Saturday, August 29, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Lodge Room, Los Angeles
Los Abandoned was one of the most innovative and influential bands in latin alternative music in the early 2000s. Their bold eclecticism and multicultural ethos helped pave the way for bands like La Santa Cecila, Fea, and Chicano Batman. In the years since their split in 2007, the legend of Los Abandoned has only grown. Their music and story are taught in the curricula of various universities including UCLA, USC and CSUN. In 2019, the band was featured in an LA Times pullout special called “50 Songs for a New LA” alongside Ice Cube, Weezer and LanaDel Rey. And in 2026, they joined Los Lobos, Alice Bag, Ozomatli, and The Beastie Boys as part of the Great Day In East LA exhibition at La Plaza De Cultura Y Artes in Downtown LA. Los Abandoned began in 2001 as a collaboration between Lady P and Don Verde. Lady P, a Chilean-born L.A. valley girl and classically trained vocalist, brought audacious song writing concepts, a penchant for performance art and her ubiquitous ukulele with her. Verde, a native Angeleno (and non-latino), was a genre-bending guitar virtuoso and producer who delighted in clever wordplay. They produced a series of home recordings that would become their first EP. *Demotape* was their musical manifesto: high concept, lo-fi bilingual rock, intermingling 80s drum machines and casio keyboards with thrashy guitar riffs, catchy hooks and intelligent lyrics. They added bassist Vira Lata (originally from Mexico City) to the line up and went through a Spinal Tap-esque series of would-be drummers before finally settling on Dulce, a chicano from Pomona, CA. The band was bilingual to its very core. A microcosm of the turn-of-the-millennium Southern California experience. Their fresh perspective charmed critics on both sides of the language divide, earning praise from the LA Times and La Opinion alike. Meanwhile “Electricidad” played on local latin radio and “Stalk U” found its way onto KROQ’s legendary Rodney on the Roq show. In 2004, the band released *Self-Titled EP* which contained their most iconic song “Van Nuys (es very nice)”. “Van Nuys" is a tribute to the humble LA suburb where Lady P grew up. The song, with its nuanced take on immigrant life, caught the attention of filmmaker Sergio Arau, who included it on the soundtrack to *A Day Without A Mexican*. Los Abandoned also caught the attention of Vapor Records. Vapor, an independent label run by Neil Young and his long-time manager Elliot Roberts, was home to Tegan & Sara and Jonathan Richman. After a pleasant courtship, Los Abandoned signed in 2005 and began work on their first and only full-length LP. *Mixtape *was the culmination of five years of writing, performing and experimenting in the studio. 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of *Mixtape*’s release. To commemorate the occasion, Los Abandoned will return to the stage on Saturday, August 29 at the Lodge Room in the Highland Park neighborhood of North East Los Angeles. The band, accompanied by their *Self-Titled EP* era drummer Garrett Ray (Vampire Weekend, Fool’s Gold) and a slew of guest performers, will perform *Mixtape* in its entirety along with fan favorites from the past and new material such as their recently released singles “Suena La Alarma” and “Favorite Band” (Casete Digital Mexico). An evening with Los Abandoned is a rare occasion and not to be missed.