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The East Los Angeles rock band, Los Lobos, will perform an acoustic concert at Royce Hall on Marc

Thirty years ago, Los Lobos was just a garage band in East Los Angeles. And as a band whose success is deeply indebted to its members’ cultural heritage as Mexican Americans, Los Lobos has decided to make its 30-year anniversary tour an acoustic one in order to celebrate its musical roots.

For one of its many stops, Los Lobos will perform at Royce Hall on March 4.

The sound of Los Lobos is drawn from different genres, including rock, blues, R&B, country and traditional Mexican music.

Louie Perez, the band’s drummer, describes Los Lobos’ sound as a pure definition of what it means to be Mexican American.

“We borrow from our own cultural past, our Mexican roots, and also from our roots as American. Both together equal Los Lobos,” Perez said. “Some extra seasoning is the distinct individual sound each member of the band brings to the table.”

The band first formed in 1974 when its members were still in high school trying to find their musical fit. They finally realized that the Mexican music that they heard in the background all their lives was where their sound had derived. The group then began performing at local venues and even played for MEChA groups and Chicano studies departments at various Southern California universities.

“(Mexican music) wasn’t the cool thing to do at the time, because young people were mostly into radio hits like rock ’n’ roll and soul,” Perez said. “Since we did start at such a young age, we were ahead of the game.”

The band also attributes growing up in East Los Angeles as a major factor in its music, as the group writes about childhood experiences.

“Many of our songs are snapshots of growing up in East L.A., and listeners can identify with it because experiences of growing up are universal things,” Perez said.

The group came up with the name Los Lobos, which means “the wolves” in Spanish, as a joke. When band members were growing up, there was another band called Los Lobos del Norte Los Angeles (The Wolves of North L.A.), so they decided to call themselves Los Lobos del Este Los Angeles (The Wolves of East L.A.). But they cut the name to just “Los Lobos” because it was too long to put on venue signs.

In its latest album, “The Ride,” the band focuses on its rock roots and features many guest stars, such as the Mexico City rockers Café Tacuba and another East Los Angeles cultural icon, Willie G.

The decision to go back to their early days meant unplugging their instruments so they could best focus on the rich diversity of Mexican and Latin American music by having a traditional acoustic sound. The last time the group attempted this was 15 years ago with its “La Pistola y El Corazon” (The Pistol and the Heart) tour, where it focused entirely on imitating traditional Mexican music.

“We are proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Perez said. “We feel like the elder statesmen of Chicano rock who have paved the way for other Chicano bands like Los Lonely Boys.”

But Los Lobos expresses no desire to retire any time soon.

“The fact that we are just a garage band from East L.A. and have made it this far proves that we are here to stay,” Perez said.