Saturday: A Great Day For Latino Events in Austin

Good Saturday to you all! If you re in Austin, you have zero reason to stay home today. Zero reason. All day and night in The Live Music Capital, there will be the usual array of great touring acts and local bands playing downtown. Today is extra special as Latino events dominate the music scene and art world here in Austin as the city celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, or All Souls Day. A national Mexican holiday tradition celebrated by many Mexican-Americans, Dia De Los Muertos is dedicated to our  family and friends who have passed. Many traditions like pan de muerto (a special sweet bread pastry) and  building of shrines are just a couple of the many traditions of Dia De Los Muertos. The holiday itself typically on the first day or two of November.

Here in Austin, our annual Dia De Los Muertos tradition is the annual Dia De Los Muertos parade put on by The Mexic-Arte. This year's festivities are titled "Viva La Vida Fest". Austin Vida is a proud media sponsor this year for the event, which looks to be just as amazing as it is every year. Everything gets started at 2:00 with live performers, ballet folkoricos, Teatro Vivo and more. Here's what happens around 2:00 as far as entertainment.

Teatro Vivo - 3:15-3:30 PM
St. Edward's Ballet Folklorico - 4:15-4:30 PM
Los Hijos de Janitzio - 4:30-4:45 PM
Roy Lozano's Ballet Folklorico - 7:15-7:30 PM

The Parade begins at 5:00 over at Plaza Saltillo on the East Side. The parade runs through 6th street and comes back around to the Mexic-Arte on 5th and Congress. The parade is one the only time a parade in Austin one ups the parades in San Antonio, home to the best parades in the state of Texas. People comes in their Dia De Los Muertos costumes, make elaborate floats and really go all out. For music, Viva La Vida Fest will feature headliners Bocastria and Charanga Cakewalk. Here is a video by Austin Vida of Charanaga Cakewalk performing at World Music night at Momo's presented by Bemba Entertainment.



Speaking of Bemba Entertainment,the third annual Xemumba Fest (prnounced like "sha-moom-ba) takes place over on the East Side at Kenny Dorham's Back Yard on 1106 E. 11th. Bemba Entertainment owner and Xemumba founder, Brandon Badillo, was profiled this week by Austin Vida staff writer Alysha Hernandez. be sure and check out the links below to find out more.

The music of Xemumba has a Latin American focus, but is quite diverse none the less. Krudas Cubensi are Cuban MCs who spit rhymes en Espanol with island flavor that could only come from island natives. There is also music from Brazil and a great local salsa band (El Tule) fronted by a gringo believe it or not. El Tule frotnman John Dell is not Latino but grew up with us along the border. His Spanish is better than most U.S. born pochos.

The treat, again this is only my expert opinion, are the two young up and comers. The first young, "must see" band is none other than Austin's own Este Vato. These Hebronville, Texas imports take the stage at 5:15PM and will be just what you need for a mid-day pick up. Este Vato is a Latin fusion band that combines traditional cumbia, hip hop and funk that draw comparisons to Ozomatli. They will be putting out their first full length CD very soon, so look out for that. Here's a clip of Este Vato from the Austin Vida YouTube Channel. The song is called "El Poder", meaning 'the power" in English.



The other group that I consider a must see is another Latin Fusion group from Austin, La Guerrilla. Their sound leans more towards traditional, South American style music. It is very danceable and makes for good live show. La Guerrilla is fronted by the talented Enrique Rumiche. He used to be with another Latin band, Ballistica, before forming La Guerrilla. Some of the Austin Vida crew and I caught them for the first time this summer and I enjoyed the show. At that particular show, they featured horns and an extra percussionist. I hope they have that same set up today. They too have an new CD on the way entitled "No Passport Required". We'll keep you posted via Austin Vida about that.La Guerrilla takes the stage at 9:00PM. Check out a clip of La Guerrilla from the Austin Vida YouTube Channel. The song they are performing is called "World Party One".



As for the rest of the Xemumba Line up and times, here they are:

El Tule  11:15pm 

Seu jacinto  10pm

La Guerrilla  9pm 

Os Alquimistas  7:45pm 

Azul   6:30pm 

Este Vato   5:15pm 

Krudas Cubensi   4pm 

Ritmo 3   2:45 

Gabriel Santiago Quintet  1:30pm 

Buscando El Monte  12:15pm 

Proyecto Saoko  11am

Don't think for a minute that this is all the Latino awesomeness going on today. There's more. Also playing Downtown are the Spanish guitar masters known as Del Castillo. They will be playing an early show at 7:00 over at Antone's. They are always a must see live show anytime they play. Hang out at Antone's after and catch Gary Clark Jr for the late show. Check out yet another clip from the Austin Vida YouTube channel, this one of Del Castillo of course. This song , "Anybody Wanna", was their first single off their current self titled album. It was filmed at Antone's during the same night they were shooting their official music video.



In case you are out all day at The Mexic-Arte events and want to find a place to sit down and drink a cocktail or three, head a few blocks east to El Sol y La Luna. Located at the corner of 6th and Red River, you can enjoy some Mexican food and drinks while listening to the traditional sounds of Leticia Rodriguez on stage. Rodriguez is quite the accomplished producer, dancer and singer. She is definitely more on the traditional Latin music, but that is the best to dine to. Her boleros and traditional rhythms are something the whole family can listen to.

  Leticia Rodriguez, 8:00 at El Sol y La Luna

For something hip, young and trendy, head over to The Parish on 6th after The Mexic-Arte concert finishes. Local Latin DJ extraordinaires, The Peligrosa All Stars, will be spinning danceable Latin music mashes they're famous for. Comprised of DJs Manolo Black, Orion, Hobo D, DJ Dus, Pagame and Hobo D, you're sure to dig one of them if not all. The Peligrosa party gets started at 10:00PM. It's only a $5 cover charge but you can get in for $3 with an RSVP on their Facebook event page. These guys have spun at all the hottest hipster joints, from Creekside to Beauty Bar. For lovers of Latin music who love to dance, they do not disappoint.

Peligrosa All-Stars, 10:00 at The Parish 

 In the event you are a North Austinite or a suburban townie, and don't like to venture downtown or don't dig large crowds, there are a couple of good options for you as well.Austin modern rockers, Vallejo, play the last show at The Beacon in Georgetown. Vallejo, headed by the brothers of the same last name, rock with Latin Percussion a la' Santana. A staple in the Austin rock scene since the mid nineties, when I moved here, Vallejo's crowd follows them anywhere. I imagine they'll draw a lot of people up in Georgetown. It's good to see them on stage not only because of their music, but also because A.J. Vallejo suffered a heart attack back in February. Vallejo Doors open at 6:00 and the show starts at 8:00. Children twelve and up are welcome. Attendees are asked to bring a chair and it is BYOB. Click here for more information.

Also at 7:00 up North at The Baby A's restaurant, the Vitera Bros take the stage. I just saw Haydn Vitera this past Thursday night at Ace's with Kalua and Este Vato. Haydn is a talented musician who plays a mean guitar and an even meaner violin. Maybe you saw him on the cover of the first edition of the now defunct Aviva grab and go paper that later became Todo Austin. Chicks seem to dig that dude. His Myspace page lists his age 35, but that's got to be wrong. He looks younger than I do at 29. I wonder what he uses...clinique maybe?

If you're not going downtown but want to make dinner plans, why not head to Baby A's on 5610 N. IH-35 and drink their famous margaritas while enjoying some good music. The Vitera Bros play a good blend of modern rock, country and Latin. Performing song in both English and Spanish, the Vitera Bros have a unique thing of their own going for them. I think fans of Los Lonely Boys, Rick Trevino and even Vallejo would enjoy their music. Haydn has a new CD coming out soon as well, and we'll keep you posted on that via Austin Vida as well.

Well there you have it....your complete guide to Latino events for today. As I mentioned at the beginning, there is zero reason for you to stay home today. Latinos stand up!

Tuesday Night Show Pick: Charanga Cakewalk (again!)

It's a Tuesday in September, which means you need to get to Momo's around eight o'clock to catch Austin's own, Charanga Cakewalk. Headed by musical genius, Michael Ramos, Charanga Cakewalk is a Latin Fusion band that can play just about anything from Latin jazz, cumbia, norteno, salsa, you name it. Momo's is a great little spot right above Katz's Deli on 618 West 6th Street. Other performers tonight include Federico 7 and The Hashashins at at 10pm and The Reddies at 11pm. It is World Music Night sponsored by KUT and it's only $7 to get in. This show is worthy of a Saturday, so take advantage while there are still some Tuesdays left in September. Bring your dancing shoes as you won't be disappointed.

For more on Charanga Cakewalk visit their Myspace page online at www.myspace.com/charangacakewalk

Need to know more about Momo's? Visit Momo's online at www.momosclub.com

Charanga Tuesdays at Momo's in September

Tuesday nights in September just got better Austin. One of the best Latin acts I have ever seen on any level, Charanga Cakewalk, has five shows at Momo's in September. Headed by the talented Michael Ramos, Charanga Cakewalk is a brilliant Latin Fusion band like no other. They blend jazz, cumbia, Norteno accordion, salsa and whatever else you can throw into the equation into their music. I have had the privilege of seeing them live on many occasions, mainly with my dad as Charanga Cakewalk is his favorite local band. That's also the appeal of Charanga Cakewalk. They can transcend generations. The music I have from Charanga Cakewalk, including their Chicano Zen album, is something even my grandparents enjoy. I think it is because above all else, their music is very danceable. Others who are not Latino or do not speak Spanish will appreciate Charnaga Cakewalk for the creativity, originality and sweet Latin rhythms. KUT was smart enough to sponsor this series or September residency. Charanga Cakewalk has five shows on the following dates:

Sept. 1

Sept. 8

Sept. 15

Sept. 22

Sept. 29

All shows are at Momo's located on 618 W. 6th Street above Katz's Deli. If you eat at Katz's before or after the show, I suggest ordering the Yankee Potroast. It's excellent.

For those unfamiliar or interested in Charanga Cakewalk, check out this video for my father's favorite song, "La Negra Celina"



For more on Charanga Cakewalk, visit their Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/charangacakewalk

Rock y Roll Dia 08 Coming November 1st

This is my first year to attend Rock y Roll Dia, an interactive community outreach event and concert. With two years under its belt, this year's Rock y Roll Dia will be its best yet. While previous acts were what I consider to be honorable mentions at best, with the exception of maybe Mexico's Jumbo, it had not garnered my interest enough to go. This year is a completely different story.

Headlining will be Venezuela's own Los Amigos Invisibles, who are known to many outside the Latin music world as the group David Bryne signed to his Luaka Bop label. I got to see Los Amigos for the first time in March during a free show at The Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC). Having heard only a few songs from them at the time, I had no idea they were so funky. Even if you don't understand Spanish, you can understand live Latin funk and good times. Mix their music with a little cocktail or chela (beer for you gringo friends and coconuts). Here is a video clip for you if you aren't familiar:

Recently added Monte Negro will certainly bring a great rock element Rock y Roll Dia didn't have without them. I got too see them live at SXSW for the first time at the Batanga showcase I worked and again this summer at Antone's on the Circo Rocktastico Tour. They are great live, sounding just like they do on CD with all the energy of their fast paced music. Kinski, lead singer, is great front man and doesn't sound like any other mainstream act out right now. They sing in both English and Spanish, even covering Bob Marley's Give Me Love. You may have seen that video on what used to M.E. TV's best show, Sonido Boombox. They were on M.E. before they were on MTV3 even, on their Discubre (discover) and Download segment. Don’t get me started on MTV3…..uuugghhhh.

The local representation comes from Michael Ramos and his eclectic band, Charanga Cakewalk. Many Austinites are plenty familiar with Charanga, especially with the M.E. Live taping for my favorite Charanga Cakewalk song La Negra Celina. To me, they are mix or regional Mexican, cumbia, Latin Jazz and Carribean. It's hard to explain, but fun to listen to and watch live.

Finally, the last group added to the bill will be Los Hollywood from (you guessed it!) Los Angeles. Given who is behind Dia, I should have expected some sort of LA injected into this. Just from listening to their music online, they sound like a younger, Latino version of No Doubt circa early 90s. Los Hollywood sings in both English and Spanish, so they too are gringo friendly while keeping it true to their roots so to speak. This group and this party, while being a Latin Music showcase, is for everyone. I hope to see you there.

Be sure to come early and get your tickets now, as it at The Mohawk and should sell out. Tickets are available on CD Fuse and you can find more info on the pre parties (whoot whoot!) on the Rock Y Roll Dia Myspace or on Do512. If you want to hear some of the music by these artists, you can listen to Rock y Roll Radio and check out the various shows from your computer. I don't normally plug or promote upcoming shows but my company, Gwizsk Design, are sponsors and the web marketing team for Dia. I say this in the spirit of full disclosure and just wanted to share this great event with you all. I will be posting another blog a couple days or so after the show in case you're lame and miss Rock y Roll Dia. You can read about what a great time it was for all.

New M.E. Live! Tapings

This past Friday I was lucky enough to be invited to attend new in studio tapings of M.E. Live! here in Austin. The tapings came before two Latino Music Month showcases. The first being a Conexion Rockera production at Stubbs featuring Pinata Protest, and two groups I saw Friday. The other showcase was the first ever Pachanga Music Festival. Since I was unable to attend either this weekend due to other obligations, the M.E. Live taping allowed me to experience what I missed.

There were six bands scheduled. They are as follows: La Conquista (Monterrey, MX), Grupo Fantasma(Austin,TX), De Los Muertos(San Antonio, TX), Charanga Cakewalk(Austin,TX), The Sweethearts(Austin,TX), and Nortec Collective(Tijuana, MX). I arrived during the last song Grupo Fantasma performed, so I missed La Conquista.Well, I wouldn't say I missed La conquista. While they are all lovely, I can't help but think of The Pussycat Dolls with accordions when I pass by their videos on TV. Plus, I will see them next week during a Myspace Latino showcase at The Parish on 6th. I will reassess my opinion of La Conquista after that show.

I also was not that disappointed that I didn't catch all of Grupo Fantasma. I know they are amazing live as I have seen them at least three times. They even played with Prince. Enough said. They have a new album coming called Sonidos Gold and I can't wait to get my hands on it. They are going on national tour so do catch them in your city if you can.

After Grupo Fantasma broke down their all their equipment and instruments, De Los Muertos set up. Their lead singer was this rockabilly looking Elvis dude in mariachi pants. Only from San Antonio man....I know because my whole family is from there (West side actually). Still, I had never heard of them before and didn't know what to expect. Once they started, I felt like I was listening to a Robert Rodriguez/Tarantino movie. I swear they could have been on the soundtrack for any of those films: El Mariachi, Desperado, or Once Upon a Time in Mexico. They sounded a little blues and maybe a little funk, with a darker Latin edge. Their songs were in English in case you were wondering, but you could definitely hear the Mexican influence. Like all the groups, I only got to hear three songs but look forward to catching a whole set from De Los Muertos one day. I wouldn't mind driving down to San Antonio to catch them. To the left you see a picture of Sonido Boombox host Paul Saucido introducing them. I am not saying I dig De Los Muertos yet, but I loved what I heard thus far.

Next to perform for M.E. Live! was a local Austin group, Charanga Cakewalk. I had already been familiar with their music as it is played regularly on Sonido Boombox and on a newly launched internet radio program called Rock Y Roll Radio. Charanga Cakewalk is Michael Ramos and a cast of other talented musicians including a percussionist, a keyboard player, and a guitarist. Ramos plays the accordion and whatever you call a small piano you blow into pictured below.

The next band to follow was a punk/pop (not the other way around) band from Austin called "The Sweethearts". The Sweethearts are a female fronted and kind of a throwback to what was good from that genre in the 90s. Being 28, maybe that's why I dig them. Now I have said this before, whenever I see a female fronted group, I cross my fingers that I am not in store for something smutty or gimmicky. With The Sweethearts, you get nothing of the sort. Lead singer Linette is charismatic but sweet, and her voice reminds me of a edgier or rougher Gwen Stefani.

As far as the band goes, Ren can really play guitar and the other two members were definitely seasoned and good at what they do. I had never seen them live either so it was cool. Punk is actually a genre of choice for me and I am pretty picky about it. The Sweethearts prove that Austin punk rock is not dead and will soon show that to the West Coast as they tour this summer. Don't believe me? Look around on their myspace as they posted a letter from Fat Records. Basically what it said was they liked them and they wanted to see them live or something to that regard. I asked Linette at the taping about that because it was difficult to read. And yes, their songs are in English.

The last band to perform for M.E. Live! was the popular DJ team from Tijuana, Mexico known as Nortec Collective. From the Nortec Collective came Bostitch and Fussible. They took the longest to set up as they had the most complicated gizmos (yes, the technical word for DJ equipment like mixers, etc) to set up. Along with Bostitch and Fussible, they had an accordion player and a clarinetist. They did tracks from their new album titled "Tijuana Sound Machine".

I had not seen a bad ass DJ or electronica show since the Chemical Brothers or Crystal Method concerts I went to when I was in high school. Although this wasn't a typical concert, the experience of seeing Bostitch and Fussible live and up close like that blew me away. No really, it was amazing. I sat above the actual stage area looking down on them and got to see how they did all their music and sounds. I couldn't begin to explain it. They only gizmos I was familiar with were the Apple laptops.

The way Nortec Collective merges the electronic dance music sound with Norteno or banda music of Mexico is genius. Their live accordion player was not only the best accordion player I've seen since Mingo Saldivar, but the accordion itself was so "blinged out" that the lady sitting next to me said she would wear it as a purse it was so fabulous. The clarinet player was also good, but I thought he looked either tired or uncomfortable. He was great either way. In the picture above to the left, that is me with Ramon Amezcua, aka "Bostitch". I got to speak to him before the taping and he was the coolest dude. His English appeared to be limited which was probably why he was just chilling by the bar they had set up by himself. All I did was tell him in Spanish how excited I was to see him and we just talked and talked and talked. I hope all you Nortec Collective fans read this and recognize that about Bostitch. I am still excited as I spoke with a musical genius there at M.E. and got a picture. The day could not have been better for me. If you like electronica, Mexican music, or both, you'll love Nortec Collective.

Finally I wanted to thank the good people of M.E. Television not only for the invite, but for showcasing all these bands through their fine network. Thanks to M.E., I have discovered so many new local and national bands that I now listen to and love. I don't know where else people in Austin could see many of these bands on TV otherwise. None of this has aired as of yet, but keep on the look out. M.E. TV is on digital channel 577 and channel 15.

I will leave you with a Nortec video I took off of good old You Tube. This is my favorite song from them right now called "Tijuana Sound Machine". Enjoy.