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Los Lobos headlines carnival

The Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival occupies St. Petersburg's waterfront this weekend, with music, food, crafts and more.

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published June 9, 2005

[Times photo: James Borchuck 2003]

Jennifer Pruden, 28, of Orlando leads members of La Caribe Cultural Arts Club on a parade through the crowd at the Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival in 2003. Pruden is dressed as the zodiac’s Libra.

	[AP photo: 2004]
	Having Los Lobos in the musical lineup is a boon for the Caribbean carnival, which has picked up several corporate sponsors and expanded to two days.

It has been more than two decades since Los Lobos pondered How Will the Wolf Survive?, a breakthrough album for the celebrated East L.A. band that already had been kicking around for 10 years.

And it has been 18 years since the quintet's recording of Ritchie Valens tunes for the film biography La Bamba earned it (short-lived) mainstream fame.

So, after more than 30 years, the new question is how has Los Lobos (Spanish for "the wolves") survived?

By crafting songs across a broad musical landscape, weathering regular record label changes and performing live year in and year out.

On Saturday, Los Lobos brings its show to another survivor: the Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival, celebrating its 12th year at St. Petersburg's Vinoy Park.

Los Lobos will perform at 7:30 p.m. Baha Men, a 13-year-old Caribbean crew best known for the 1999 hit Who Let the Dogs Out? is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

The group missed an appearance here in 2001 due to travel scheduling problems but has a second chance this weekend.

Baha Men plays music typical of a Caribbean festival, mixing contemporary pop and world music with Bahamian traditional styles, but Los Lobos is a definite changeup.

That's not to say Saturday's headliner won't fit in well: Just as Caribbean music covers a lot of sonic territory, so does Los Lobos.

The group is equally at home in rock, country, blues, Tex-Mex, R&B and traditional Mexican music, occasionally mixing several together in one song. Locals who recently enjoyed the Tampa Bay Blues Festival at Vinoy Park will find the veteran performers well-versed in traditional and contemporary blues-rock.

Drawing national names such as Los Lobos and Baha Men is a feather in the cap for the festival, which has expanded to two days and picked up several corporate sponsors. In addition to music, the festival offers a full complement of food, crafts and children's activities.

PREVIEW: Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, Vinoy Park, Fifth Avenue NE at Bayshore Drive, downtown St. Petersburg. $10 per day, $15 for two-day ticket; free for ages 12 and younger. No pets, coolers, grills, glass containers or videocameras. 727 327-1269; www.tampacarnival.com

[Last modified June 8, 2005, 10:32:32]