Ahead of LA LOM’s tour stop in San Antonio as part of The Constellation Tour with Thee Sacred Souls and The Womack Sisters, I got the opportunity to talk to guitarist Zac Sokolow about the band’s performances, their influences and the love for Los Angeles that defines them.

Both LA LOM and Thee Sacred Souls are based in Southern California, giving them that familiarity of playing festivals and shows together over the years. Through Thee Sacred Souls, LA LOM also became familiar with The Womack Sisters. From there, a tour lineup came together that Zac says has been a really great experience so far.

“We’ve never done a tour with this big of a lineup. We’re really kind of getting to hang out with all the musicians a lot and jam together. We’ve been working out different songs to play together on stage … it’s been really fun.”

Some of the venues on this tour are among the largest LA LOM has ever played, creating a very different environment from the intimate, three-hour shows the band became accustomed to while coming up in L.A.

However, Sokolow doesn’t see bringing that same energy into a larger space as a challenge. Instead, the band chooses to match the vibe of whatever room they walk into.

“I feel like we change the way we play to fit the vibe of the room in a way, kind of like the way a DJ would.”

“We almost always make a setlist these days, but we hardly ever stick to it. It always changes. It’s based on whatever we’re feeling or whatever the vibe is…”

Depending on the vibe in the room, the songs can keep going longer than they anticipated, especially if the crowd is dancing.

“If people are dancing, we’ll just keep going sometimes, keep playing the song for a long time, you know, like 10 minutes or whatever.”

They’re excited to bring that energy to their Texas shows. The guitarist mentioned noticing how much people dance here and the great energy the Texas crowds brings with them.

There’s also a deeper connection between the band and Texas when it comes to many of their musical influences.

“Texas is a place where there’s just so much cool music that has really influenced us a lot, whether it’s cumbia or the Tejano kind of music, or more sort of country or rockabilly or rock and roll or blues. All that stuff is kind of a big part of our sound, and I feel like people in Texas are kind of familiar with all those different kinds of sounds, so it’s always great to play in Texas.”

All of those influences and more can be heard throughout LA LOM’s music. Peruvian chicha, surf rock and psychedelic rock come together to create a sound that is uniquely their own.

To my surprise, it actually comes together for the band very naturally.

They started off playing hotels and private parties across LA, performing covers that moved between very different styles, including ‘90s cumbia, ‘60s and ‘70s soul, and instrumental versions of country and rock songs. They simply played whatever came to mind.

“We were very open-minded about it, and I think playing all those different styles, with a lot of time, kind of merged into a more kind of unified sound, I guess, when we started writing our original music.”

Zac’s love for music began with being around it at a young age. His dad was a local musician in LA, and he grew up going along to his gigs, sitting onstage and listening to him perform.

Something I find powerful about music, and something LA LOM does especially well, is its ability to take a listener back to a certain moment, place or time in the past.

The Peruvian chicha elements of their music are what first drew me in, as I lived in Peru for a year when I was 11 years old. Zac recalled his dad playing him tapes of slow romantic music when he was younger, with harmonies and chord progressions that stayed with him over the years.

“That stuff, all that kind of music brings me back.”

I’ve also never been to Los Angeles, but LA LOM’s music makes me feel like I’m right there in the city, like it’s a very tangible place. Even though I can only hear it, I feel like I can see and feel it when I press play on a song like “Santee Alley.”

That sense of setting and place is a big part of what Zac wants to convey in their music.

“To me, one thing that’s really special about LA is just a kind of blend of cultures that exists in LA. There’s a lot of immigrants that have moved to LA, and the culture from all these different places kind of becomes the identity of the city in a really special, beautiful way. It’s mixed together in a really unique way, I would say.”

He also pointed to the musicians around him in L.A. as another important part of that culture.

“All the musicians I know play a lot of different styles of music. I think that’s a really beautiful thing about our city, you know? That also plays into our sound, for sure.”

I wanted to ask him more about Peru and that shared experience I felt through their music. They recently collaborated with Peruvian cumbia band Los Mirlos on the song “Luchando,” and the two groups met up when LA LOM stopped in Peru during their South American tour dates.

“Jorge, the singer from Los Mirlos, he took us into his house, and he has, like, practically like a museum there. And we learned so much about their history and just about the whole music scene in Peru, and yeah, we had an incredible time.”

Zac mentioned that LA LOM actually covers a lot of Peruvian cumbia, but audiences in the United States don’t always recognize the songs. In Peru, the response was very different, with entire crowds singing along.

“People seemed to really embrace what we were doing, the way we were doing it, and appreciate that we have kind of our unique way that doesn’t necessarily sound like the other bands from Peru.”

Even while on this large tour, LA LOM is staying busy. Right before the band touches down in San Antonio, they’ll be in Mexico City working on their next record. Sokolow said they’re excited for fans to hear the new music, which will feature a new element to their sound.

“There’s gonna be some songs on there probably with singers, too, which is kind of a different step from our last record. We love writing music with singers and playing with singers. It’s been really cool to have that opportunity.”

When the band hits San Antonio, it’ll be my first time seeing them live, and after getting the chance to talk with Zac, I’m even more excited to hear all these influences come together at the Freeman Coliseum.

LA LOM is performing alongside Thee Sacred Souls and The Womack Sisters at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio on September 10th.