Buenos Amigos: Members of legendary Latin band Los Lobos have grown up together

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Sept. 9, 2005 | 8:22 a.m.

Its members have matured from high-school chums to men in their 50s, with children and, in some cases, grandchildren of their own.

The musicians, who once sold self-released records from the backs of their cars, now have the clout to bring Elvis Costello, Ruben Blades and Tom Waits into the studio for collaborative projects.

And, notes drummer/guitarist/lyricist Louie Perez, Los Lobos' audience has been transformed in one significant respect.

"We've seen the face of America change, and that face is brown," said the Mexican-American Perez, referring to the country's growing Hispanic population. "In the early days, we'd play Minneapolis or Burlington, Vt., and there's wouldn't be any brown faces."

Back then, on many nights Los Lobos played to seas of white faces, and relished the opportunity to do so.

"We would play to a packed house of white people who were able to see beyond the color or race and just be there because of music," Perez, 52, said in a phone interview from a Santa Cruz, Calif., hotel room this week. "That made us feel like we were on a crusade, and that was really elating."

As the audience has changed, so has the mission for Perez and his bandmates. "Now we find Latin people everywhere, so we're bringing cultures together now," Perez said. "We'll play a venue packed with brown people, white people, people of all races, and it's really a spirit of community. Music is one of the rare mediums that can do that.

On Saturday night Los Lobos will bring Southern Nevada fans together at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater. Gates to the all-ages show open at 6:30 p.m. Perez, guitarist/vocalist David Hidalgo, bassist Conrad Lozano and guitarist/ vocalist Cesar Rosas formed Los Lobos in 1973, blending traditional Mexican motifs, country and folk elements with rootsy rock and roll.

Saxophonist Steve Berlin joined in 1983 "He's the new guy," jokes Perez and Los Lobos' lineup has stayed constant ever since.

"I can't remember a Saturday in 32 years that I haven't seen the rest of the guys," Perez said. "Our children all grew up together, and they consider themselves to be brothers and sisters. It's pretty tight-knit."

Perez and Hidalgo also continue to be one of rock's most creative songwriting duos, even as their technique has evolved over time.

"We used to sit down with a pencil and paper and a guitar and write a song. A lot of the songs on the early records were composed that way, but now we just don't have the time," Perez said. "So we've come up with a process where we communicate by tapes or burned CDs.

"He'll pass me an idea and I'll come up with something that fits, and then we'll sit down and put it all together. Then, once the music is together with the lyrics, we'll present it to the band."

Perez's ability to write lyrics for Hidalgo to sing reflects the two men's history together, and their continued closeness, Perez said.

"There's definitely trust and intuition," Perez said. "When I write a lyric, I can feel intuitively that it's something that I can imagine David singing and that I believe he can interpret.

"But I'm very fortunate to be working with a guy who can sing the menu at Denny's and break your heart. He's just an incredible vocalist."

Ironically, Los Lobos is best known for a song not written by Hidalgo and Perez, traditional Mexican folk tune "La Bamba." In 1987 the band's rendition shot to No. 1 on both the pop and Latin charts after it was featured in the Richie Valens bio film of the same name.

Perez concedes the surprise hit resulted in something of an "identity crisis" for the band for a time, but said that they are quite comfortable including "La Bamba" in their live sets these days.

"We play it all the time," Perez said. "For a while we didn't. Even Hendrix had a problem with 'Purple Haze'."

Instead of capitalizing on the crossover success of "La Bamba," Los Lobos perplexed industry observers by following it with "La Pistola y El Corazon," an album of traditional Mexican fare.

"It was a surprise to us that it was so huge, so we felt compelled to get back on track with what we do," Perez said. "I remember reading a lot of journalists said we committed commercial suicide with that. But it was the right thing for us."

Since then Los Lobos has returned to its roots often, mixing Spanish-language tracks in with English material on every CD in its catalog.

"A record just doesn't feel complete unless we have at least one or two songs in Spanish on it," Perez said. "It's us -- consciously or not -- paying tribute to where we've come from."

Los Lobos marked its 30th anniversary by bringing a diverse collection of guest artists into the studio, including Costello, Blades, Waits, Mavis Staples, Richard Thompson, Garth Hudson and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter.

The results can be heard on 2004's "The Ride," the band's most recent studio album.

"It was our way of throwing an anniversary party and inviting a bunch of friends over to celebrate," Perez said.

A concert DVD, "Live at the Fillmore," hit stores in November, and an audio companion CD followed in March.

Surprisingly, it was the first official live album from a band that has spent more than three decades building a reputation as one of rock's most dynamic onstage acts.

"We allow whoever wants to tape to do so, and there's a pretty elaborate taper community out there," Perez said. "But we've never done anything that's actually been authorized by us before."

Perez promises fans won't have to wait another 32 years for the follow-up.

"We have yet to put out the definitive live Los Lobos record, an audio document of our live performance," he said. "But it will definitely happen, and we will do it sooner than later."