Los Lobos, Assembly of Dust join MerleFest 25

Los Lobos and Assembly of Dust have joined the lineup for MerleFest 25, firming up another diverse collection for the ever-popular music festival.

Considered by critics and fans as one of America’s most distinctive and original band, Los Lobos will perform Friday, April 27, delivering the closing performance of the evening.

Assembly of Dust, known for its live performances from Bonnaroo to Carnegie Hall, will perform on various stages Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29.

Slated for April 26 to 29, MerleFest 25 will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. MerleFest is an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, gathering to celebrate the memory of musician Eddy Merle Watson, beloved son of American music icon Doc Watson.

Over the years, MerleFest has become known for spontaneous moments, collaborations and last-minute performance additions. This recent addition credits that statement.

Of Los Lobos, Rolling Stone has said, “With the exception of U2, no other band has stayed on top of its game as long as Los Lobos.”

Now in its 38th year of making music, the three-time Grammy-winning band is still creating inventive and inspiring music. Though they may have come to the attention of many with their huge hit, “La Bamba,” Los Lobos’ rich musicality has continued to evolve and expand with each project and with each tour.

Drawing equally from rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues and traditional Spanish and Mexican music, this internationally renowned group of performers delivers a graceful, gritty sound that never strays from the musical traditions that form the heart and soul of the band.

About their most recent album, “Tin Can Trust,” NPR’s Ken Tucker said, “Los Lobos is a master of creating moods, of summoning up a setting and putting you in the center of it. From the band’s major-label debut, “Will the Wolf Survive,” to the Grammy-nominated “Tin Can Trust,” the band has always sung about people who take their pleasures where they can find them and who lead rich imaginative lives.

All Music has described New York-based Assembly of Dust as “melding the deep grooves of blues and R&B with guitar work that recalls J. J. Cale and Little Feat.” AOD’s 2011 release, “Found Sound,” represents a “behind-the-curtain” look at a band that has gained notoriety as a studio/live performance hybrid. The energy captured on “Found Sound” represents what fans from coast to coast have known for years: Music’s best kept secret may have just been found.

To keep up with any additional changes and additions to this year’s MerleFest lineup – even during the festival – fans can sign up for an e-newsletter or follow the festival through Facebook and Twitter. Links are available at http://www.merlefest.org.

Ticket purchases for MerleFest 25 can be made online at http://www.merlefest.org or by calling (800) 343-7857. An early-bird ticket discount is available through March 12.

MerleFest features more than 90 artists performing on 14 stages during the course of the festival. A complete list of confirmed performers is available at http://www.merlefest.org.

MerleFest, considered one of the premier music festivals in the country, is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. The festival was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson and is a celebration of what Doc Watson calls “traditional plus” music, meaning the traditional music of the Appalachian region “plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.”

The annual festival has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.