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October 25, 2007

Los Lobos gives listeners reasons to think

By Mark Bennett

TERRE HAUTE — It’s hard to say where life would’ve taken Louie Perez and his bandmates if they chose differently back in 1983.

The rock music world had suddenly discovered their group, Los Lobos. These four sons of Mexican immigrants from East Los Angeles had a recording contract with Slash Records, of all things, a punk label. Their blend of Latin, blues, jazz and country into a rock format sounded assured. Their songwriting and musicianship won over critics. Their 1983 EP — a seven-song compilation called “And a Time to Dance” — produced a Grammy-winning song “Anselma” and received rave reviews.

Opportunities awaited Los Lobos in various directions.

“At that point, we stood at the crossroads,” Perez said in a telephone interview last month. “Are we going to be a cool bar band, or are we going to do something that really makes an impact?”

They chose the latter. “And really, that road is the most difficult,” said Perez, Los Lobos’ lyricist, drummer, vocalist and guitarist.

Yet Los Lobos has navigated that loftier, rockier path as deftly as any band in contemporary music. Their four original members — Perez, David Hidalgo (his co-songwriter), Conrad Lozano and Cesar Rosas — have stayed together since 1973. The only “new” addition has been sax ace Steve Berlin, who joined the group in 1983 and never left. That quintet ventured from roots rock to the sounds of their Latin heritage and other genre twists along the way, adding Grammys in 1989 and 1995, and received a lifetime achievement award at Billboard Magazine’s 2001 Latin Music Awards.

Their most recent album, “The Town and the City,” traces their families from Mexico north, across the border into the United States.

“We go back to where we came from,” Perez said.

Tonight, they come to Terre Haute, opening for Indiana rocker John Mellencamp in a 7:30 p.m. concert. The audience may best remember Los Lobos for its 1987 remake of “La Bamba,” a No. 1 hit on the pop charts. But their repertoire goes far deeper. Take the song “The Road to Gila Bend,” from their latest album, for example. Its opening lines let listeners feel the fear and anxiety of an immigrant.

“Made Nogales overnight, through the desert in the yellow light; missing everything I left behind. Will they see me coming? Do they know I’m running?”

The timeliness of that song exemplifies how the guys in Los Lobos, all in their early 50s, are still giving listeners reasons to think and listen. They’re making an impact.

“After 35 years together, when you go into the studio, there’s still that spark of creativity,” Perez said, “and that’s unusual.”

Mark Bennett can be reached at mark.bennett@tribstar.com or (812) 231-4377.

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