Few people know sibling rivalry quite like Christian and Salvador Lopez.
The brothers are founding members of local Latin band The LoBros, which is scheduled to take the stage at this weekend’s 2nd Saturdays Downtown.
Christian Lopez currently lives in Chicago and is taking on his last two semesters at Northwestern University before he earns his Master’s degree in Trombone Performance — the same degree his brother received at the UA in 2010. The band’s sound has been heavily influenced by the members’ time spent studying classical music in college, Salvador Lopez said.
“We make a really good team, and he definitely has a lot of things to offer,” Salvador Lopez said of his brother. “I’m really excited to get him back from his university experience.”
Christian Lopez said the relationship between him and his brother has worked to their mutual benefit, as they’ve advanced their musical talents together and challenged each other to better themselves.
“We’ve always had a certain level of brotherly competitiveness,” Christian Lopez said. “We’ve definitely grown; we push each other to harness our skills.”
Salvador Lopez said that a lively stage presence has always been a primary characteristic of the band’s performances.
“It has to be entertaining,” he said. “It’s my job, while we’re up there playing, to have a good time, making sure we’re not just standing there, but dancing and trying to create a positive experience for everyone.”
Growing up in a musical family, Christian Lopez said the brothers were immersed in music from a young age. Their mother plays the cello and organ at their church, their grandma is the pianist at their church and their father, Bruce Lopez, is experienced in rock.
“Our parents came from different backgrounds as far as music,” Christian Lopez said. “So those [backgrounds] were kind of polar opposites of the music world. I think they both had a very significant impact on what we want to do with our music.”
This Saturday, The LoBros band will include Salvador Lopez on tenor trombone, Pete Swan on drums, Nehemiah Powers on piano, Joaquin Zamudio on bass, Brian Hicks on tenor saxophone, Hiram Perez on baritone saxophone and Bruce Lopez on guitar. Salvador Lopez said that the band’s setlist will include “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin and “Axel F” from Beverly Hills Cop.
“[‘Smile’] was Michael Jackson’s favorite song. It was sung at his funeral,” Salvador Lopez said. “It’s a beautiful song. I’ve taken it and turned it into a burning salsa.”
Christian Lopez added that the band will play a game during the performance to inspire crowd participation, but did not want to ruin the fun by revealing the details.
“I’ll keep it a surprise,” he said with a smile, “but tell people to bring their dancing shoes.”
