El Vez

Who is El Vez?

El Vez is the stage name of Robert Lopez, a Mexican-American rock and roll artist, who performs and records original material and covers classic rock songs. Mixing the styles of Elvis Presley and many other American rock artists with his own Latin-American heritage and music, he is known for expressing revolutionary views through the satire and humor in his songs.

Lopez got his start in music playing guitar for the punk band The Zeros. As El Vez, he is known for his high-production value, frenetic stage show, which features two backup singers/dancers, numerous on- and off-stage costume changes, and between-song monologues mixing humor and political activism.

Lopez's main persona and style is very similar to Elvis Presley, as his stage name suggests. However, he is not strictly an Elvis impersonator; on his recordings and in his live show, he covers many non-Mexican artists, such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, T. Rex, Queen and the Beatles. Also known as the "Thin Brown Duke", "The Chicano Elvis", or "The Mexican Elvis", he got his start in the Latino punk band The Zeros, and played in Catholic Discipline with the folk singer Phranc.