Los Lobos Record 'Tin Can Trust' in Notorious East LA 'Hood

Posted on Aug 10th 2010 12:30PM by Lonny Knapp
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Shout Factory

When it came time to record their debut album for Shout! Factory -- and their first collection of new original material in four years -- three-time Grammy Award winners Los Lobos returned to the place where it all began.

While the band recorded their last two albums, 2006's 'The Town and the City', and 2009's family-focused offering 'Los Lobos Goes Disney' at guitarist Cesar Rosas' home studio, this time out the band returned to their roots in East L.A , holing up at Manny's Estudio, a scrappy, low-fi operation in the down-at-the-heels 'hood of Lincoln Heights.

"Every day the guys would recall a story about some neighbourhood guy getting shot, and it put us in a different headspace," saxophonist/keyboardist Steve Berlin tells Spinner. "It was certainly different than recording at Cesar's place. In no way to disparage his studio, but we had become more than comfortable there and it was no longer a challenge."

The sessions yielded 'Tin Can Trust,' an album centered around the realities of growing up in one of America's most notorious neighborhoods.

"It's about being so broke that all your assets fit into a tin can, and getting through these economic hard times with love and a willing spirit," Berlin explains.

Other standout tracks include the Spanish-language cumbia 'Yo Canto,' and opening track 'I'll Burn it Down,' which features a guest vocal harmony from blues-rocker Susan Tedeschi.

Founding members David Hidalgo (guitar, vocals, accordion), Cesar Rosas (guitar, vocals), Conrad Lozano (bass, vocals), and Louie Pérez (drums, guitar, vocals), grew up on Los Angeles' infamous East side. After forming in 1973, Los Lobos' seamless fusion of traditional Mexican folk, R&B and rock 'n' roll made the band a favourite of the college circuit and local bar scene, and soon attracted representatives from major record labels.

Rolling Stone included the band's 1984 major-label debut 'How Will the Wolf Survive?' in its list of the top 500 albums of all time, but the band's big break came when they recorded a version of the title song from 'La Bamba, the Hollywood film about the tragic life of rocker Ritchie Valens.

That track became a chart-topping hit and soon they were touring the world supporting the likes of Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, while building their own loyal fanbase. More than three decades on, the band has amassed an impressive and varied catalogue and enjoys an a near-legendary reputation as a live act.

Today, Los Lobos are a mainstay on the jam-band festival circuit, attracting the type of loyal fans that once followed the Grateful Dead. The band's workaday approach to their music career is refreshing -- fans are encouraged to submit requests for upcoming performances on the band's website, and Los Lobos never shy away from slipping a well-placed cover tune into their setlist.

Though they've experienced a rare and ongoing success, it seems that the members of Los Lobos have never lost sight of the fans who keep the band in business. In tough economic times, the band aim to give every audience their money's worth.

"We know that it's hard to shell out for a ticket and hard to get out to a show, and our version of the job is to share some love with the people. It sounds sappy, but it's true," says Berlin. "We are honoured that people come see us, and we just want them to enjoy themselves."