Los Lobos

Los Lobos

It’s a matter of time. 50 years to be exact. And in that time Los Lobos have created an unprecedented body of work, a legacy of greatness. The numbers are staggering: 100+ gigs a year for five decades running, crossing millions of miles to rock millions of fans. And that’s just at the live shows. In between they’ve recorded 17 studio albums, 7 live LPs, 3 compilations, 2 EPs, 2 DVDs, and contributed 40+ guest appearances on their friends’ recordings—all garnering 4 Grammys, an Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction, the ALMA Ritchie Valens Pioneer Award, NEA and Hispanic Heritage Foundation Honors, Congressional recognitions, plus countless “Keys to the City” and “Los Lobos Day” celebrations. And those are just a few of the highlights. But beyond all the hoopla and applause (and the source of it all, really) is the tremendous heart. Rather, hearts. Cinco corazones. Five blood brothers who have dedicated their off-stage time to helping others, working for peace and justice, penning some of the most literate and important music of their time, transforming the hard cries from the East L.A. barrio into songs of hope, tales of common folk finding ways to endure. The young wolves were weaned on late-night radio’s soul, R&B, and doo-wop. Were cured through the African-American currents of the blues, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll. An amalgam. As proud Chicanos, their songs have always glistened with the distillation from their Mexican and Latin American roots— nourished by Norteña and rancheras, buoyed by bolero and cumbias, soaring on the rhythms of son huasteco and son jarocho. Los Lobos have helped spread the rich diversity of cultures across every continent, throughout the global community. Kids in Antwerp now know about Aztlán. Residents of Luxor and Ghana are crooning Lalo Guerrero. People from Laos and Bulgaria are belting “La Bamba”—all thanks to The Wolves as cultural ambassadors. Talk about a living legacy. Talk about a productive half century. And in the true rebel spirit, they did it all on their own terms, against formula. For the ages. To our delight. Quite simply, they are one of the tightest, one of the best, one of the most prolific bands ever. And, amazingly, with the original founding members as the pack the entire time. Unprecedented. As their liner notes put it, quite simply: “Los Lobos still are David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Jr., Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, Steve Berlin.”

Orquesta Afinke

Orquesta Afinke (ohr-KESS-tah ah-FEEN-keh) is a 9-piece Latin band based in Northwest Arkansas performing live salsa, merengue, cumbia, and bachata classics. They’re re-energizing the Latin songs we know and love as a new generation of musicians.

Orquesta Afinke was born out of the music buildings at the University of Arkansas, bringing together a group of college musicians ready to take on these beloved genres during an exciting time for Latin music in today’s music industry. Hoping to inspire you to get on the dance floor and connect with the music and the people around you, Orquesta Afinke plays hits from artists like Frankie Ruiz, Bad Bunny, Willie Colón, Grupo Niche, Karol G, Romeo Santos, and so many more. Their sets are built for dancing, with a strong percussion section, crisp hornline, Latin grooves, and vocalists Isabel Fuentes and Jose Rodriguez singing melodies we all know and love. Orquesta Afinke brings live, loud Latin music to any venue and invites you to ask the person next to you to dance.