It’s the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house, the turkey is waiting, but it is definitely NOT as quiet as a mouse.  That we can tell.

Instead of the usual attempt to recreate Kitchen Nightmares that evening, I’m standing in front of the stage at the Whiskey A Go Go wearing a t-shirt that I bought at Carnegie Hall in 1988.  It doesn’t quite fit after 30 years and 30 pounds, but that’s ok.

You might be asking – what in heck do the Whiskey and Carnegie have in common? (not much) Why is he standing in a club the night before Thanksgiving? (well, why not?)  And, lastly, does he ever get to the point? (Yeah…..no).

So, here’s the important answer – It is Los Lobos 50^th anniversary concert at the Whiskey, and I got the t-shirt at Carnegie on a date with my long-distance girlfriend. It was our first concert together, but not our last.

Yes, she was silly enough to marry me, which is precisely why she challenged me to write this article. We both share the same and most important question – Why the heck is this band not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  Apparently, the 2 or 3 people on the nominating committee put them on the 2015 ballot, and the 500 or so voters didn’t agree at that time. BUT – there is no reason not to try try again. My wife said that if I write this note, she’ll send it around.  I intend to hold her to that promise.

The struggle that we have here is the tradeoff between the salesmanship of popularity and the artistic achievement of the musicians. The Hall has to get large interest in the induction ceremony, and choosing well-known artists achieves that goal. By way of example, the induction of Dolly Parton shows this tradeoff.

• Ms. Parton is enormously popular and has influenced everything from music to theme parks.  But she initially declined the invitation saying that she was not a rock artist. The Hall responded that she had significant cultural impact on rock musicians and that this qualified her.
• She’s a godsend of a person – giving ONE MILLION BOOKS to children should qualify her to become president or, just spit balling here, pope. The Hall is very lucky to have someone of her character.
• As an artist, very few have every achieved their goals so consistently over such a long period of time. And that is why she was inducted. Let’s be clear – Dolly Parton Rocks!

Still, as much as I respect her, and as much as I love country music (Lyle Lovett should be next), it is hard to see why she is inducted when other well deserving acts such as Los Lobos are not. [Sidenote – you have NO idea how hard it was to compose those last few paragraphs.]

So, to discuss my favorite band, I cannot, and will not, provide a statistical rendering of their career.  And I’m not qualified to discuss artistic achievement. So, I thought I’d provide my reasons for their induction in a manner that is more fitting of those fans that have grown up with the band.

Reason 1:  It was a turning point.

I grew up with no particular musical direction. Rather, I found music in a random path along the way in my teenage and college years. First Neil Diamond, then Lynyrd Skynyrd, then Clash/Pretenders, Petty, Who, Blasters, Lobos, now Tony Bennett and Lyle Lovett – heck, I’ve been around the dial a few times. These days, my daughter provides as much inspiration for my choices.

I was all of 21 – a senior at Cal about to graduate in stats. It was my final finals season (finally!), and I was late for my professor’s office hours.

I had to cross through Sproul Plaza. Right in the middle, with no fanfare, was a band playing. They looked like nothing, but sounded like everything. Just a bunch of guys plugged in to various amps and trading off all kinds of instruments I’d never seen before. They were playing something bluesy – maybe it was “Don’t Worry Baby” – that got my attention. It was good.

That’s not the turning point. This is.  This guy named Dave steps up to the mike, puts on an accordion and says they’re playing a “Corrido”. 

A what???  I’m a white kid at Cal. I know absolutely nothing about what a corrido is. But they start playing and the crowd of 50 or so stressed out students start trying to dance. Yeah, like that works.

That was the turning point.  It was May of 1984. Thirty Nine Years have passed. I have no idea where the time went, what the lyrics mean, and I still dance like a fool.

The Point Is This:  They made the music accessible, by making it fun.

Reason 2: It helped me get the girl

Let’s skip forward to 1988, where I’m once again in school but this time in New York City, where there is absolutely no Mexican food to be had. In a few days my daughter will visit from her home in Connecticut – stop #1 is the local taco stand. (I’m not sure how good the taco stands are in Cleveland either – maybe we send the nominating committee some tamales for Christmas).

In any case, I had this cute girlfriend from Los Angeles. She came in October as a tourist, and I suggested this show at Carnegie Hall. And not only did she understand that I was a fan of the band, but she had seen them at her cousin’s backyard wedding back in the 70’s.

But Carnegie Hall?  They had just released La Pistola and were doing one show there of nothing but folk songs in Spanish. On the fly we bought tickets, ended up in the front row on the right side.

You remember that comment about dancing like a dork?  Well, the NY Times Review noted that the crowd began dancing and the Carnegie Staff had no way to deal with it. And Louie put fuzzy dice on the drum kit; how many bands get to do that?

The Point Is This:  Wherever they go, they can make fans of anyone that goes to a show.

Reason 3: It’s about family

Move forward to 1997.  I’m back in LA, married to the girl now, and wearing professional clothes to act like a responsible human being (we all know that this is not possible, but we try, try anyway).

Every summer since I returned in 1990, Los Lobos plays a summer concert at the Greek. And I went to every single one of these shows. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. I dragged my wife, my friends, my mother-in-law… Wait, my mother-in-law???

Yep. My wife wasn’t able to go, so I brought Mama Mary along last minute.  The opening act was Ozomatli, a bunch of local kids who had very obviously never played in a venue like the Greek. And they were fabulous – I bought the CD to play at home and still listen to it.

Mama Mary really didn’t go to concerts and certainly not with her son-in-law (but we did have Neil Diamond in common and saw him at the Forum together, so there’s that). I think I intimidated her just a bit, so as my date she was on her best behavior. She sat there quietly in her seat with her hands folded in her lap. By contrast my best behavior at these shows often comes with the statement, “Will you please get down from there?”

Now, most of you know Los Lobos from “La Bamba” – a rock song. But the real rocker is not La Bamba, it’s Volver.  That gets everyone up singing (and not on key, and not with the right lyrics; heck, I thought it was about a Swedish car).

This is when I find out that this is her favorite song. She jumps up screaming, takes one look at me, and sits down with her hands in her lap.

There are certain songs that just evoke a reaction from the crowd. For example, there is a “Deadhead Chord” – a certain guitar chord that only Jerry Garcia and David Hildago can seem to play. Wherever you are it causes Deadheads to stand up.

So be it. Mary passed several years ago, and I still remember the look on her face from that day. I guess we have that in common.

My daughter too –  Her very first rock show was Los Lobos opening for Clapton at the Universal Amphitheater. And she has something I don’t – La Pistola on vinyl.

The Point Is This:  This band is not simply playing songs about the Mexican experience. They are playing about how “Everybody’s mother’s cooking something in the kitchen, Got dishes ceiling to the floor.” It’s about family, neighbors, love and the struggle to be together in uncertain times.

Reason 4: I know a guy…..

Let’s skip ahead to 2002. I’m turning 40. They’re playing the Wiltern.

My wife knows someone who “knows a guy” in East LA. She gets me backstage passes. The 3 year old future fan is going to stay with my sister-in-law for the night. We’re getting a hotel room so that we can unwind after the show without running home to a babysitter. We’re set.

After the show we meet Louie backstage. My wife and Louie begin a conversation about the merits of Garfield vs. Schurr High School. I stand there like a star-struck fool, incapable of adding anything to the conversation while still somehow looking like a star-struck fool.  I may know all the songs, have all the albums and been to just about every concert venue possible, but I’m not from The Neighborhood. That’s simply an album that I wore out. [Side note – that song came on in shuffle mode just as I type this out – coincidence or providence?]

Skip forward another 20 years to 2020. My 26 year old Celica is dying a slow death. But my wife’s co-worker knows a guy who can fix it in East LA.  Yep – he works on their cars too. 

The Point Is This:  They never quite left the Neighborhood. Roots run deep.

Reason 5: Los Lobos Still Is

David, Cesar, Louie, Conrad and Steve. And a variety of drummers over the years.

I doubt you’ll find a band that really is still it’s core after 50 years. These guys still play. Their fans are still fans.

The album was not available ANYWHERE in the US.  My wife ordered it in Denmark.  Here’s how it got here:

1. Starts in Copenhagen 12/8/23 at 8:32 am.
2. Arrives in NY City 12/9/23 at 4:46 pm.
3. Passes through Customs to Queens on 12/10/23 at 4:43pm.
4. Heads to Denver on 12/12/23 at 11:13 pm.
5. Ships in Riverside CA 12/13/23 at 7:29 pm.
6. Drives to Anaheim CA 12/13/23 at 9:48 pm.
7. Moves to Santa Ana CA at 12/14/23 at 3:05 am.
8. Comes to LarryLand on 12/14/23 at 4:55 pm.
9. Ironically, will depart for Stamford CT on 1/4/24 in my daughter’s suitcase.  Maybe they should’ve left it in Queens…..

The only thing that has seen more airports than this album is the band itself.  After 50 years, this band still tours excessively, and every show is awesome.

The Point Is This:  This is the true test of time. A band, their fans, their shows, their albums, and something that I haven’t really talked about here because I really don’t know where to start– their songs.

All too many to count. So, to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – they count!

It’s time for you to give them the respect that everyone else has. Induct them and Long Live Rock En Español.