Banded Together

The concert bill of War, El Chicano and Tierra is an enduring staple at Southern California clubs. Beyond their musical merits, these Los Angeles-based groups inevitably evoke the Chicano movement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. They might have recorded party tunes, but their music also conveyed an underlying declaration of racial independence.

Starting in the late ‘60s, the three bands created a chunky new sound that blended equal measures of rock, salsa and funk. War was the funkiest of the bunch, while El Chicano emphasized a laid-back R&B; influence, and the members of Tierra had a penchant for jazzy textures. All three would become popular with future generations of rappers, who have generously sampled their discographies.

Although their biggest hits--El Chicano’s “Viva Tirado” (1970), Tierra’s “Together” (1980) and War’s “Low Rider” (1975)--are far in the past, all the groups are still making records with at least one of their original members on board. Bobby Espinosa’s El Chicano has just released “Painting the Moment” (Thump Records), an album of Latin-tinged, mostly instrumental compositions. Lonnie Jordan’s War is in the studio preparing a new effort, as is Tierra, under the leadership of Rudy Salas.

Espinosa, 49, Jordan, 50, and Salas, 49, recently gathered to reflect on their long histories and the Latino rock tradition. Their bands perform Saturday at House of Blues.

Question: Do you think Chicano rock is an accurate term to describe bands like yours? Do you feel comfortable being labeled as part of the Chicano rock movement?

Espinosa: I never paid attention to that term, because I don’t understand it myself. What is Chicano rock anyway? It’s too complicated.

Salas: We started Tierra during the heyday of the Chicano movement, when there was a political and social consciousness about what was going on with the system and all that. I think the term meant that there was something rebellious about our music.

Espinosa: “Viva Tirado” came out just when the riots were happening in East L.A., and people identified us as a radical group. But we were just a bunch of musicians playing bars and trying to make a living.

Jordan: I have a problem with [the term], and with anybody who tries to categorize music by the color [of the people making it]. That’s why these days I have a rainbow coalition with me on stage. We only have one color, the color of music.

Q: Salsa is a common denominator in your music--maybe not the beats of salsa per se, but the overall streetwise, old-fashioned salsa feel. Has Afro-Cuban music been a big influence?

Espinosa: For me, salsa was a major influence. When I was growing up, my mother used to love to dance; my parents would dance to Tito Puente and all that. There was always music around the house, so I was exposed to it very young. Salsa was part of growing up, part of the environment. You know, you are a product of what you hear. That’s why when we make a song, we’re not thinking salsa, but it’s always there to give more feeling to the music.

Salas: It’s always been part of our music, but we started off primarily as a Latin rock band. Just like Bobby, I grew up listening to all those artists, and later on in my career I shared the stage with people like Ruben Blades, Willie Colon and Eddie Palmieri. Playing with them brought an even bigger salsa influence to our music.

Jordan: Every time I hear the word “salsa,” I think of a family reunion. I grew up listening to Cal Tjader, Joe Cuba, Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria. . . . The list goes on. Salsa has become more popular now, and people are starting to understand people like [Salas and Espinosa] and understand what they went through to make it popular today. And the meaning of it--because salsa is a family tree, something that comes from the heart.

Salas: I have to add that as far as I’m concerned, War was the band that brought the salsa influence into rock music. And, truthfully, we listened to them a lot. They were a big influence on us.

Q: What do you think of rock en espan~ol? Do you think your influence can be felt on those bands?

Espinosa: I’ve heard some of Mana’s stuff. Not to put them down, but to me they sound like the Police with Spanish lyrics. But I like the younger groups, like Ozomatli.

Salas: To me, it’s a very exciting movement, and I can hear our influence in their sound. But I feel that their music is inspired by the early stuff of War, Tierra and El Chicano. They are going back to the roots, which I think is a great thing. I think it’s going to evolve and become more sophisticated than it is now.

Q: Most people who have achieved longevity in the music industry have experienced high and low points. What was your highest high and your lowest low?

Jordan: To me, War was at its highest when we were still backing [former Animals singer] Eric Burdon and we had the opportunity to play with Jimi Hendrix at Ronnie Scott’s [club] in England the night before he died. He didn’t have his guitar cranked up that night, just a small amplifier, and we played the blues all night. He was amazing.

The lowest was when the group started disintegrating. That hurt me on a very deep level, because we had created this thing as a family and I tried so hard to keep it together. Between the depressions, the ulcers and the gray hairs, I finally let it all go. If it wasn’t for my wife bringing me back to reality, I would probably be one of those statistics you read about: another musician who bit the dust.

Salas: As far as I’m concerned, the highest point for Tierra was playing Carnegie Hall. When my younger brother [Steve] and I were kids and we practiced in front ofour mother, she would say, “One of these days, you guys are gonna play Carnegie Hall.” When Tierra was really strong, we played there and flew my parents in. We got a standing ovation, and I saw my mom and dad crying.

The lowest point was the falling out that my brother and I had, that eventually led me to ask him to leave the group about two years ago. Although he’s not with the band at this point, we are communicating better now.

Espinosa: The highest point for me was playing in my hometown. It’s nice to be accepted when you play in a city you don’t know, but when you are accepted back home, it’s incredibly satisfying.

The lowest point was seeing the original band break up. We started as teenagers and went through a lot of things. To see that break up because of the business side of things was very sad.

BE THERE

War, Tierra and El Chicano, Saturday at House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 10 p.m. $25. (213) 848-5100.