Amber Esparza
Arts, Culture & Entertainment Editor
The Los Angeles League of Musicians, better known as LA LOM, strutted into San Antonio Friday night to deliver a mesmerizing performance in a sold out debut at Pearl’s Stable Hall.
The slicked up group of cumbia outlaws corralled a vibrant mix of folks into the disco ball flecked walls of Stable Hall for a night of cumbia psicodelica, wavy Latin sounds and buttery soft bolero-inspired instrumentals.
The three-man band, comprised of the extensively trained and exquisitely skilled Zac Sokolow (guitarist), Nicholas Baker (percussionist) and Jake Faulkner (bassist), put on a forthright but enthralling performance that seemed to fan the audience like flames flickering high in the Los Angeles sun.
LA LOM’s performance burned bright from beginning to end.
The crew sauntered onto stage just after 9 p.m., giving the crowd just enough time after the stage curtains rose to admire the serene green spotlight that paired beautifully with Stable Hall’s tree-stippled backdrop to evoke a hazy southern swamp or sticky tropicale at sundown.
LA LOM opened their set with “Café Tropical,” the last track off of their self-titled EP released in August 2022.
Although the group rolled out with one of their more mellow tracks, it didn’t take long to get the audience moving and grooving with “Danza de LA LOM” following behind. A popular track from LA LOM’s debut album released earlier last month, “Danza de LA LOM” is a twanged-out and stylized creation that tips a hat to “La Danza Del Petrolero” by Los Wembler’s de lquitos and “La Danza De Los Mirlos” by Los Mirlos.
The group continued to masterfully serenade the house with other tracks off of their debut album like “Ghosts of Gardena,” “Angels Point,” “Figueroa” and even “Malavilla” much later in their set, all of which Sokolow said they named after streets and neighborhoods in their beloved hometown of Los Angeles.
Before diving into a cover of “Arriba Pichataro” for a shoutout to Michoacán, Sokolow told the crowd a lot of the music that the band loves comes from Mexico.
During the stripped-down banda number, Faulkner took the black paisley bandana that hung neatly from his back pocket and began waving it towards Sokolow during his solo, much like a matador waving its flag at an angry bull.
The band members played off of each other’s energy like this throughout the evening.
LA LOM’s performance was also filmed in its entirety by their personal production team, which likely gave the group an added spur to put on such a spirited show.
“A lot of the music that we love also comes from Texas,” Sokolow shouted into his mic before launching into a cover of Selena Quintanilla’s “Como La Flor.”
Although LA LOM is a strictly instrumental band, San Antonians were more than happy to fill in the lyrics for them, spinning and twisting their hips like Selena along the way.
After a few more tracks like “Los Sabanales” and “Rebecca,” the band closed out their set with a heavily anticipated cover of “Juana La Cubana.”
LA LOM’s rendering of the Fito Olivares classic has garnered over a million views on both YouTube and Instagram.
After a speedy stage exit, it didn’t take long before the crowd started chanting “O-tra! O-tra! O-tra!”
The trio soon swaggered back on stage for an encore, bringing their special guests Radio Malilla, a young group of cumbia up-and-comers from the Ciudad Juárez-El Paso border, along with them.
Together, the two groups dropped a rebajada, or “slowed down,” cumbia-fied cover of country number “Sixteen Tons” which was adored by the audience.
The bands also played a fiery version of “Folsom Prison Blues” which Sokolow croaked along to in Spanish. Part of the encore set included a candied rendition of Bobby Pulido’s “Desvelado.”
Regardless of the cover-heavy setlist, LA LOM effortlessly transformed each song into their own with a carefully customized, steamy and dreamy, twangy flair.
The entire performance was a playful ode to how the group came to be. A showcase of LA LOM’s roots in appreciation and honor for the music of Peruvian chicha, cumbia and classic Americana.
LA LOM will be on tour across the West Coast through October before heading to Europe in November. The band will return to play shows across the Eastern U.S. in December. Check out their website or follow them on Instagram to stay in the loop.
Visit StableHall.com to catch your next show.
