Perez Managing to Feel at Home

Originally from East L.A., drummer-songwriter Louie Perez of Los Lobos has spent most of the ‘90s in Orange County. After a brief stay (1992-94) in Laguna Niguel, Perez and his family have lived in Laguna Beach.

Laguna Beach? Isn’t the quaint beach town an unlikely destination for someone who treasures his old neighborhood so dearly?

“Where I grew up, everybody knew each other. . . . It felt like a real community,” said Perez, who will appear with Los Lobos tonight at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim and Saturday at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

“It’s funny, because it seems to surprise people when I tell them that Laguna reminds me of that way of life. I think I’ve found that same sense of community right here.”

“On our street, we all know each other. The garage doors are always open, we walk each other’s dogs . . . there’s even this elderly woman who brings me some cookies and her copy of the New York Times when she’s done reading it. Really, it’s very close-knit.”

Perez has melded his fond feelings for his old and new neighborhoods and emerged on his block as a “Chicano cultural ambassador.”

“I still go up to the old neighborhood,” he said. “I like to visit old friends. One of them owns this auto electric shop that’s about two doors down from where I grew up. Another runs the nearby El Gallo Mexican Bakery, and I’ll fill a bag full of pan dulce [Mexican sweet bread] and turn everyone onto it in my Laguna cul-de-sac. It’s just bringing different people together.”

“In East L.A., hippie guys would hang out with the cholos. That degree of tolerance existed because of the strong community center. Here, there’s a mix of old and young couples, gays and straight people, artists and businesspeople. Plus, everyone’s a little bit wacky--just like me.”

Perez said his surroundings have always influenced his creative process.

The four founding members of Los Lobos--singer-songwriter-lead guitarist David Hidalgo, guitarist-vocalist Cesar Rosas, Perez and bassist Conrad Lozano (saxophonist Steve Berlin joined in 1982)--still embrace their cultural roots, particularly the acoustic-based Mexican norteno and folk music. But in recent years, they’ve dabbled in more sophisticated, electronic tapestries.

When the spinoff group the Latin Playboys, which also features Hidalgo plus producers-musicians Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, recorded its self-titled debut in 1993, Perez and his wife were disillusioned by suburbia’s conformist, impersonal lifestyle.

That downbeat mood, said Perez, “was in that record somewhere.” “When we lived in that cookie-cutter tract in Laguna Niguel, we’d go down to Ralphs and they’d valet park your car,” he said. “At that point, I felt isolated and kind of retreated to the inside. . . . I remember my wife saying she felt no connection to anything.”

“Since we’ve moved here, though, I’ve written more about things on the outside--of being a part of something. I think there’s a more upbeat tone on the second Playboys record [“Dose”], as well as some cuts on the new Lobos record [“This Time”].

Laguna Beach offers Perez a respite from the grind of touring.

Los Lobos had just returned home from a whirlwind European trek of nine countries in 3 1/2 weeks. “When I’m home and my wife can drag me out of bed in the morning, we’ll take walks down to Heisler Park,” he said. “Then maybe we’ll grab some pancakes at Jolly Roger or eat these killer, blackened mushroom tacos over at Taco Loco. It’s a very warm, inviting atmosphere to come home to.”

While its members have been involved in a variety of solo and side projects in recent years, Los Lobos endures. Continuing an experimental approach that began with 1992’s “Kiko,” the band’s new “This Time”--its first for Hollywood Records after a long association with Warner Bros./Slash--offers a challenging mix of avant-garde, quasi-electronic textures, groove-oriented R&B; and traditional Latino music (“Cumbia Raza” and “Corazon.”)

Although he acknowledges that some of Los Lobos’ longtime fans are turned off by the quintet’s noisier, experimental soundscapes, Perez sees the evolution as a natural progression.

“It’s really about growth and staying creatively open to new and unusual possibilities,” he said. “Some people are taken aback by our sonic stew, but no matter what we do, we’ve always tried to maintain our cultural identity.”

Los Lobos performs tonight at the Sun Theatre, 2200 E. Katella Ave, Anaheim. 8. $28.50. (714) 712-2700. Also Saturday at the Greek Theatre, 2700 Vermont Canyon Road, Los Angeles. 7:30 p.m. $20-$49. (714) 740-2700 (Ticketmaster).