Tulsa World: Best Bets: Los Lobos: living with 'La Bamba'

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Best Bets: Los Lobos: living with 'La Bamba'

By Staff Reports
Published: 10/29/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 10/29/2009 8:39 AM

Considering Los Lobos' spellbinding live shows and landmark experimental albums like 1992's "Kiko," it is surprising the band isn't routinely feted in the music press in the same reverential tones as groups such as Oklahoma space cadets The Flaming Lips or genre-benders Wilco.

Instead, the Los Angeles-based group gets the easy "Latino rockers" tag and remains best known for its cover of "La Bamba," a Mexican folk song adapted by Ritchie Valens into a radio hit in 1958. The Los Lobos version, from the soundtrack to a 1987 movie about Valens, went to No. 1.

Louie Perez, guitarist and songwriter for Los Lobos, acknowledges there can be some frustration about being pigeonholed, but he's not losing sleep over it.

"It is part of who we are," he says. "If we were worried about it, we would have changed the name of the band early on."

So, while Los Lobos remains proud of its roots, it refuses to be defined by them.

"The fact remains that we don't play music that people would identify with a Latino band. We've challenged everyone, even our own people, with albums like 'Kiko.' But we're not trying to be abstract. We're just doing what feels right for us."

— John Stancavage, World Business editor

Los Lobos performs Thursday at the Flytrap Music Hall, 514 E. Second St. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 advance, $32 at the door. Call 794-0238.

'A Rock Halloween'

Want your Rocky Horror fix?

"Well, babies, don't you panic."

Chad

Oliverson is lacing up again for one-night-only this year as that irrepressibly naughty Dr. Frank-N-Furter. This time, however, the antics of the "Rocky Horror Show" have moved outside to the Brady Outdoor Stage, 300 N. Main St., which means fans not only can dress as their favorite character at the Frankenstein place, but they can participate in the madness for the first time. Rice, anyone?

The show/street party/festival event starts at 8 p.m. Saturday — Halloween night — and threatens to take over the Brady District in the ultimate celebration of madcap freedom and joie de vivre.

Join the cast for fun and games before and after the multimedia rock opera extravaganza.

Tickets are $25-$100, available at tulsaworld.com/protix , (866) 977-6849.

— Karen Shade, World Scene writer

'So You Think You Can Dance Tour'

It's like the Olympic trials with a beat you can dance to.

Spawned from Fox's hit reality show, the "So You Think You Can Dance Tour" will hit the BOK Center on Friday. Besides seeing your favorite dancers live, they'll also be performing some of Season 5's favorite dance routines.

Another benefit of the tour is watching the top 10 dancers — Ade, Brandon, Evan, Janette, Jason, Jeanine, Kayla, Kupono, Melissa and Randi — perform for fun rather than under reality-competition pressure.

Season five featured plenty of unforgettable moments, from the sizzle of Brandon and Janette's Argentine tango to the show's first ballet pas de deux performed by Ade and Melissa, who was en pointe — that's French for on her tippy toes. Plus, there was plenty of drama as the svelte cast battled it out for the title of America's Favorite Dancer —Jeanine Mason eventually won.

The "So You Think You Can Dance Tour" is at 7:30 p.m. Friday (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at the BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave.

Tickets are $38.50, $48.50 and $56 plus fees and area available at the BOK Center box office, tulsaworld.com/BOK or by calling 1-866-7-BOK-CTR.

— Kim Brown, World Scene writer

By Staff Reports

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Will the wolf survive? An interview with Louie Perez of Los Lobos," which was published on 10/28/2009.

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