at Cowlitz Ballroom
Sunday, August 18th 2024
7:00pm
Tickets: $49 & $69 | On-sale: Now
Los Lobos
It’s a matter of time. 50 years to be exact. And in that time Los Lobos have created an unprecedented body of work, a legacy of greatness. The numbers are staggering: 100+ gigs a year for five decades running, crossing millions of miles to rock millions of fans. And that’s just at the live shows. In between they’ve recorded 17 studio albums, 7 live LPs, 3 compilations, 2 EPs, 2 DVDs, and contributed 40+ guest appearances on their friends’ recordings—all garnering 4 Grammys, an Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction, the ALMA Ritchie Valens Pioneer Award, NEA and Hispanic Heritage Foundation Honors, Congressional recognitions, plus countless “Keys to the City” and “Los Lobos Day” celebrations. And those are just a few of the highlights. But beyond all the hoopla and applause (and the source of it all, really) is the tremendous heart. Rather, hearts. Cinco corazones. Five blood brothers who have dedicated their off-stage time to helping others, working for peace and justice, penning some of the most literate and important music of their time, transforming the hard cries from the East L.A. barrio into songs of hope, tales of common folk finding ways to endure. The young wolves were weaned on late-night radio’s Soul, R&B, and Doo-Wop. Were cured through the African-American currents of the Blues, Jazz, and Rock ‘N’ Roll. An amalgam. As proud Chicanos, their songs have always glistened with the distillation from their Mexican and Latin American roots—nourished by Norteña and rancheras, buoyed by bolero and cumbias, soaring on the rhythms of son huasteco and son jarocho. Los Lobos have helped spread the rich diversity of cultures across every continent, throughout the global community. Kids in Antwerp now know about Aztlán. Residents of Luxor and Ghana are crooning Lalo Guerrero. People from Laos and Bulgaria are belting “La Bamba”—all thanks to The Wolves as cultural ambassadors. Talk about a living legacy. Talk about a productive half century. And in the true rebel spirit, they did it all on their own terms, against formula. For the ages. To our delight. Quite simply, they are one of the tightest, one of the best, one of the most prolific bands ever. And, amazingly, with the original founding members as the pack the entire time. Unprecedented. As their liner notes put it, quite simply: “Los Lobos still are David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Jr., Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, Steve Berlin.”
Los Lonely Boys
Family has always been at the center of things for Los Lonely Boys. Henry, Jojo, and Ringo Garza have been playing and touring together since they were teenagers. Three years ago, they decided to take a break to focus on their own growing families. But Summer 2022 saw them back at it again, returning to life on the road alongside The Who. The Boys have been making music together for seventeen years now, and they show no signs of slowing down or losing inspiration. Today, you’ll find them in the studio, working on their newest album.
The story of how the Garza brothers rode their Bluesy “Texican Rock & Roll” sound from San Angelo, Texas, to worldwide fame is one of Rock’s great Cinderella tales. The three young brothers formed a band, got signed to a major label, and had a hit single that propelled them to stardom. They sold 2.5 million records, won a Grammy, and received five more Grammy nominations in the span of their career.
The sons of Enrique “Ringo” Garza Sr. are a second-generation sibling band; their dad and his brothers played conjunto as the Falcones before the elder Garza formed a band with his sons. They were still teens when he moved them to Nashville, hoping to hit career paydirt. But their big break came after they returned to Texas and began playing Austin clubs in the early 2000s. One day, Willie Nelson’s nephew heard some demos. Next thing they knew, Willie showed up at a gig. Then he showcased them at Farm Aid, fronted recording time at his famed Pedernales Studio, and guested on their album.
Released in 2003 on startup label Or Records, Los Lonely Boys got picked up by Epic and re-released. Propelled by the No. 1 single, “Heaven,” it wound up selling over 2 million copies, spending 76 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, and earning them a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group.
Their dream-come-true rise was chronicled in the documentary Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads, directed by fellow San Angelo native Hector Galán. Another dream came true for the Boys when Carlos Santana invited them to guest on his 2005 album, All That I Am. They also released Live at the Fillmore that year. Their father and Willie Nelson joined them on 2006’s Sacred, and in 2007, their cover of John Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” became the second single from the album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
Their rise to stardom was certainly something to behold. But the story of how they’ve persevered in the face of subsequent challenges is just as compelling. In 2013, they canceled 43 shows and paused work on their last album, Revelation, after Henry was seriously hurt when he fell from a stage in Los Angeles. The scare caused all three brothers to re-examine not only how they make music, but how they conduct their lives.
“The whole experience was a wake-up call,” Jojo admits. “It reminded us of what’s really important.”
Once again, they affirmed that’s family. And music. For this trio, the two are inseparable.
The downtime of their hiatus served their hearts and their families well, but it also served to plant new seeds of creativity. “We grew as husbands and fathers during our time off. We wanted to be there for our families,” says Henry. Now in the studio working on their newest record, they are finding that inspiration comes from time at home as much as from time on the road. “Our new songs are about what is happening in everyone’s lives; topics of separation, the need for more love, and relating to one another.”
Now, the Boys are entering a new era of their career. “Walking off the stage after our first performance this year, we cried together, hugged, and knew we would continue,” says Henry. “After a three-year hiatus, we are songwriting, recording, and touring together. It is a blessing to share the stage with my brothers. We lift each other musically and spiritually. We consider this Los Lonely Boys’ resurrection.”
LOS LOBOS WEBSITE | LOS LONELY BOYS WEBSITE | COWLITZ BALLROOM
Please Note
All Cowlitz Ballroom shows are subject to rescheduling and cancellation as necessary.
Strobe lights, lighting effects, and theatrical fog may be in use in Cowlitz Ballroom during musical concerts. If you have health or physical problems that could be affected by strobe lighting, lighting effects, or theatrical fog, including but not limited to photosensitive epilepsy, asthma or breathing problems, you should not enter Cowlitz Ballroom.