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Formed of three brothers, Henry (guitars), JoJo (bass) and Ringo Garza (drums), the Los Lonely Boys were surrounded by music from an early age, becoming their father's backing band before they had reached their teens. Having relocated back to Texas, US from Nashville, US, the brothers set out on their own, developing their unique style.
In 2003, they recorded their self-titled debut record, which they recorded at Willie Nelson's Austin, Texas, US, studio. Epic Records were impressed by the album, re-releasing it for their major label debut in 2004, finding chart success. Rounding out a successful year, they received a Grammy Award for 'Best Pop Performance' in 2004.
After this breakout success, Los Lonely Boys continued to record strong albums, with 2006's "Sacred," 2008's "Forgiven" and the christmas-themed album, "Christmas Spirit," also in 2008. After releasing an EP of covers, "1969," they recorded the powerful "Solid Ground," a song written to raise money and attention of the Family Justice Center of Erie County, an Austin-based charity that supported victims of domestic violence.
Years of constant touring took its toll, and JoJo Garza had developed lesions on his vocal chords in 2010, prompting a break from live performances. It was another year before a new album of original material, 2011's "Rockpango," saw release. More health problems plagued the sibling-trio, after Henry Garza fell from the stage and suffered a serious spinal injury. After recovery, the band returned to strength in 2014, releasing their new album, "Revelation." The album was a moderate success, peaking at number 128 on the Billboard 200.
High school mates David Hidalgo (vocalist/guitarist) and Louie Perez (drummer) bonded over their love for music, and later recruited Cesar Rosas (vocalist/ guitarist) and Conrad Lozano (vocalist/bassist) to join them in a band in 1973, originally calling themselves Los Lobos del Este. Over a span of four months in 1977, the band was able to record their first album, “Los Lobos Del Este De Los Angeles,” and it was mostly recordings of music spanning from free-form jazz, to Top 40, to parody songs. However, they were not quite satisfied with what they were playing so they started to experiment with traditional Mexican music, and later added elements of rock to the sound.
In 1980 their performance at The Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles garnered the attention of prompter David Ferguson, who hired them to open for Public Image ltd, and in 1983 the band released an EP”…And a Time To Dance” which helped them earn enough money to buy a tour van to set out to the rest of the United States. Their first major label album, “How Will The Wolf Survive?” in 1984 was met with critical acclaim and helped put them on the map.
Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, the band spent time extensively touring around the United States, returning with an album entitled “The Neighborhood” in 1990, followed by “Papa’s Dream” in 1995. The album that followed, “Colossal Head” was equally critically acclaimed, however Warner Brothers decided to drop the band from their roster, leading to Los Lobos signing with Mammoth Records in 1999. After signing with Mammoth, the band found continued success, both with the albums they released, as well as with their live shows through touring.
One of the many perks of being a university student is the chance to see tons of shows, for free. One of the shows that I took full advantage of was the Los Lonely Boys at the Riverside Fox Theater in Riverside, California. Consisting of brothers Henry, Jojo and Ringo Garza, Los Lonely Boys combine their Chicano upbringing with American rock and roll.
When I saw them, the crowd consisted of a large mix of people of all ages. The venue was seated, so it was a fairly mellow show. The lights came down, except for the stage lights, and some stuffy middle-aged Fox theater worker introduced the band. But when the band took the stage the energy instantly changed. They opened with “Diamonds,” which got a lot of people up off their seats to jam to the music, and they remained that way until the end of the show. I was really happy with the fact that they performed songs from all of their albums, including their old stuff. It was also the first time I had heard their new stuff, which has taken on more of a laid back tempo.
Even though I was there with a group of my college friends, it was a nice family affair type show. Their music appeals to so many people, and the live sets are, believe it or not, much more energetic than their studio versions.
Ellinoinsta
With a name that translates from Spanish as ‘The Wolves’, Californian outfit Los Lobos have managed to remain a going concern for in excess of forty years now, relying on an unusual fusion of some pretty diffuse - and, in some cases, niche - musical styles to set them apart from many of their contemporaries. It’d be accurate to describe their sound as very much an American one, but just quite where in America is another question entirely; there’s some North American influences - Americana, heartland rock - as well as some more decidedly southern Tex-Mex and Latin rock styles, too. Having released eighteen full-length albums at this point, with their most recent, Disconnected in New York City, dropping in 2013, the band remain a exciting live proposition, something that’s bolstered by the fact that the lineup is largely the same, still, as the one that formed the group back in 1973. Their shows see them run through their back catalogue, and accordingly, run the gamut between a host of musical styles, with a diverse range of instrumentation on hand to help them do the blend justice. Their most recent UK dates came last year, in support of Neil Young and Crazy Horse; look out for their own shows sooner rather than later.
Joeg_67
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