PORTLAND — Two of the most revered artists in American roots music — fiery blues-and-Latin-based trio Los Lonely Boys and seminal Americana singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo — will join forces for an “unplugged” evening of all-acoustic music on Friday, Oct. 16, at Merrill Auditorium.

The collaborative effort, “The Acoustic Brotherhood Tour,” is being presented by Portland Ovations, the 78-year-old nonprofit formerly known as PCA Great Performances.

Up-and-coming Texas outfit Hacienda will open the evening of acoustic music steeped in the musical traditions of the American Southwest and Mexico, including conjunto, Tex-Mex, roadhouse blues and country.

The Grammy Award-winning Los Lonely Boys – brothers Henry, JoJo and Ringo Garza — soared to national attention with their self-titled, Grammy-honored debut album in 2004, recorded with country great Willie Nelson.

The Oct. 16 concert will spotlight music from three acclaimed recordings” “Los Lonely Boys,” 2004; “Sacred,” 2006; and “Forgiven,” 2008. “The Acoustic Brotherhood Tour” is also timed to the release this week of Los Lonely Boys’ latest recording, “1969,” on which the Garzas pay tribute to the music of one of rock’s most hallowed years.
Five years after achieving widespread success with the smash single “Heaven,” Los Lonely Boys invoke the sounds of the Woodstock era on 1969, lending their signature blend of Latin rhythms, guitar leads and harmonies to spirited covers of Carlos Santana’s “Evil Ways,” the Beatles’ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” Tony Joe White’s “Polk Salad Annie,” The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues,” and Blind Faith’s “Well All Right.”

Music from 1969 will also be featured prominently on the Los Lonely Boys’ playlist for the all-acoustic Portland Ovations engagement.

“This tour allows us to play the way we play in our backyards and really show the tradition of our Texican roots,” said Ringo Garza. “When you’re up on that stage, you want to be the tool that shines light through to everybody.”

Escovedo, a fellow Texan, was a pioneering punk rock icon with San Francisco band the Nuns and later a major influence on the alt-country movement with his bands Rank and File and the True Believers. He has virtually defined the American sound over the course of a 20-year solo career, infusing Tex-Mex and folk balladry with rock and classical influences. The Garza brothers first met Escovedo in 2004, while recording as part of a tribute project called “Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo.” Los Lonely Boys and Escovedo have been musical comrades ever since and the current acoustic tour is sealing that strong connection.

San Antonio’s Hacienda is led by cousins Abraham Villanueva and Dante Schwebel and features sounds also rooted in their Texican heritage.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $38, $33 and $28 and are available through PortTix, the box office at Merrill Auditorium; by calling 842-0800; and online at www.portlandovations.org.