Alex Lora: "We always give people a chance to listen to music that deals with things that are happening around them."

Courtesy of Fonovisa Records

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Mexican rock icon Alex Lora celebrated his 40th in 2005.

But we're not talking birthdays.

In November, the 53-year-old musician released his 40th album, "Más Allá del Bien y del Mal (Beyond the Good and the Bad)" with his longtime rock en Español group, El Tri.

The band comes through the Rialto Tuesday to promote the release, Lora's usual blend of contemporary topics put to guitar-heavy blues rock.

"All of the songs on this album deal with current issues," Lora said in a phone interview last week from Mexico. "We always give the people a chance to listen to music that deals with things that are happening around them. As some would say, it is the soundtrack of our lives."

So after 40 albums in 37 years, what issues could El Tri possibly tackle on the band's latest?

Some featured concepts are traditional fare for the eight-piece ensemble — songs like "Políticos Ratas" (Political Rats), which Lora says is timeless but current with the 2006 Mexican general elections right around the corner, and "Sueño Americano," one of several immigration-themed tunes written by the musician over the years.

Others deal with more timely subject matters.

In "Todos Somos Piratas," El Tri takes on the sharp rise in digital music and film piracy.

And "Juan Pablo II" — featuring a basilica choir and pianist Lalo Toral on the organ — is a song dedicated to the late Pope John Paul II.

"When the pope died, someone told me to write a song about him," Lora said. "I asked him, what should it say? He said, 'I don't know, but he cared more about Mexico than any other pope and you are Mexican, so you have to write about him.' And so I did, and it was a magical experience."

Despite El Tri's penchant for the controversial, Lora considers himself more of a scribe than an activist.

"We don't protest with our music even though some have said it is a protest music," Lora said. "We don't protest because the children are on the streets begging. We just tell you the children are on the streets begging. We don't protest the politicians' stealing money. We just tell you those guys are stealing our money.

"I have ridiculed everything from politicians to society to artists. Anything people want to say I have said in my music."

There is one major difference with the band's latest album.

"Del Bien y del Mal" marks El Tri's first release on Lora's own imprint, Lora Records.

Band members chose to leave their longtime label, WEA Latina, to go out on their own early last year. The new label is working in association with Fonovisa Records.

"This is the first album that we did on our own," Lora said. "The ones before always belonged to someone else. It was about time for us to do it. We are on our 40th album. Now we are the owners of our own music. It gives us the freedom to do what we want."

The artist has yet to decide if the label will take on any other bands.

"If it works all right with us, we will," Lora said. "If not, we will only issue our stuff. If we do, they will only be rock artists because rock is what El Tri is."