter of national and international performing arts and entertainment. For more information, visit www.capa.com.
CALENDAR LISTING
CAPA Presents LOS LOBOS
Friday, March 21, 8 pm
Palace Theatre (34 W. Broad St.)
Los Lobos excel at mastering and synthesizing every form of modern roots music into their sound – R&B, blues, Tex-Mex, country, pop, rock, folk, and psychedelia – while remaining true to the traditional Mexican music that brought them together. Tickets are $35, $32.50, $25, and $20 at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 431-3600 or (614) 469-0939. The Palace Theatre Ticket Office will open two hours prior to the performance. Students with a valid ID can purchase upper balcony seats for $11.25. Students between the ages of 13-19 may purchase $5 High Five tickets while available. www.capa.com
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Contact: Rolanda Copley
(614) 719-6624
ropley@capa.com