I'm blessed to live in Austin, Texas. I've been here since '95 and have no plans on leaving anytime soon. One of the many things I love about Austin is obviously the live music scene. More importantly to me, the Latin music scene we have here. Despite my love for the incredible and amazing Maneja Beto and David Garza, Grupo Fantasma has ruled the scene for ten years now. I have zero problem with that. No one smashes harder than Grupo.
For the past few years, it has become a tradition for Grupo Fantasma to play here on New Year's Eve. Last year they performed at Mohawk and the at The Parish the year before. This year, Grupo's show is even bigger as it is at La Zona Rosa and with Austin's hip happening soul band, Black Joe & The Honeybears. I have my tickets thank goodness, as it is probably sold out by now. I hope you got your tickets.
Even if you missed out on your chance to spend NYE with Grupo, you should be at one of the many other great live shows happening here in Austin. Cake is at The Austin Music Hall. The Sword, the world's best metal band not named Metallica, will be ripping faces off at Mohawk. Cheer Up Charlie's has a great local band showcase that gives you the most bang for your buck. Oh, and Lady Tron will be at Seaholm Power Plant. That's just to name a few. My friends at Do512 have a great list for you here if you still have no idea what to do tomorrow night.
Anyway...Happy New Year to all of you! It's time for me to party and enjoy my life before getting back to work on Monday.
Austin's biggest and baddest Latin band is celebrating ten years of awesomeness. Seeing Grupo Fantasma on New Year's Eve is a tradition for many and one I look forward to this year when they do it again at La Zona Rosa with Black Joe Lewis. The anniversary show will be at Antone's on Friday night, Nov. 12, and is sure to sell out quickly so be sure and get your tickets here.
Austin's biggest and baddest Latin band is releasing their newest album next week, El Existential. To celebrate the release Grupo Fantasma is having not one, but two CD release shows this weekend at Antone's. Austin Vida is giving away tickets to both shows.Visit the Austin Vida blog link below to find out how:
Why on earth would anyone be anywhere else other than Mohawk on New Year's Eve in Austin? This show is soooo good that it is worth the drive up from San Antonio, Houston or anywhere else in Texas for that matter. Latinos stand up! This is your party. Of course everyone is invited, everyone with rhythm or soul that is. Three Austin heavy hitters fill the bill with funk, beats and cumbia rhythms that will keep you dancing all night long.
I am not normally big on New Year's Eve, only because the show's are too expensive for the quality of acts booked. Also, I am not big on photo booth parties. I like good live music and variety. I also love Mohawk. I'm not afraid to say it is my favorite venue, when we are talking about the outdoor stage. On a nice night, there's nothing better.
As far as the acts for the show, you should already be familiar with Brownout and Grupo Fantasma, as they share members and are Austin staples. You've seen them on M.E. and on blogs for years now. If you aren't getting down with either by now, it is time to reconsider what you are doing with your life. Here's a couple of quick videos for you to check out. If you want tickets, which I suggest buying in advance as this will sell out, there's a link for that also.
Ocote Soul Sounds is the combined musical genius of Adrian Quesada and Martin Perna. Both come from big bands, as in bands with lots of members and popularity, while coming from different worlds. Many of you may have seen them live recently with their friends, Thievery Corporation. They’ve played with some of the biggest names and most talented of musicians known and less known. With Coconut Rock, Ocote’s third release, they may have created something unique that holds its own that will make people forget about all of that.
Ocote Soul Sounds make their return to Austin tonight at Momo's with headliner Charanga Cakewalk as part of the KUT World Music Night. I first saw them live this year at Pachanga Fest back in May. Ocote's live set is really something, given all the talented musicians and great songs they have. Pictured above are Ocote members Martin Perna and Adrian Quesada. While both members are part of Ocote, both are members of other great bands here in Austin and Brooklyn.
Adrian Quesada is a guitarist for the Latin super group, Grupo Fantasma and the ultra funky Brownout. I know he's been busy lately with all the promoting of the latest Brownout album, Aguilas y Cobras. Be sure to pick that up if you haven't already as it is awesome from beginning to end. Tonight we'll get another look at Quesada with Ocote Soul Sounds.
Martin Perna seems to be a jack of all musical trades and down with every hip circle there is. A baritone saxophonist with the New York Afro-Beat funksters Antibalas, Perna has jammed with everyone in the sun. He's a founding member of Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings as well as being a classmate of Tunde Adebimpe who fronts TV On The Radio.
In case your curiosity has been sparked now, check out this live video of Ocote Soul Sounds from Fiesta gardens this past May. I also posted for you a couple of helpful links about Ocote Soul Sounds and tonight's show.While you're there be sure to pick up their new album, Coconut Rock.
For more on tonight's show, check out the show's post on Do512 here.
Austin's Latin funk assassins, Brownout, will be bring the funk live tonight at Mohawk. Known to many as the little brother or side project of Grupo Fantasma, Brownout will be changing that perception after tomorrow. Their new album, Aguilas Y Cobras, is worth all the buzz it has been getting. Just yesterday afternoon I heard them on Horizontes on KUT. They mentioned that they will be going on tour out to the West Coast soon, so if you're in Austin you need to take advantage tonight. As great as their CDs are, the live show is even better.
Brownout
As for the show tonight, Brownout will take the stage around 10:00 PM, with Pong as the opener. The Mohawk is located on 912 Red River, right on the corner of Red River and 10th. You can't miss it. Be sure to bring a little extra cash not only for the bar, but also to pick up your copy of Aguilas y Cobras. It goes on sale to everyone nationwide on September 15th. Go to the show, get it tonight. C'mon...when was the last time your Saturday night was this funky?
Austin, Texas. What a great city for music. What many outside of Austin fail to realize is in between the madness of South By Southwest and ACL Fest, Austin has a plethora of locally based musical talent playing here on a daily basis. Austin is the city that is home to Spoon, Alejandro Escovedo, Black Joe and The Honeybears, The Sword, The Riverboat Gamblers and Grupo Fantasma just to name a few. Speaking of Grupo Fantasma, its funky little brother and Austin staple, Brownout, is releasing their new album this month. The follow up to Homenaje, the new Aguilas y Cobras album out does its predecessor by leaps and bounds.
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.
Ian is a graduate of Round Rock High School and attended St Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. In 2008 he joined the team at Double Stereo (formerly CD Fuse) as their Blog editor where he reviewed concerts, albums, and did interviews for the popular music site.In January 2009, he became the Editor in Chief for Austin Vida. In 2010, with the help of some of his most talented friends, he launched Red River Noise. "Ian's Music Blog" is also one of the few blogs selected to be a Do512 All-Star.
On any given night of the week he can be found in downtown Austin on 6th Street and the Red River live music district.
