Los Lobos have created an unprecedented body of work. With twelve Grammy nominations and four wins, they have proven their work to be legitimate. The band was formed in 1973 and they are now on their 50th anniversary tour where they made a stop in Iowa City, at the Englert Theatre.
Los Lobos is a band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music can be considered rock, country, blues, and traditional Mexican Folk music. With their fast-tempo songs, playing in front of a crowd is second nature.
Their style incorporates elements of rock, blues, folk, R&B, Tex-Mex, and traditional Mexican music, with an emphasis on Latin rhythms and instrumentation. This fusion is especially evident in their use of guitars, accordion, and percussion, combined with bilingual lyrics that seamlessly blend English and Spanish.
Their stage presence is unforgivingly energetic with each of the members being very comfortable on stage. While they trade guitar solos, each one better than the next, the drums and bass in perfect harmony. One thing that stood out was Steve Berlin on the tenor and baritone saxophone.
Berlin ripped through saxophone solos with ease. Sometimes playing lower tones with the baritone or taking more melodic lines with the tenor saxophone. Either way, it added something exemplary to the band’s sound.
Guitarist and vocalist Cesar Rosas uses a wah pedal to add a special layer to his guitar solos. A wah pedal alters the sound of an electric guitar by changing the frequency.
Some songs played by Los Lobos were more rock and blues style with heavy-hitting guitars and smooth basslines. While others were more traditional Mexican folk style that was more rhythmic in demeanor. While playing these songs, Los Lobos encouraged audience members to come to the front of the floor and dance to the music.
Audience members did not think twice before getting next to the stage and getting down with the music. Dancing with the music, Los Lobos was very pleased with the crowd interaction, with Rosas even remarking, “You guys are unbelievable.”
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Beyond the saxophones, Los Lobos brought many instruments that you wouldn’t normally see in a traditional rock band. The most interesting was the squeezebox, played by instrumentalist and vocalist, David Hidalgo. The squeezebox added a Mexican folk layer to the heavier rock music.
Los Lobos also used vocal techniques to sound more interesting on stage. One of which being octave intervals. During their songs, the lead singer, usually Hidalgo, would sing the main melody while the backup vocalist, usually Rosas, would sing an octave lower to reinforce the sound. This filled out the live sound well.
Prior to Los Lobos performing, a band called, The Dave Helmer Band, opened the concert. They are a band local to Iowa City, Iowa. The Dave Helmer Band is a recent project of the lead singer and guitarist, Dave Helmer, who originally played for and toured with the band, Crystal City.
The Dave Helmer Band consists of electric guitars, a bass guitar, an acoustic guitar, and a drum set. They follow a traditional rock style with ripping guitar solos and simple, yet catchy lyrics. Utilizing jangly guitar chords with altered guitar tunings.
