LOS LOBOS AT 50

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 5 Grammys, an Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction, the ALMA Richie 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."

The Mastersons (a duo consisting of Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore) are releasing their third album Transient Lullaby in the spring of 2017. New West Records released their first two records to considerable critical acclaim, and Americana airplay in North America and abroad. Much like the title suggests they move around a lot and they are currently based in Los Angeles CA.

Chris and Eleanor are also integral members of Steve Earle’s band, The Dukes. They have opened hundreds of shows all over the world for Steve including North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Mastersons have also headlined tours in North America and UK/Europe. In addition to opening for Steve Earle over the last five years, The Mastersons have also supported Richard Thompson, Rhett Miller, Justin Currie, Matthew Sweet, Paul Thorn, Los Lobos and Alejandro Escovedo among many others. They have had slots at various festivals throughout the world including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco and Bluesfest in Byron, Bay Australia.

The band's third album Transient Lullaby was recorded at Arlyn Studios in Austin TX and was produced by Chris Masterson & George Reiff. The collection of songs is the duo’s most expansive work yet. The band will tour all through 2017 to support their latest endeavor.