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Steve Berlin Answers Questions
About the Up-coming "Collaboration CD"

For the past several months the buzz around the band is all about a recording project. Los Lobos has assembled some of their back catalog and some new tunes, with fresh insipration from some all-time great musicians. They are their friends, their peers, and their heroes. Widely known as "Musician's Musicians" it is surely destiny that Los Lobos would come to this. Saxophonist Steve Berlin was kind enough to reveal a little about what's been happening en la tierra de Los Lobos...

November 19, 2003
KF:Do you have a working title?
SB: Haven't got one yet- all suggestions considered!

KF: Whats the release target date? (spring summer, fall)
SB: If we get everything done as planned it should be out around Cinco De Mayo.

KF: How mant tracks have you got?
SB: We have cut 14 (!) but we will probably have 12 or 13 on the record.

KF: How about a list of collaborators and songs?
SB: Here goes:
Revisited Lobos Tracks-
Someday - with Mavis Staples singing and Lonnie Jordan of War on organ
Is This All there Is - with Willie G from Thee Midnighters on vocal
Matter Of Time - Elvis Costello singing, Greg Leisz from Bill Frisell and KD Lang on pedal steel
Wicked Rain/Across 110th St. - Bobby Womack singing
New Material (many of these may have more guests on them before we finish)
Kitate - Tom Waits singing
Ya Se Va - Ruben Blades vocal, Alberto Salas from Los Super Seven on piano
Somewhere In Time - Dave Alvin vocal, Greg Leisz on steel
Hurry Tomorrow - written by Cesar and Robert Hunter
There's a few more still cooking that I won't report on until they actually happen; and seven or eight more guest-less (so far) brand new ones.

KF: Tell us about the how, when and who of how the project started...
SB: We knew we wanted to do something a little larger than simply another record so the idea of the collaborations took shape within that context. It gradually took shape late last winter as we wrote a long, long list of who we might invite and winnowed it down from there. I was amazed at our batting average, even now, as so many folks agreed right off the bat. Many of these things happened almost instantly, and a few took time but they all came thru big time.

KF: Does this fulfill the current Disney/Hollywood contract obligation?
SB: No but that means very little in this volatile industry environment.

KF: I heard you had many inquiries from people who wanted to participate -- too many. Anyone you can mention that you had to turn down? Who was really hard to turn away? Were there so many that there might be a volume 2?
SB: We didn't turn anyone down, but we had a few folks politely and graciously decline. I'd rather not mention it since we are so happy with those that did, why bring it up? I doubt we'll go to a vol. 2 but it sure was fun collaborating this way -- so I fully expect we'll be doing more stuff like this, albeit not within this context.

KF: Did your experience with Los Super Seven help?
SB: It did only to the extent that having managed a project like this one, it wasn't quite as daunting.

KF: Anyone from the LS7's or other past projects included?
SB: Alberto Salas is the only one.

KF: What style of music are included? Blues? Rock? Soul? Latin? Folk?
SB: Yes.

KF: Did you do a lot of travelling to different studios to work with the different folks?
SB: The only remote recording we went on was to record Mavis Staples in Chicago, although Tom Waits did his bit at home and Elvis recorded his at a theater in Oslo without us around. We have one more field trip planned but I can't report on it until we know the track will work.