Everybody’s favorite band from East L.A. makes a return to the area after a long absence with its pioneering and contagiously energetic approach to cross-fertilizing rock with norteño, the traditional folk music of northern Mexico, and incorporating such traditional instruments as the bajo sexto, the guitarrón, the jaran requinto and the button accordion into the mix. The group will preview repertoire from its new album that will be out next month, “The Town and the City” (Hollywood), which includes the Los Lobos take on the immigrant debate and reunites the band with Tchad Blake, the sonic genius behind their definitive album, “Kiko,” which epitomizes Los Lobos’ uncanny ability to take diverse and seemingly irreconcilably disparate influences and combine them into something truly new, exciting and forward-looking. (Dennis Polkow)
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
Walking the Walk: Thirsty Ears Festival Reinvents Itself The reorganization of the concert is just half of the reimagination of the festival. There’s also an entirely separate component: an audio walking tour of the Ravenswood neighborhood.
Departing the Comfort Zone: Ear Taxi Festival’s Ambitious Return In “Up High” two artists confront a shared fear of heights by performing on pedestals on the ninth floor of the penthouse of the Logan Center. One can only imagine what the rehearsals were like.
