Genre-defying groups Los Lobos and The Mavericks are teaming up for a not-to-be-missed co-headline showat Rose Music Center in Huber Heights, OH on Tuesday, July 23rd.
Louie Perez, the “poet laureate” and primary wordsmith of Los Lobos, once called their powerhouse mix of rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues and traditional Spanish and Mexican music “the soundtrack of the barrio.” Three decades, multiple Grammys, the global success of “La Bamba”, and thousands of rollicking performances across the globe later, Los Lobos is surviving quite well — and still jamming with the same raw intensity as they had when they began in that garage in 1973.
A rare example of longevity in a volatile music world that stresses style over substance, Los Lobos’ lineup has remained uninterrupted since 1984, when Steve Berlin joined original members Louie Pérez, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano, each of whom had been there since the beginning in 1973.
“This is what happens when five guys create a magical sound, then stick together for 30+ years to see how far it can take them,” wroteRolling Stone, and indeed, Los Lobos is a band that continually reboots itself and expands its scope with each passing year, while never losing sight of where they came from. Through sheer camaraderie and respect for one another’s musicality, they’ve continued to explore who Los Lobos is and what they have to offer, without succumbing to the burnout that plagues so many other bands that stick it out for any considerable length of time. Their influence is vast, yet they remain humble, centered and dedicated to their craft. Each new recording they make moves Los Lobos into another new dimension while simultaneously sounding like no one else in the world but Los Lobos. As All About Jazz raved, “The genius of Los Lobos resides in their innate ability to find the redemptive power of music, no matter the style they choose to play.”
More than three decades have passed since Los Lobos released their debut album, Just Another Band from East L.A.. Since then, they’ve repeatedly disproven that title—Los Lobos isn’t “just another” anything, but rather a band that has consistently evolved artistically while never losing sight of their humble roots.
As Entertainment Weekly noted in 2017, “‘What kind of music do The Mavericks record?’ is a question with no real answer. On the one hand, the Miami-bred outfit records bits of everything: Elvis Presley-esque rock, Roy Orbison-style balladry, Latin-fusion party tunes, throwback country, irresistible pop. On the other hand, a vocabulary for their style remains out of reach.”
The band has resolutely defied pigeonholing since their founding in 1989; they played their earliest dates in Florida’s alternative rock clubs, where their on-stage contemporaries included another new act on the scene, Marilyn Manson.
The Mavericks’ eclectic sound – fronted by a Cuban-American vocalist and songwriter who drew strongly on his Latin/Caribbean roots and flexing a panoply of influences drawn from rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, pop balladry, blues, R&B, and jazz — ultimately fit most comfortably in a country pocket. The Mavericks’ unique, swaggering fusion of American and Latin styles and sounds garnered praise from both music critics and their industry peers.
With their 30th anniversary looming on the horizon in 2019, The Mavericks abide as an American musical treasure, with an all-encompassing sound that’s as deep, rousing, and entertaining as it is stubbornly impossible to pin down.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning at 11am on Friday, March 15th at Ticketmaster.com,RoseMusicCenter.com. Dates, times and artists subject to change without notice. All events rain or shine.
