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# Local legends rock at twilight
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/local-legends-rock-at-twilight/
- Published: 2007-08-30T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T02:44:27.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Entertainment, Pier, #archive-import

*By EMILY SKEHAN Special to the Daily Press*

SM PIER As summer heat fades away and fall descends on Santa Monica, the final performers of the Twilight Dance Concert Series will close the series with a bang. Los Lobo are the quintessential Los Angeles band, a five-man fusion of roots-rock, blues, Tex-Mex and norteño. Tonight “The Wolves,” as their name translates to English, will howl folk rock and modern beats at the moon from the Gibson Stage at the Santa Monica Pier.

The band, who dance the line between their Chicano roots and love of classic American rock, made it big in the 1980s when they covered Ritchie Valens songs for the soundtrack to the film “La Bamba.” The title track became an instant hit —it reached no. 1 on American Charts — and Los Lobos went on to release 16 publicly watched and critically acclaimed albums.

The band was not always a smash hit however; the four original members, Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, David Hidalgo, and Louie Perez had modest beginnings. They formed Los Lobos while attending East Los Angeles school Garfield High. The band played weddings and bars in their neighborhood until they scored their first full-time gig at a Mexican restaurant in Orange County. In 1978 they released their debut album, “Just Another Band from East L.A.”

While they began playing traditional Chicano folk rock, the band moved in an electric, modern direction and began playing in Hollywood clubs. By 1983, Los Lobos had a record deal and had joined forces with The Blaster’s saxman Steve Berlin. That year, they won a Grammy for Best Mexican-American Performance for their rendering of the Mexican Revolution song “Anselma.”

Over the next decade, the band toured worldwide, opening for legendary acts such as Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead.

In 2001 Los Lobos received the Billboard Century Award.

“On the pier, a free, outside show — this couldn’t be any better!” raved Saxophonist Steve Berlin.

Berlin says the band feels a special connection to any performance in the city.

“It’s not just an area code 562 thing,” he said. “We’re city-wide and we take a lot of pride being Los Angelenos.

“It’s a funny thing, when you travel and play all over the world, the concept of home is so liquid — it’s an odd thing but you’re always thinking about it when you’re away.”

As Los Lobos has grown in fame, the band has been able to play in their home city less and less, Berlin added, so Thursday night’s concert will be an extra-special event.

“The show is going to touch on everything,” he said. “We’ll start with our acoustic roots — when the band started we played exclusively folklore music — and move to louder and faster music until by the end of the show the audience is one big sweaty mess.”

Despite the band’s notoriety and large fan base in Los Angeles, Berlin is still modest. When asked of the band’s greatest achievements, he noted that winning a couple Grammies and playing at Clinton’s first inaugural were highlights, but it’s not something they really sit back and reflect upon.

“It’s funny,” he mused, “we don’t stop and think about what we’ve done. We approach every album, every show, every venture like we’re just starting out.”

The concert, located on the west lot of the Santa Monica Pier, begins at 7:30 p.m. Parking is available at 2030 Barnard Way. However, spaces are limited and attendees are encouraged to walk, bike, or take public transit. A free bike valet will be provided.

Bike Attack and the Santa Monica Daily Press are still conducting a weekly raffle, giving away a beach cruiser to benefit Heal the Bay. For more information on the Twilight Series, visit www.twi-lightdance.org, or call (310) 458-8900.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/083007-18_02.jpg)

EAST L.A. (Photo: Photo courtesy Los Lobos)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 30, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/083007.pdf?ref=smdp.com)