(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – In its first appearance back at MASS MoCA since its performance at MASS MoCA’s opening weekend celebration in May 1999, North America’s longest-running great rock band, Los Lobos, will perform a rare unplugged gig at the Hunter Center on Thursday, April 5, 2012, at 8 p.m. The group is entertaining fan requests for which songs to play via a form on its website here.
Three decades ago Los Lobos debuted as an East Los Angeles garage band of Mexican-Americans drawing equally on heritage sounds as well as the vibrant Americana scene that was in its infancy. Like The Band, that other great North American group before it that also boasted just one Anglo among its members except looking southward rather than northward, Los Lobos was a band that was both timeless and ahead of its time.
With its unique mix of rock, blues, jazz, Tex-Mex, folk and traditional Spanish and Mexican music, Los Lobos has created some of America’s most inventive and inspiring music, notching numerous #1 singles, three Grammys and millions of albums sold along the way. Best known, and perhaps unfortunately, for covers of the Ritchie Valens classics, “La Bamba” and “Come On, Let’s Go,” Los Lobos has assembled a body of work diverse enough to captivate fans worldwide.
A rare example of longevity in a volatile music world that stresses style over substance, Los Lobos’s lineup has remained the same since 1984, when saxophonist/keyboardist Steve Berlin joined original members Louie Perez (drums/guitars/vocals), vocalist Cesar Rosas, bass player Conrad Lozano, and multi-instrumentalist David Hidalgo, each of whom had been with the band since the beginning in 1973.
Los Lobos is a band that continually redefines itself and expands its scope with each passing year, while never losing sight of where it 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.
Tickets are $29 in advance and $35 day of show. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams, open 11 – 5, closed Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased online at MASS MoCA.