Los Lobos Returns to the Colonial Theatre

Los Lobos returns to the stage at The Colonial Theatre with their legendary songbook, iconic hits and East LA roots on Jan. 30. Known for their unique blend of rock 'n' roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B and blues, they have enthralled audiences for over five decades. Band members include: Louie Perez on guitars, percussion and vocals; Cesar Rosas on vocals, guitar and maracas; Conrad Lozano on bass and vocals; David Hidalgo on vocals, guitar and accordion; Steve Berlin on saxophone, percussion, flute, harmonica and Melodica; and Alfredo Ortiz on drums. In an email to The Keene Sentinel, Keith Marks, Executive Director of The Colonial Theatre and Showroom wrote, "Having Los Lobos on our stage is a special moment for this community. They are artists with a long, respected history who continue to feel relevant and vital. It's exactly the kind of performance that reminds us why live music, experienced together, still matters so much." The Sentinel caught up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Berlin to discuss his musical journey, his early days in Philadelphia, his move to LA and his immense gratitude for four decades of playing and touring with Los Lobos. Victoria Chertok: Hi Steve! You joined the band in 1984 and have been playing and touring with Los Lobos for over four decades. Steve Berlin: I was playing with them from 1982 on, but I was also a member of The Blasters. Then in '84 I was playing more with Lobos than I was with The Blasters, so '84 is close enough. V.C.: You're a producer and multi-instrumentalist. You play saxophone, percussion, flute, harmonica and melodica but saxophone is your main instrument. S.B.: My first instrument was drums. I grew up in Philadelphia, and there was one band in our neighborhood with me and my best friend. We were both drummers, and the band chose my friend as their drummer so to be able to stay with my pals, I picked up a flute. V.C.: Good thinking! Los Lobos has an amazing songbook with genre-defying music. I heard you call it "a rainbow" in a recent interview. S.B.: That's our special skill…that we can authoritatively play many different styles with complete conviction. We know it inside and out. So, Latin music, rock 'n' roll. It all goes into the soup pot. V.C.: Who were some of your early music influences? S.B.: I was inspired to play the flute by Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. I was a big fan. I discovered Roland Kirk and then I became a jazz fan. And then for sax, my biggest hero was the guy who I played with in The Blasters: Lee Allen. He was the guy that played on all the Little Richard and Fats Domino records in New Orleans in the '50s and '60s. V.C.: What happened next and how did you meet your current bandmates? S.B.: I came to LA to join a band. The Beckmeier Brothers Band had two gigs lined up and were backing up Billy Preston and Greg Allman, so they invited me to join them. By the time I got there, they lost both gigs. We started playing around LA and got pretty good and got signed with a record deal. This would be like '77-ish. We were called The Beckmeier Brothers Band; and then I joined a couple different bands, including Top Jimmy. That was more or less how I met everybody in Los Lobos. V.C.: It sounds like fun but hard work. S.B.: Those days were nothing but fun. LA was not an expensive city back then, and my rent was $170 a month. I lived a block from the beach. V.C.: Los Lobos means "the wolves." What's the origin of the name? S.B.: In the very early days they were all in different bands and got together for the first time to play folkloric music, like Mexican and South American folk music. They played at a Thanksgiving party and the dude who hired them said, "Well, what's the name of the band?" And at the time, there was a band in Mexico called Los Lobos del West, so they jokingly said we're Lobos of the East, and it stuck. V.C.: One of your biggest hit songs is "La Bamba." Were you a fan of Richie Valens prior to covering his songs? S.B.: Yes, but I'm a Jewish guy from Philadelphia, so he wasn't part of my culture. I understand and respect how powerful his story was to the guys in my band and to their families. And he was the first Chicano rock star, so I certainly appreciate what he brought and what he did. So, my appreciation for him as an artist is matched by my appreciation for the graciousness of his family. V.C.: I was at your show at Giants Stadium in July of 1989 when you opened for the Grateful Dead and really enjoyed your opening set! S.B.: Well, thank you. I actually remember that show. That was a good one. V.C.: What do you remember about opening for The Grateful Dead? S.B.: Number one was Jerry. He was so gracious and so supportive. In his world, he didn't really hang out or meet Chicano musicians so he was just so happy to hang out and have a band of Chicanos that he could love. He was like our favorite uncle, he would just hang out in our dressing room and tell stories and be the coolest guy you could possibly imagine. It was like a different planet! We had our pals and we had our scene in LA but when you're on tour with The Grateful Dead, you're in a totally different place. V.C.: Any thoughts of the passing earlier this week of the legendary Bob Weir? S.B.: Yeah, we did a lot of stuff with him. We were on that first Further tour when Jerry passed, and we did a lot of shows with Bobby over the years. Our relationship with Jerry was unique, just because it was Jerry, but Bobby was also very supportive and always such a positive person to be around. It hard to describe…they're like Gods. They're close to my heart because we lost them both. V.C.: Switching gears, what can the audience expect at the show on Jan. 30? S.B.: We will come with a set list, but we'll very happily throw it away. If we perceive an audience to be like, kind of sit down and they want to listen or then we can turn it into a dance party, or vice versa. We try to make everybody happy, and we try to touch on everything that we've done over the years. V.C.: What does playing this music mean to you today? S.B.: Gratitude for being part of this. I got to see the world; I got to meet two presidents — it's been a remarkable journey. It far surpassed anything I could have ever dreamt of for my own career. V.C.: I hear you've got a documentary film in the works. S.B.: Yeah, an official documentary we've been working on for three to four years. It's almost done. I think the first official screening will be at South by Southwest film festival in March. IF YOU GO WHAT: Los Lobos at The Colonial Theatre WHEN: Friday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. WHERE: The Colonial Theatre, 95 Main St., Keene TICKETS: www.thecolonial.org or call the Box Office 603-352-2033. Please note: this concert will sell out! MORE INFO: www.loslobos.org, www.steveberlinmusic.com/bio.html