Tragedy, Teamwork for La Ley

It’s difficult under any circumstances for a band to weather the death of a key member, as Chilean pop-rock group La Ley did in 1994 when songwriter and guitarist Andres Bobe was killed in Santiago in a motorcycle accident.

But even after pledging to continue and assembling a new album in part as a tribute to Bobe, La Ley ran into more trouble when some of his heirs sued the band for copyright infringement.

The dispute centered on how royalties would be distributed from several of Bobe’s songs that the surviving members recorded for the band’s latest album, “Invisible,” whose title acknowledges Bobe’s absence. After a costly legal battle with Bobe’s family, La Ley, which translates to “the law,” settled the suit out of court.

To fill the creative void left by Bobe’s death, singer Alberto “Beto” Cuevas, who wrote most of La Ley’s lyrics to Bobe’s music, has assumed a greater share of the songwriting duties. Additionally, the other band members say they are tapping new sides of their musical careers as they’ve begun writing songs on their own.

“This period has been very unifying for us,” said keyboardist Rodrigo Aboitiz, who rejoined the band after a four-year absence. “When something dies, something is reborn.”

Late last year, the new incarnation of La Ley left Polygram and signed with WEA Latina. The group released “Invisible,” a decidedly haunting tribute to Bobe.

In Chile, the album has sold more than 100,000 copies. It includes the hit single “El Duelo” (The Duel), an emotionally driven ballad dedicated to Bobe, as well as several of Bobe’s songs that hadn’t been recorded before he died.

The group holds on to some of the overt dance-rock tunes, a la INXS, that made it popular in Latin America, while weaving darker, more sobering rock ballads that reflect the band’s current mood.

When it came time to record the album, original band members including Cuevas, bassist Luciano Rojas and drummer Mauricio Claveria brought Aboitiz back to the fold and recruited guitarist Pedro Frugone, who had played with Chilean rock acts Viena and Anachena.

The band has been touring in support of the album in Europe and Latin America--with numerous dates in Mexico, where it relocated in January. The tour also stopped Monday at the House of Blues in Hollywood and brings the group to J.C. Fandango’s in Anaheim tonight.

Cuevas, who was born in Santiago but who grew up in Canada, said the band is slowly developing a new character because all the members are now contributing to its music.

“Although our next album will not have Andres, it will show how we’ve worked together in a period of almost three years,” Cuevas said by phone last week from his hotel in Tijuana. “Individually we have been writing songs, and when we put those ingredients together, La Ley will be seen as brighter than ever.”

* La Ley plays tonight at J.C. Fandango’s, 1086 N. State College Blvd., Anaheim. 8 p.m. $15. (714) 758-1057.