Chicago : Music & More

Pastilla Presents: Dopamina

2011-12-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

PASTILLA presents:

"Victor Monroy is Dopamina’s lead vocalist and music & lyrics writer. He is also the lead singer of Pastilla, a group that revolutionized music in Los Angeles by being one of the first rock and alternative bands to sing in Spanish. Victor continues to write music for Pastilla and Dopamina as well as for several other bands in Los Angeles. His songs are featured on MTV Latin America’s new telenovela show “Popland.”

César “Vampiro” López is considered by many to be one of the premier rock guitarists from Latin America. He played with Maná and his band Azul Violeta as well as other groups such as Belanova. He has influenced a generation of guitar players with his unique style. Currently he is the guitarist for the Mexican rock group Jaguares, which has won two Latin Grammys.

Enrique “Bugs” Gonzalez is the drummer for his band Jumbo and Dopamina. He has also recorded albums for artists from different musical genres such as Aleks Syntek, Alejandro Fernandez, Pepe Aguilar, Ana Torroja, La 5a Estacion, Eduardo Cruz, RBD, Reyli, Gloria Trevi, Alex Ubago, Timbiriche, Paulina Rubio, Pambo y Gian Marco, among others. Currently, he is the musical director and drummer of the multifaceted band of composer and producer, Aleks Syntek.

Now these 3 musicians, who share a Mexican sensibility, have formed Dopamina: A fusion of Spanish rock and pop at its best." - Pastilla

Latism + Hello Seahorse! + P-Mosh

2011-11-10T11:00:00.000-06:00

Overall it was a great night at Chicago's Navy Pier for the opening of this year's Latism Conference. The event, which caters to Latinos in Social Media (osea, Latism, get it, get it?) will be presenting workshops and panels geared toward professionals looking to expand their audience within the Latino market and beyond. "LATISM, the largest organization for Latinos and Latinas engaged in social media, is a 501(c) 4 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing the social, civic and economic status of the Latino community."

The two day conference takes place at Chicago's Navy Pier (in the Grand Ballroom) and will provide key information on how to "use social media to amplify the impact of business leadership, personal influence and public service campaigns within the Latino community, in addition to exploring case studies in the areas of Health, Education, Economic Development and Civic initiatives." If you snoozed you lost as the conference is already sold out... but don't you worry, you pretty little thing. Myself and a few other savvy media specialists will be actively taking notes and absorbing every bit of information we find useful and then reporting back to you. This is what we do. (By the way, we'll discuss the unfortunate perpetuating of stereotypes at this event later. Eeek!)

Also taking place last night at Navy Pier's WBEZ Studios was our weekly Enchufate segment during The Music Vox (which airs Monday through Friday, 6-8PM CST) and we featured music from Colombia's Sexy Lucy as well as Chicago's own ska fiends Malafacha. If you tuned in, you would have found out the deal for winning passes to the upcoming Hello Seahorse! concert which takes place the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at Congress Theater. If you weren't listening, pues ya tu sabe. Don't be asking for tix day of or a SMACK is all you'll get. You know you love it... and I love you so you'll have one more opportunity to win passes. Tune in next Wednesday (11/16/11) to 89.5FM around the 7:30PM mark for another chance to win tickets. Next week's featured song comes from Chicago rock'n'rollers, one of my personal favorites, Wonderland Honey. Oh yes.

For those bands and DJs interested, we'll be booking Thursdays at Funk (5 W. Division) and Saturdays at Junior's (2058 W. Cermak). Send us an email to info@enchufate.com with your band name, link to page with music and contact information and we'll provide you with a handful of dates to choose from. Genre doesn't matter as long as you know how to do what you do. You dig?

Tonight at Funk, DJ Ron Solera and Victor Lua will be spinning some tunes for your listening pleasure and as an added bonus for showing up they'll be giving away tickets to the November 19th Plastilina Mosh concert. Asi si, digo yo. The Official After-Party for the P-Moshers will be at Bar 10 Doors with a live performance by [.DESCARGA.]

Song Conundrum + Molotov

2011-10-31T22:59:00.000-05:00

Say what? Yes, it's a post about a song conundrum and also this weekend's long-awaited (well, for those of us who are fans of the band) Molotov concert at Congress Theater. I can't help but loving those goofy boys and their unexplained energy. Where the heck does it come from? Have you seen them away from the stage? It's quite the transformation, let me tell you.

So to repeat myself, this Friday is the Molotov concert at Congress and also includes performances by Cuadro Azul, [.DESCARGA.] and Monte Negro. It's a solid line-up, that's for sure. I like all three bands individually and I think this line-up will showcase them even better. They complement each other well.

This Wednesday I'll be sharing new music during Enchufate's segment on The Music Vox, 89.5FM Vocalo.org. For those outside the Chicago/Indiana listening area you can always stream it live on www.vocalo.org/player The Music Vox airs Monday through Friday, 6-8PM CST. Our segment airs Wednesdays at 7:30PM CST. Tune in anytime!

As for the song conundrum? It's [.DESCARGA.]'s 'The Funeral'. All I know is it makes me really happy and really sad at the same time. Now you understand my conundrum? Ush.

You listen and let me know what you think.

THE FRANTIC - "We Were The Kids" Music Video

2011-09-15T18:40:00.000-05:00

This is the new video from Chicago rock band The Frantic and their song "We Were The Kids."

www.thefrantic.com

new beats, got legs

2011-09-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

Valgame 2 (Extraño)

by minusbaby
from New York
a genius of sorts,
witty, meow meows,
chiptune master,
does great things.

Listen. Enjoy.

FMEL 2011 - Chicago's Electrogem

2011-08-26T01:58:00.000-05:00

The best shows, for me, are always the ones I anticipate so much that I almost don't go just so I won't lose that exhilarating rush of excitement or the endless pie-in-the-sky fantasy possibilities. Of course I do end up going and basically fall from above, bopping from cloud to cloud in perfect syncopation with the sounds being produced, heading back and forth from the outskirts of whatever galaxy we last discovered. I'm numb to everything but the artist performing. They are the focus and the only reason to be there at that precise moment. Shh. Don't talk to me, I'm listening. Eh eh eh, I said shh. Kindly, I will add.

Listen:
Latinsizer - Sexta (made with the iPad) by pepemogt

It's been a couple of sad years without that cool spark of life we got every time we were at the Latin Electronic Music Festival but... it's back and better than ever for 2011. Phew! This year's festival got started yesterday and will continue through Saturday, possibly even doing a closer after the closer on Sunday. We'll see. All I know is it's always been a good time. The artists involved are innovators in their field so it's a true honor, a gift, to be able to delve into their world in person. Watching the genius behind their craft right there in front of you. Holy moly mother of music, what's going on there and there and did you hear what he just did with that? It's infinite happiness. It's a music nerd's paradise. It's a music lover's Soul Train.

Tonight, after listening to DJ Wero pound out some amazing music during his set at Maria's as part of the FMEL I'm even more astonished and amazed. I took friends with me who didn't know what to expect and left wanting more. That, my friends, equals success.

So, with that in mind, I encourage you support this festival and all others based on independent artists and most especially Chicago efforts. The Festival de Musica Electronica Latina is a key ingredient in all this.

I'll see you at the next show, which is this Friday, August 26th at Abbey Pub. My boy Anthony Macias will be joining Kampion as part of Enchufate's suppport. Dig it. Love it. Enjoy.

The music of August

2011-08-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

Haven't caught up in this space in a bit and speaking of bit, there will be that type of music and more at the Latin Electronic Music Festival taking place August 24th through 27th (see how quickly I switched topics oh and by the way, the festival is this week, yes Wednesday until Saturday). And again. On Sunday, August 28th, from 6-9PM Chicago rock band [.DESCARGA.] celebrates their new release The Things We Do at Joe's Bar on Weed Street. It's free and early so no silly excuses, kitties. Meow meow.

[.DESCARGA.]'s drummer, Anthony Macias, will be collaborating with Mexico City electronica artist Kampion on Friday, August 26th as part of the FMEL. Also that night, Pepe Mogt (Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich & Fussible) with his project Latinsizer, one of the founding members of the Nortec Collective Presents: Clorofila, plus VJ Thai, VJ Gabriel Noquez and DJ Wero.

Bakersfield, Cali boys Velorio are in town this weekend. They played as part of the line-up for the 1st annual Unisono Festival that took place at Pilsen's Zocalo. That was followed up by an amazing, dance-til-your-feet-hurt performance at Junior's. I'd remembered they were full of copious amounts of energy but hot damn, they exploded into a whole new parallel music universe that's just being discovered and they're the leaders in that exploration. Velorio knows what's up! They kept us on our toes as they rock'n'rolled their way through traditional raza beats and rhythms, ch-chchch'ing girls hips' in sexy tribute to Fito Olivares' generation. Wow. It was a beautiful thing. I've been craving one of these nights for awhile. Thank you, Velorio, for making it a great weekend of music in Chicago.

I'll have more updates throughout the week, including FMEL artist biographies, music samples and more. Tune in to the Music Vox on Wednesday at 7:30PM CST for my Enchufate segment. 89.5FM WBEW if you're in Chicago, otherwise stream it live at www.vocalo.org

Chicago Radio, alive and kickin'

2011-07-18T14:09:00.000-05:00

"Inconciente no sabe lo que se pierde, lo que podian encontrar si abren sus corazones, si dejaran de pensar lo malo que les va a pasar." La Mala Rodriguez, Nanai

It was great to see all the support people showed to Chicago's radio station Q101... after they were off the air. Ha! It's typical of those who enjoy complaining about the state of radio today and how it's all generic and how they'll never play your band's music and so on and so forth. One complaint after another. I've heard it all. To you I say, "Meh."

Yesterday afternoon, the hot sun shining down on us as we sipped a few cold ones at Joe's Patio, I wondered to myself where all these complainers were. 89.5FM, a Chicago radio station broadcasting CHICAGO INDEPENDENT MUSIC 24/7 was hosting their program The MusicVox with live performances by some of our city's musicians. It was phenomenal. It was a great event where we heard the diverse talent that exists in our city. We met all sorts of people that work in and behind the music community. We loved the "Woah! I can't believe this pitcher is only $3.75!" beer. We danced a bit and we rocked out to some great tunes as we cheered in unison for an overall amazing afternoon. It was a great moment for musicians of all kinds to indulge in the opportunities most complain they don't get. Where were you, ey?

Chicago musicians and artists, please understand that the only way your music is going to survive is if we support each others efforts in this industry. Whether it's showing up to an event or tuning in to the few places left that promote independent music, do it. Networking is essential to an independent musician's success. Every little bit counts. You count. Don't let me forget it. Don't let me forget you.

With that in mind, I encourage all of you to check out the next event hosted by 89.5FM TheMusicVox (Vocalo.org). It will take place at Joe's Patio on Sunday, August 21st. Come join the fun, it's free, and we'll be helping each other move forward.

We're all in this together.

07/13/11 Broadcast on 89.5FM & 88.7FM - Featured Artists

2011-07-14T02:42:00.000-05:00

The first two artists were featured on tonight's Enchufate broadcast during the MusicVox on 89.5FM WBEW (Chicago). The last two were featured on Rock Sin Anestesia 88.7FM WLUW (Chicago).

Zenttric (Spain)

Song: "Limousine"

Monte Negro (California)

Song: "Arde El Corazon"

Jazzimodo (Chile)

Song: "Caramelo"

La Vida Boheme (Venezuela)

Song: "Radio Capital"

Enchufate to the MusicVox every Wednesday at 7:30PM (CST) for the latest in latin alternative music news and more. Stream it: www.vocalo.org

LAMC Recap: Sweet home, Chicago (I heart NY)

2011-07-11T16:52:00.000-05:00

I heart NY but I'm so glad to be back in the heat of the Midwest after a jam-packed week of music activities for the Latin Alternative Music Conference and for a performance by [.DESCARGA.]. Check it out.

I arrived in NYC before the band, getting us checked in to this lovely hotel we've stayed at a few times before, located right around the corner from the Bowery Ballroom. (It has a kitchen? I love it.) I'm glad I got there early too because the heat in NY is no joke. Chicago doesn't even come close to this heat. It was as hot as a sweltering day in Pasadena, TX, I tell you what! So I was able to get the room cooled off in time for their arrival a few hours later. Ush. After a quick meal of cheeseburgers and fries (rock food!), we headed out in a ritzy SUV (we asked for a taxi, y'all!) to Queens.

D'Antigua, in Jackson Heights, was the night's destination and [.DESCARGA.] did a great job of showcasing their talent. "It was crazy, it was mayhem..." they sing in their new single The Funeral and in the end, everything came together nicely.

We met so many great bands that night like Cojoba (Puerto Rican, female fronted punk, come on!), Espantapajaros (rockin' from Houston), Don Quixote (all metal, all night, from DC), Gusano, a punk band from New Jersey who didn't play but stopped by to support the show (they are so much fun!), Kofre (skatos) from NY and soloist Urbeprima. Of course, we reconnected again with Ric Fazekas from Los Angeles who put together the showcase and was celebrating his birthday, big apple style. An added bonus was that Anthony Macias and I were the DJs responsible for selecting music all night.

It was a long night and along the way we tried arepas (and loved them), some spicy ground beef fried empanadas (so good after a few beers), rum and Coke from a plastic bottle, sang Happy Birthday to Ric and inhaled a slice of choco-quiensabeque-but-it's-so-good cake and pretended to exercise (well, just me) in the barely tolerable fire that tore at our naked souls in the suffocating bowels of New York's rat-friendly subway system. It was friggin' awesome!

Thursday morning we rushed our way to the Roosevelt Hotel to begin our day of interviews with artists, getting the most out of the information from the day's panels, and sharing valuable time with people we tend to only see once a year at this precise gathering. It all happened so fast before we knew it we'd met nearly twenty new bands, exchanged information with other media outlets, listened and furiously wrote away notes during the panels and finally sighed a breath of relief as we successfully completed our day's work. It's such a rush. This is what some of us fuel off of. Thankfully, it's never ending.

Thursday evening we head back to Soho to have dinner and rest a bit before we leave again to check out the night's line-up at the Bowery Ballroom, which is freaking amazingly located right around the corner from our hotel. The heat was dissipating. Things were oh, so, cool. And. And... I would get to see one of my pitter-patter-heart favorites, Ximena Sariñana. Butterflies and sighs.

Diego Garcia was performing as we went to the main stage area of the Bowery Ballroom, which is upstairs from the main bar. It was crowded, cameras snapping away everywhere, like fireworks. The music immediately put us into a trance as the feel-good vibes of Garcia's music reached out to us, and literally reached out to grab Jose's beer for a quick sip. Ha! Diego rocked the last few songs and we can only imagine the rest of his performance, as the crowd cheered for more. We were sorry we'd missed the entire set. Man oh man that man can sweeten up anything. He makes people happy. Mhmm! And so the night went on, performer, networking in between and enjoying the night's overall smoothness. Cuarto Poder was on fire, Francisca Valenzuela (or as Hector calls her, Pancha) was sultry behind the keys, such elegance and strength, and Ximena... well, let's just say I shed some tears. Shut up. It was a great ending to our Thursday in Manhattan.

Friday, after a quick brunch at Good Burger, was less hectic and it rocked just as much except with twice as many interviews, more connections and so many new friends (Alejandro Fernandez!?). Even though we were exhausted, we kept going with an overall satisfaction of having been able to not only enjoy great performances but also that we were able to amass so much valuable information. We shared. We acquired. Isn't that what it's all about? I think so.

Friday night we finally tried some Ray's Original Pizza as we read through liner notes on all our new CDs. I left the LAMC magazine for my plane ride home. That was too good to just flip through before resting up for our flight home the next morning. Oh, about Ray's Pizza. We ordered it with anchovies. Oh my. We ventured on.

Another year, another successful Latin Alternative Music Conference with the added bonus of a NY performance by Chicago's [.DESCARGA.]. I will always heart New York but I'm in love with Chicago.

See ya next year, kitties. (I'll be posting links to our interviews soon.)

LAMC - Full Schedule 2011

2011-06-27T19:34:00.000-05:00

LAMC 2011 Online Registration Closes On June 29th At http://LatinAlternative.com;
Registration Will Increase From $199 To The Standard $299 At Walk Up

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6TH

-3:00pm – 5:00pm:
LAMC Registration @ The Roosevelt Hotel
45 E. 45th St., Mezzanine Level

-6:00pm – 10:00pm:
LAMC Music Night @ Central Park Summerstage
Presented by Jack Daniel’s

Performances by Spanish music icons Jarabe De Palo, Mexican songstress Ely Guerra, Afro-Peruvian electronica folk artist Novalima and Miami’s DJ extraordinaire Mr. Pauer.

-8:00pm – 1:00am:
LAMC Indie Showcase @ The Mercury Lounge
217 E. Houston St
Presented by Jack Daniel’s, Shure, Heineken, The ADS Group and Epiphone
Performances by Buenos Aires’ ethereal folk artist Pablo Malaurie, Venezuelan dance rockers La Vida Boheme, Chilean electro funk act Jazzimodo, Argentine electro group Poncho, Colombian rockers Superlitio and Miami’s soulful groovesters Elastic Bond.

THURSDAY, JULY 7TH

-9:00am – 5:00pm:
LAMC Registration, Panels & Exhibits @ The Roosevelt Hotel, Mezzanine Level

-11:30am – 12:45pm:
PANEL: @DIGITAL: Engaging Your Audience & Monetizing Music
Presented by Terra

PanelistsLaura Gomez - Twitter
Humberto Carmona – IODA
Juan Jose Duran – YouTube
J Sider - RootMusic
Jack DeYoung - Grooveshark
Cesar Martinez – Terra
Henry D’Arthenay – La Vida Boheme

-2:00pm – 3:15 pm:
PANEL: THIS IS RADIO CLASH: Bridging the Terrestrial and Digital Divide

Panelists:
Ariana Morgenstern - KCRW
Doug Sterne – Pandora
Anya Grundmann – NPR Music
Nelson Albareda – Eventus/National Latino Broadcasting
Bryan Calhoun – SoundExchange
DJ Chilly – KEXP
Alfred Souza – Clear Channel Digital
Jessica Weber – Co-Sign Collective

-6:30pm - 9:00pm:
LAMC Acoustic Showcase @ SOB’s
204 Varick Street
Presented by Jack Daniel’s, Epiphone and Red Bull Panamerika

Enjoy the sounds of an intimate evening of acoustic performances by
Cuarto Poder, No Te Va Gustar, La Vida Boheme, Diego Garcia,
Ely Guerra, Hello Seahorse!, Napoleon Solo, Superlitio, Gaby Moreno and One Chot.

-9:30pm - 1:30am:
LAMC Showcase @ Bowery Ballroom
6 Delancey St

Presented by Jack Daniel’s, Heineken and CMJ

Performances by New York City’s romantic troubadour Diego Garcia, Uruguayan
rockers No Te Va Gustar, Mexican jazzy chanteuse Ximena Sariñana, Venezuelan rap crew
Cuarto Poder, Spanish indie pop act Napoleon Solo and Chilean piano rocker Francisca Valenzuela.

FRIDAY, JULY 8TH

-9:00am – 5:00pm:
LAMC Registration, Panels & Exhibits @ The Roosevelt Hotel, Mezzanine Level

-11:30am – 12:30 pm:
PANEL: PATRONS OF THE ARTS: Who Are Today's Music Investors?
Panelists:
Angel Gambino – Sonico (FN Box Limited)
Alex Rossi – Latin Idea Ventures
Michael Rucker – Fania Records
Larry Miller – Co-founder of Or Music (Los Lonely Boys, Matisyahu)
Juan Miguel Marin – producer of La Casa del Ritmo

-1:30pm – 2:45pm:
PANEL: 99 PROBLEMS: And Putting Together A Tour Shouldn’t Be One
Panelists:
Emily Simonitsch – Live Nation
Amy Davidman – The Windish Agency
Steve Berlin – Los Lobos
Eddie Cota – Levitt Pavilion
Rachel Chanoff – Celebrate Brooklyn
Manuel Moran – Live Nation
Alicia Zertuche - SXSW
Cristian Naselli – One World Marketing Group

-3:15pm – 4:30pm:
PANEL: SOY TU BRAND: Latin Music and the Art of Sponsorship, Branding & Licensing
Panelists:
Carolyn Concepcion – Heineken
Sara Matarazzo – Search Party Music
Ed Carias  - Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel’s)
Angela Martinez - Entertainment Attorney & Personal Artist Manager (Pitbull, etc)
Josh Norek – Nacional Records
Javier Farfan - PepsiCo
Rob Filomena - Muuseme

-7:30pm – 11:00pm:
LAMC/Celebrate Brooklyn Show @ Prospect Park Bandshell
Presented by Jack Daniel’s

Enjoy the outdoors under the stars in Brooklyn with LAMC and
Celebrate Brooklyn featuring performances by Los Angeles’ rock legends Los Lobos,
Mexican indie rock sensation Hello Seahorse!, New York City’s dreamy rock act Zigmat.

This event is free and open to the public.

SATURDAY, JULY 9TH

3:00pm –7:00pm:
LAMC/Central Park Summerstage Show @ Rumsey Playfield
Presented by Jack Daniel’s

An afternoon of sunshine in the park and música by Afro-Colombian
hip hop act ChocQuibTown, Dominican electro merengue act Rita Indiana,
Brooklyn’s funky multi-instrumentalist Ursula 1000 and New York City’s
dynamic DJ duo Uproot Andy and Geko Jones (of Que Bajo?!).

9:00pm –‘til the cows come home
LAMC and Jack Daniel’s “Local Bands We Love” Showcase @ D’Antigua
84-16 Northern Blvd in Queens

Some LAMC late-night action in Queens with up and coming homegrown talent
featuring Mexican Dubwiser, Elastic Bond, One Chot, Estados Alterados and Una Via.

With a warm welcome from the Big Apple, the biggest event in the world for cutting-edge Latin music will return to the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from July 6th – 9th. Featuring leading artists as well as many of the music industry’s most prominent decision-makers, the highly-anticipated 12th Annual Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) is a “must play” event for developing and established acts alike. The artists for this summer's Central Park SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn showcases range from Mexican indie rock sensation Hello Seahorse! and Dominican electro merengue act Rita Indiana to Afro-Colombian hip hop act Choc Quib Town and Los Angeles’ rock legends Los Lobos.

"Jack Daniel's is very proud to once again be the presenting sponsor for LAMC,” says Ed Carias, Jack Daniel’s Division Marketing Manager, Hispanic. “In its 12th year, the LAMC is unique event with a great tradition of providing artists with an opportunity to showcase their talents. Similarly Jack Daniel’s is a brand built on the tradition of quality, heritage and authenticity. LAMC provides Jack an opportunity to connect with its ‘friends’ in a very real way, through our joint passion for music.”

This year's highly relevant and timely panels will include many of the music industry’s most prominent decision-makers discussing the following topics:

- SOY TU BRAND: Latin Music and the Art of Sponsorship, Branding & Licensing
- @Digital: Engaging Your Audience & Monetizing Music

- 99 Problems: And Putting Together A Tour Shouldn’t Be One
- THIS IS RADIO CLASH: Bridging the Terrestrial and Digital Divide
- PATRONS OF THE ARTS: Who Are Today’s Music Investors?

With past conferences averaging more than 1,250 music industry attendees and 25,000 concert fans each year, the 12th LAMC promises to be yet another exciting year. This four day conference providing networking opportunities with the genre’s leading artists, music entrepreneurs, journalists, marketers, managers and programmers, is the most extensive to be offered by a Latin music conference to date.

For more information on the Latin Alternative Music Conference please visit
www.LatinAlternative.com

Noticias de Inspector: "SKA A LA CARTA"

2011-06-26T09:43:00.000-05:00

Los "maestros" del ska mexicano, INSPECTOR, se ponen el traje de chef para preparar su más reciente producción "Ska a la Carta", el sexto disco en su carrera.

"Ska a la Carta" es un disco de remakes sazonado con el estilo de INSPECTOR, mucho ska para bailar y disfrutar. Este nuevo material sale del "horno" este Miércoles 22 de junio.

La banda regimomontana ha preparado una primera remesa de 4 "bocadillos" que serán servidos a través de Itunes y demás tiendas digitales a nivel mundial. Como primer sencillo de "Ska a la Carta" se desprende el tema "Me Estoy Enamorando" del compositor Armando Larrinaga, tema que popularizara el grupo texano La Mafia, a finales de los 80's.

La producción de "Ska a la Carta" estuvo a cargo de Jesus Arriaga, saxofonista y fundador de INSPECTOR, quien comenta; "Para nosotros cada disco es un reto pero también buscamos que sea divertido, la gente quizá no esté muy familiarizada con el ska, de ahí la idea de hacer un disco donde pongamos nuestro estilo, nuestro sabor de "ska mexicano" a temas que la gente conoce, es como llegar a un restaurante y pedir del menú diferentes "platillos" a ritmo de ska" .

La grabación de este material se realizó en “La Nave” estudios de la ciudad de Monterrey NL. La mezcla de los temas estuvo a cargo de Andrés Saenz, conocido músico regiomontano y miembro de la banda Genitallica. La masterización de "Ska a la Carta" fue hecha por Brian Gardner(quien ha trabajado con Michael Jackson, 2 Pac, Eminem, Beck, Blink 182, por mencionar sólo algunos) en los estudios Bernie Grundman Mastering de Hollywood, CA.

Como parte de la celebración y promoción de este nuevo material, INSPECTOR ya prepara una constante gira que se extenderá por todo Estados Unidos, México y Centroamérica. Para comenzar, la banda regiomontana se estará presentando este Miércoles 22 de Junio (fecha que sale a la venta "Ska a la Carta") en el prestigioso House of Blues de Hollywood, California.

Fechas/Tour "Ska a la Carta"

Junio 22 House of Blues en Hollywood, CA

Junio 23 Cesar Chavez Park en Sacramento, CA

Junio 24 Mezcal Lounge en Fresno, CA

Junio 25 Abel’s Bar en Ensenada, BC

Julio 14 El Nuevo Rodeo en Minneapolis, MN

Julio 15 Congress Theatre en Chicago, IL

Julio 16 The Eagles en Club Milwaukee, WI

Julio 17 TBA Madison, WI

Julio 21 TBA Washington DC

Julio 22 TBA Virginia

Julio 23 TBA Boston, MA

Julio 24 La Boom en Queens, NY

Agosto 5 Pulque para 2 en Cholula, Puebla.

Agosto 14 Carrera Verde Monterrey, NL

Sept 2 TBA Leon, Gto

Sept 3 Salon del Alba en Aguascalientes, Ags.

Para más información: www.inspector.com.mx

LAMC 2011

2011-06-19T16:18:00.000-05:00

The Latin Alternative Music Conference is fast approaching and thankfully I'll not only be traveling along with [.DESCARGA.] for a live performance out there, but I've also been lucky enough to be included, along with Anthony Macias, for some of our own music selecting at the event. The showcase, which features Kofre from NY, Cojoba from Puerto Rico, Espantapajaros from Houston (yeah!), Rebel Society from Miami, Don Quixote from DC and Urbenprima from Florida, along with Chicago representation from us, takes place on opening night of the LAMC, Wednesday, July 6th, 2011.

The venue, D'Antigua, is located in Queens at 84-16 Northern Boulevard, a quick hop, skip and train ride out from our midtown Manhattan location. After our performance we'll be back to start our Thursday morning with some of the best information any music aficionado, especially those looking to work in this industry, could possibly receive. Featuring leading artists as well as many of the music industry’s most prominent decision-makers, the highly-anticipated 12th Annual Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) is a “must play” event for developing and established acts alike. The artists for this summer's Central Park SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn showcases range from Mexican indie rock sensation Hello Seahorse! and Dominican electro merengue act Rita Indiana to Afro-Colombian hip hop act Choc Quib Town and Los Angeles’ rock legends Los Lobos. There's still time to sign up. Visit www.LatinAlternative.com for details on the panels taking place, the entire line-up of artists and to sign up.

On Saturday, the 9th, we'll be leaving one of my favorite cities ever, and heading back early so that Anthony Macias and I can participate as DJs that evening at Double Door where Hello Seahorse! will be performing. (Visit RatioNation.com for tickets to that.)

Best. Summer. Ever.

These are some of the artists we'll be spending some time with in New York City:

Video Premiere: Pinto and The Bean

2011-05-20T06:56:00.000-05:00

They are funny, cute, hard-working, talented and best of all have some great harmonization. Bands, learn from this. Don't wait too long to release a video. Just do it. We want to see new images to your songs! It doesn't matter if it's just photos as a slide show to an old song. We'd rather see that over forgetting who you are. Next!

Pinto and The Bean:

Their next Enchufate performance will be Thursday, June 23rd at Abbey Pub along with Matadora, Wonderland Honey and Bad Bad Meow.

Enrique Bunbury's El Gran Rex is "Must Add To Music Collection" Release

2011-05-08T19:28:00.001-05:00

It was hot. Sticky, sweaty and sweet (weird!), New York stinky-style hot. My arms were tired from holding a video camera most of the day, neck achin' from having to always shoot "up" from the directly in front of the stage angle during one year's LAMC. Ugh. And now, early afternoon on a Friday or Saturday I "had to" shoot the legendary Spanish rock icon who only moments prior had been as rude as one can be when dealing with another human being, let alone someone just trying to promote your music. Blech. I was done. If anything I just wanted to be lost among the crowd. It's summer and I'm in New York, in Central Park. For crying out loud. I just want to enjoy myself, not work. (Tiny violin is heard playing in the background).

Meh. My momentary dream scenario vanished as I was herded along by security, together with a dozen or so other media folks, to the gated area surrounding the front of the stage. I stood in my spot, claiming my space, arms ready to try and maneuver around whatever obstacles would come my way, these being my fellow journalists who would also want that perfect shot of Enrique Bunbury. It's a battleground out there, kids.

We see musicians appear on stage, handling their gear, transitioning into jam mode. Trumpets blare his arrival, and He appears, as regal as the finest peacock strutting its luxuriously fine feathers in a competition for attention. He has it. We're all mesmerized. And yes, as a matter of fact he did have a feather boa hanging off his mic stand. Woah.

The little media circle sways back and forth to his every move. We try not to get in each others way but it's almost impossible. You can't focus too close or you'll be shaky and you can't be so far back you get your fellow camera guy's elbows or heads or what have you. It's hard! Your arms hurt even more because you now have to try and squeeze into weird angles between chests and arm pits and everyone's moving fast and Bunbury's loving every single minute of it and oh you're thinking "Oh wow I hope I got that shot right there where he sucked in his cheeks and looked like a god
' everyone around you was worshiping and bam, your three songs are up. That's it. No you can't get just one more second. You get rushed out of there and put back in your pen. Ha. It all happens so fast. It's an incredible feeling. Breathe.

So I'm standing left of the stage, thankfully able to watch the crowd and the artist. It's strange, but it's fulfilling for me to see someone being able to have that reaction from so many humans at the same time. Your art created this admiration! It's amazing! I mean, as a fan, I know that trance someone like you is able to put me into. At this point, I'm not a fan but I see what your work is doing. I see it and I admire it.

Their was a mild breeze that came in, with a cleansing fresh scent of the green trees all around us and it seemed to blow away the shadows from before. Bunbury's theatrics accompanied by the finest of musicians lulled us into a satellite view of ourselves throbbing red with energy. Enrique's wordless moans of verse had us hypnotized. In a flash I was among those in the crowd. I'd become a fan, even if momentary. His musical power was overwhelming. Those musicians knew his every move, his every mood, every single reaction he'd have to anything at any moment. It was breath-taking to watch.

Since that bittersweet encounter I've followed Enrique Bunbury's career. I've learned his fans are loyal and multiple. His productions are solid. He knows what he's doing.

My second personal encounter occurred by appointment near a hotel lobby by the Chicago River one early weekday afternoon. I was nervous and defiant. If he was going to be rude again, I was ready to react in the same manner. If he was cool, then we'd both have a great time.

Article continues at www.enchufate.com

Mister Roberts' SB1070 Neighborhood from Ricardo Gamboa's Border Jump-Off Short Film Series)

2011-05-06T12:26:00.000-05:00

The amount of talent that exists among my friends, combined with the constant encouragement and support is overwhelming. When I meet others through these same friends, most with a similar passion for whatever it is they're into, well, it's an even bigger testament that every little thing we do, when done with that passion, means something. We all affect each other by doing what we do.

Ruth Guerra, the hilarious creator of 'Ruth On The Rocks,' introduced me to Ricardo Gamboa on one of those crazy evening outings that end with us wondering where we were, but man-oh-man who cares because we end up with lots of new writing material. For writers, this is priceless. And so I met this sexy boy who made me laugh and laugh and then poof, I didn't see him again for such a long time that I forgot I had met him. Eeek. Sandra and awkward go hand in hand. Hee! But I digress.

I saw him again when he performed at Biblioteca Popular's Monday night Open Mic recently and once again he made my eyes sparkle with giggles of joy. Have you ever had a connection to someone and that person doesn't know about it? Aha aha! I went home to write away. He's definitely a major source of inspiration. Ricardo, je t'aime!

Ricardo's been busy going back and forth between Chicago and New York, keeping his passion alive by doing what he loves most. I'd like to share with you his new short film which is part of a series he's created called Border Jump-Off. Share your thoughts, repost it and watch it again. Then, repeat. Why? We have a responsibility to each other AS HUMAN BEINGS. It's as simple as that.

Follow Ricardo on Twitter: @rgamboaesquire

Electronic Cumbia from Argentina's ZZK tonight at 858 Lounge

2011-04-22T18:53:00.000-05:00

Once Ali Gua Gua sent an email telling us to please go see Fauna, part of Argentina's ZZK Records roster of artists, we knew there was just no way around it. A recommendation by an artist, living thousands of miles away, encouraging us to go see another artist, visiting from thousands of miles away... you can't just stand back with your arms crossed and wonder. You go. You listen. You stand in awe. You come back to reality, while still in awe, and dance 'til you can't dance anymore. That was our experience with Fauna, once upon a time at Sonotheque.

We're expecting much the same tonight as El G and Chancha via Circuito, also part of ZZK Records, hit the decks at 858 Lounge. I last saw El G at Smart Bar along with Toy Selectah and if it wasn't for the weird-bi-polar boy trying to pick a fight with all the girls (I know!), it would have been the perfect night. Regardless, we ignored the fool when we could and were impressed by the night's cumbia selection. It was raw energy all night. We danced 'til about 4 in the mornin', yo!

If you can, please go. It is so worth it. Plus, we're celebrating Gozamos first anniversary and sharing in the happiness that Ratio's Mundial de Musica has brought so far. From Russian Red to The Pinker Tones, there's more to come and this is just the beginning.

858 Lounge (858 W. Lake), 9PM, 21+. Don't get left behind. Vamo' a bailar...

Sexy Spanish Karma Hunters & their Million Colour Revolution

2011-04-14T12:01:00.000-05:00

When given an assignment, some of us get so caught up with it that it almost becomes an obsession. My dreams for the past few weeks involved weird robots, a million colour revolution, working bees and men in white lab coats following me around with synthesizers and keyboards telling me to vote for "the instant karma party right now!" It's been quite the musical dream adventure. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, let's go..." With that in mind, you'll understand why I'm anxious, excited and almost relieved that it's Thursday and The Pinker Tones are playing tonight at Green Dolphin. Have you seen their videos? Those were my dreams! Eeek!

I'm just happy tonight is almost here. It's going to be a great show! Each time I've seen the Pinker Tones perform they do something new to keep me visually entertained as well. I cannot wait! If I'm not mistaken, they've only been to Chicago once back in 2007 and that show blew us away "Woah, Horsie!!!"-style. It was kway-kway fun. We have photos from that night's event on Enchufate.com Go to the media tab for photos and scroll to their concert tab. You can also find our interview with them, below, which includes footage from that night's show.

Doors open at 9PM tonight and DJs Anthony Macias and Ron Solera will be providing music before, between and after. [.DESCARGA.] will perform as well. There are some tix still available. You can get discounts by using any of the following codes: nando, macias, and vocalo, all lowercase if you buy them online.

I haven't seen some of you in awhile and this is an early show so if you work tomorrow it won't be too long a night. Join us. Let's have some fun. It's going to be an awesome show. Auuu!

Thursday, April 14th

THE PINKER TONES

[.DESCARGA.]

DJs Ron Solera & Anthony Macias

Green Dolphin, 9PM, $10

($5 if you mention Vocalo at door)

More information: www.rationation.com / www.thepinkertones.com / www.nacionalrecords.com

Updates from: Conrazón-landia & Coral

2011-04-12T23:45:00.002-05:00

It's a blessing, usually (hee!), to see other women involved in this crazy industry. There aren't a lot of us doing what we do but those that do it, do it oh so well. Yes, yes. I'm proud of my Musical DIY Sisters. On this occasion I'm mentioning my DIY sister Natalia "Conrazon" Linares, who continues to work with great artists, traveling the country, organizing, promoting and doing a wonderful job of it all. She's got a lot going on so I've included her most recent music news update. Please take a few minutes and check out the links, the videos and most importantly LISTEN to the music. Nati knows what's up!
After her update below, catch up with Argentinian singer-songwriter Coral and her new video for the lovely ballad "Si Te Vas," off her most recent full-length Volver. Leave a comment on her YouTube or Facebook page letting her know what you thought of the video.

"Some news from Conrazón-landia:

-QUANTIC - new mix dedicated to Cali, Colombia; June/July Europe tour, 'Best of' album (July release), 'Hip Hop En Cumbia' Serato/vinyl release in May/June.

-BOMBA ESTEREO - new VIDEO & 'EL ALMA Y EL CUERPO' TOUR (Coachella this Saturday and 30+ dates in USA!)

-BLITZ THE AMBASSADOR - groundbreaking new album 'Native Sun' out May 3rd (pre-sale on iTunes discount!), short film trailer, more info below this email (Europe & USA tour)

-LOS RAKAS - rock SXSW, on tour w/ Collie Buddz's 'Playback Tour' (watch), new biography, 'chancletas y camisetas bordada ep' (august), summer touring news!

-ZUZUKA PODEROSA - releases new music, tours texas (austin, san antonio, corpus), returns to west coast in august (hit me up if interested in bookings!)

-EAST WILLY B: AN ONLINE WEBSERIES - premieres TONIGHT in NYC, check out on facebook, premieres worldwide @ www.eastwillyb.com on April 13th!

= = = = = = =

Update: Week of April 11th, 2011

2011-04-12T00:45:00.001-05:00

Yeah, yeah, it's been awhile since I've rock'n'rolled this blog here, but you know how it is every now and again (you have to say "again" with a British accent, "ah gayn and ah gayn"), you get caught up and before you know a month has gone by. That was so quick I don't even know where it went but I can happily say I've met even more amazingly artistic people in Chicago, including one whose knowledge of radio journalism is being cleverly used by RadioArte (for the greater good of those of us in need of technical knowledge). So, hopefully sooner than later we'll be all set at Enchufate with new media streams for your viewing and listening pleasure. I do love technology. (I don't love Benicio del Toro, anymore, though...which is another story for the other journal. Meh.)

Anyway, between then and now, RatioNation's been hot to trot with their almost year-long festival of music concerts called Mundial de Musica which will feature artists from all over the map. So far the formula has proven successful as Russian Red (interview coming soon!) performed to a packed Instituto Cervantes, while last week's Que Bajo?! Dance Party proved to be another Ratio winner.

This week it gets even better with a live performance by The Pinker Tones who were last in town almost 4 years ago with one of the most fun concerts we've been to at Green Dolphin. We're hoping things will be even more intense this time as the duo performs as a band. Joining the night's line-up of music will be DJs Ron Solera and Anthony Macias, two music enthusiasts who not only know their music but can get any crowd dancing as soon as they hit that play button. I had the pleasure of speaking to both of them earlier today and here's what they had to say:

So, I'll be back daily with a dose of information about more of the artists performing in the festival which takes place at venues like Empty Bottle, Double Door, Green Dolphin, Logan Square Auditorium and more. Stay tuned kids and I'll see you on the radio this Wednesday evening during The MusicVox on 89.5FM WBEW. (7:30PM CST)

Beans, beans, good for your heart... and ears.

2011-02-13T21:53:00.000-06:00

Independent Chicago rock duo, Pinto and the Bean, will be performing this Tuesday, February 15th at one of my favorite venues, Double Door. The duo, described as "spicy voices wrapped in a lo-fi sound" will be sharing the night with Hemmingbirds, Tiny Bones and Jet W. Lee.

Doors open at 7:30PM and the show starts promptly at 8PM, so don't be late, take a date or mate and activate... a good time.

On Wednesday the 16th, Anthony Macias will be playing for Fearless House on www.fearlessradio.com The broadcast begins at 7:30PM (CST).

After a very successful night of great music combined with plenty of love and dancing at Maria's this past weekend (oh and you also missed out on receiving a beautifully crocheted red heart courtesy of birthday gal, Thelma Uranga of elstitchybitch), (((SONORAMA))) will be playing a special set at Cobra Lounge this coming Sunday, February 20th. These guys take their music seriously and have quite a unique arsenal of vintage tunes. If you've yet to hear a set, stop by on Sunday. Things get started at 9PM and there's no cover.

Here's a song I first heard through Charly Garcia of (((SONORAMA))) and I love it. You like?

Also that Sunday at Cobra Lounge, Proyecto Cantina will be holding our monthly writing session. If you missed the first one of the year, no worries, we're continually creating and brainstorming for new ideas, characters, story plots and more. Join us!

This past weekend I also learned that there is a documentary being worked on that includes Argentinian/Mexican cumbieras Kumbia Queers. Check out the mini-preview:

Conrado Trueba of Tru-Dar will be celebrating his birthday all week and we hope to join him on Saturday the 19th at Juniors for a night of all kinds of dance music including a special Depeche Mode set by Anthony Macias. Things get started at 9PM, no cover before midnight for girls (11PM for boys) and if you RSVP early enough you'll get a free drink ticket that night. Sweet!

I'll have more updates throughout the week as well as on the radio on Wednesday night (89.5FM WBEW, which can be streamed online at www.vocalo.org, 7:30PM CST) so stay Enchufado for more.

How was your weekend?

They're bringing sexy back

2011-02-11T07:32:00.000-06:00

Following the success of the first private viewing of the conceptual showcase Erotic Photography, previously presented by art gallery newcomer *soaringbird studios*, a second installment, open to the general public, will be held on Friday, February 11th, from 6:00-10:00PM, at Canale Gallery located at 500 W. 18th Street in the Pilsen arts district.

Friday, February 11th also marks the second Friday of the month, which means Pilsen, just south of the loop, takes over the night. The Pilsen Art Walk, a monthly event, offers an opportunity for anyone to enjoy the vast array of galleries located on Halsted Street. Gallery owners, artists, musicians and creative types of all kinds, open up their galleries to the public allowing a glimpse into their artistic endeavors. Canale Gallery, which will host Friday's Erotic Photography Showcase, is located just a few blocks east of Halsted on 18th Street, directly on the corner of Canal and 18th.

*soaringbirds studios* will continue to create one-of-a-kind art showcases in 2011. The Erotic Photography exhibit includes work by Jacinto Ariza, Daniel Rangel, Jose Calvo and creative concept director Julieta Alvarez. The night will also feature a live darkwave-melodrama performance by band Future Passion and music by DJs Anthony Macias and Angelfuk . In addition, enjoy the variety of sexy treat selections offered by Passion Parties by Yesenia.

All this will be streamed live online by Mas Perros Productions .

Join us:
Friday, February 11th
Canale Gallery
500 W. 18th Street
6:00-10:00PM, Free

soaringbird studios presents
Erotic Photography Showcase
Jacinto Ariza, Daniel Rangel, Jose Calvo, Julieta Alvarez

Music provided by: Future Passion, Anthony Macias, Angelfuk
Eye candy: Passion Parties by Yesenia
Streamed live by: Mas Perros Productions

About Julieta Alvarez:
Julieta is a freelance photographer and founder of soaringbird studios.

About Jacinto Ariza:
Professional photographer, Jacinto Ariza has been in the industry for over ten years. His career shaped with the commitment to communicate with images, what is difficult to describe in words. Ariza’s conceptual approach is channeled through various photographic sorts: Entertainment, Commercial, Fashion, Photojournalism, and Fine Art. His career has taken him to various notable events such as the Latino Billboard Awards and Premio Lo Nuestro, covering personalities such as Thalia, Juanes, Rosalyn Sanchez and Ricky Martin. Ariza’s work has been featured in various magazines, newspapers and websites. He’s collaborated with renowned international news agency EFE, LatinoSoup.com, Extra Newspaper, La Raza and Hoy Newspaper. Most recently he worked with the annual Chicago Latino Film Festival and with Comcast in Vive la Hispanidad: Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.

About Jose Calvo:
Jose Calvo is the official photographer of Enchufate, Chicago's first latin alternative media and entertainment portal. In addition to capturing most of latin music's top artists, his work includes professional photography for local media outlets, creative photography for some of Hollywood's newest up-n-comers and modeling shoots with some of Chicago's most sought after models. Jose also plays music with rock band [.DESCARGA.] and his paintings can be found at local art exhibits.

About Daniel Rangel:
"I started out mainly as a street photographer. The street is my personal joy capturing people in the moment. This includes passerby individuals, protesters, city workers, etc. Since then, I have worked in several fashion shows and trunk shows. I have enjoyed working with teams of people including designers, models, make-up artists, and hair stylists. It’s the people in all these experiences that I have enjoyed and I hope that comes through in my work."

"Music / makes the people / come together"

2011-01-17T10:50:00.000-06:00

That's right. With that in mind and as a fresh start to this new year I'd like to remind all of you musicians out there to keep me posted on your career, your music, your events and anything else related to the wonderful world of entertainment. Fortunately, through Enchufate, we're able to expose new music to new audiences, not only through the website (via videos, photos, event updates, reviews and interviews) but also through broadcasting on 89.5FM. Our segment takes place on the MusicVox every Wednesday at 7:30PM (CST). For those outside Chicago, you can listen online at www.vocalo.org

Although our segment is focused on the world of Latin Alternative entertainment, that doesn't stop us from showcasing and being an outlet for all sorts of great independent music. If you're a Chicago musician interested in performing on "Live from Studio 10," a weekly, one-hour live performance that takes place at WBEZ studios, send us a quick email and we'll give you details on how to submit your music for consideration. This is a great opportunity for all types of musicians.

As a media source, we are continually looking for, if not creating, new outlets for exposure. Knowing what you're up to as an artist only enhances these endeavors. We're currently working on a weekly podcast, video documentary, book and much more... so, please keep us posted on your music and anything you believe others need to know. We'll do our best to assist in promoting your event, exposing your talent, reviewing that new album, documenting your career and supporting your creativity in whatever manner we can. We're 'Enchufate' for a reason. Plug US in to YOUR world: info@enchufate.com

2011 will be a great year for all of us. Rock on and let's continue supporting each other.

Love & Music,
Sandra
Team Enchufate

Articulo: La Santa Cecilia en People en Español

2011-01-17T09:32:00.000-06:00

A pesar de que estaba muriendo, ella seguía cantándole a Dios, así que su martirio hizo que Santa Cecilia se convirtiera en la patrona de los músicos. “De allí que en tantas partes del mundo, especialmente en México, haya tantas bandas que se llaman Santa Cecilia”, comenta Marisol, vocalista de la banda angelina La Santa Cecilia, cuyo nuevo sencillo “La Negra”, se estrenó como la “descarga de la semana” en iTunes latino y su disco Noche y citas ha sido bien aceptado por el público.

Continua leyendo aqui.

Hechizo - now available for purchase (CD + Digital)

2011-01-12T11:12:00.000-06:00

Released: Hechizo, a tribute album dedicated to Spanish rock legends, Héroes del Silencio and international rock icon Enrique Bunbury, former front man for the band who later continued his career as a solo artist. After the success of the digital edition, fans can now purchase the physical version of Hechizo which includes 12 of the greatest songs from Héroes del Silencio and Bunbury, performed by international artists from both sides of the
continent.

Héroes del Silencio and Bunbury as a solo artist set new standards in Spanish rock since 1988 with songs and albums that overcame the barrier of time, earning them a place in music history. Heroes del Silencio is one of the few Latin rock bands to have accomplished such huge success internationally, having sold albums in more than 37 countries and 7 million record sales. After the band separated in 1996 Bunbury continued achieving parallel success in his solo career and has established him self as one of the most respected Spanish musicians in the last decade.

Hechizo is the title of this special tribute that features some of the biggest Rock and Pop acts. This is not an album of duets; rather, a collection of unique versions created by each of the artists who contributed to the project. Among the many talents that participated in Hechizo are: Saul Hernandez (Jaguares), Andrés Calamaro, Raphael, Zoé, Moderatto, Ximena Sariñana, Aterciopelados, Bebe, Jaime Urrutia, Quique González, Macaco and many more.

After receiving an overwhelming response from fans all over the world once the project came out, EMI Music decided to launch www.hechizoinfinito.com. This website was created as a place where fans can interact on a more personal level. The site will work as a platform to expose song adaptations created by fans of hit songs from Heroes del Silencio and Bunbury. These tracks will be online for a period of six months, then the 30 best versions will be selected and included in a follow up digital album to be released later this year.

Track List:

1.      Lady Blue -ADANOWSKI

2.      Maldito Duende - ANDRES CALAMARO

3.      Sácame de aquí - ARIEL ROT

4.      La Chispa adecuada - ATERCIOPELADOS

5.      El Boxeador - BEBE

6.      Hechizo - CATUPECU MACHU

7.      Entre dos tierras - MODERATTO

8.      Alicia - PHIL MANZANERA

9.      Desmejorado - RAPHAEL

10. Que Tengas Suertesita - Saúl Hernández

11. Olvidado - XIMENA SARIÑANA

12. Héroe de Leyenda- Zoé

"Local Bands We Love" - Call for Entries

2011-01-12T11:04:00.000-06:00

The Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) has announced a search for U.S.-based Latin acts for consideration on an exclusive “Local Bands We Love” compilation. The compilation will be sponsored by Jack Daniel’s, long a fixture in the music industry and the LAMC presenting sponsor since 2009. Eligible bands may submit their music for consideration at www.LatinAlternative.com until January 31st.

Following the nationwide call for entries, a panel of industry experts will select approximately 12 participants to be featured on the compilation album. The album will be distributed by Jack Daniel’s throughout 2011 at various promotional events. In addition, “Local Bands We Love” applicants will also be considered for the Artist Discovery Contest to be awarded during the LAMC in New York City in July 2011.

“Jack Daniel’s has played an important role in the lives and songs of musicians for years, and we are excited to provide an outlet for new Latino musicians to achieve success,” said Joseph Carvajal, Latino Marketing Manager for Jack Daniel’s. “The ‘Local Bands We Love’ contest gives rising stars a chance to showcase their talents and receive national recognition.”

For official contest rules, please visit www.LatinAlternative.com. No purchase is necessary to apply to be a party of “Local Bands we Love”. All entrants must be at least 21 years of age.

About the LAMC
For 11 years, the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) has served as one of the biggest events in the world for cutting-edge Latin music. With past conferences averaging 1,250 music industry attendees and 25,000 concert fans each year, this five-day New York City-based conference provides networking opportunities with leading artists, promoters, labels, journalists, marketers, managers, publishers and programmers. Highly relevant and timely panels include many of the music industry's most prominent decision-makers. Multiple free concerts are staged across New York at major venues like Central Park and Prospect Park as well as artist showcases at Bowery Ballroom, El Museo del Barrio, Mercury Lounge, SOB’s and other venues.

About Jack Daniel’s
Officially registered by the U.S. government in 1866, the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery is the maker of world-famous Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel's Country Cocktails. Leave the show to the band.
Please drink responsibly.

Zuzuka Podera performs in Chicago tonight in celebration of Ratio's 6th Anniversary

2010-12-02T14:27:00.000-06:00

From Ceu to Hello Seahorse! to Los De Abajo, if it wasn’t for the efforts of passionate music lovers like Richard Morales and Alberto Moreno owners of RatioNation, Chicago would probably not be privy to the myriad of talent that exists in the world of Latin Alternative entertainment. Through RatioNation, both men have given all of us the opportunity to hear new music while at the same time giving up-n-coming artists an outlet that others wouldn’t take a chance on.

Recently, they be produced a first-ever series of Latin Alternative concerts called Mundial De Musica, which will be extended in 2011 to feature even more artists across the greater Chicagoland area. In celebration of six active years as part of Chicago’s music community Ratio has organized an Anniversary Celebration taking place Thursday, December 2nd at 858 Lounge which features the debut Chicago performance of Brazilian-via-New-York super star Zuzuka Poderosa. This is a first come, first serve event so make sure you’re on the guest list by RSVPing to www.iloveratio.com before it’s too late.

Ratio’s 6th Year Anniversary featuring a performance by Baile Funk sensation:

ZUZUKA La Poderosa

858 Lounge
858 W. Lake
Chicago, IL, 60607
8pm- 2am, 21+, Free!!!Free!!!Free!!!

RSVP here

New Voto Latino PSA featuring Wil-Dog of Ozomatli

2010-12-02T14:20:00.000-06:00

It looks like Congress is going to vote on the DREAM Act soon (even the Wall St Journal supports its passage - see editorial urging bi-partisan support further below). Voto Latino is mobilizing people to call their representative to urge its passage, and has created a new online PSA by Grammy-winning Latin rock/hip-hop crew Ozomatli. We'd be truly grateful if you could take a moment and repost the PSA:

Voto Latino has also created a page where people can learn more about the DREAM Act and directly call their representative via 'click 2 call' technology. Here is that link: http://www.votolatino.org/dreamact/

Wall Street Journal (Editorial)- A Worthy Immigration Bill

Editorial

November 27, 2010

The immigration debate continues to fester in the absence of any White House leadership. But it's in the interests of the country that Republicans in the next Congress find some room for compromise, and pending legislation aimed at undocumented youths is a good place to start.

The Dream Act would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrant children who attend college or join the military. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced that he will schedule a vote on the measure during the lame duck session of Congress. Our sources say Mr. Reid probably lacks the Democratic votes to pass the bill, even if a few Republicans support it. Mr. Reid has behaved cynically on immigration and many Republicans suspect that his real goal is to spin GOP votes against the bill as evidence that Republicans are anti-immigrant.

Republicans are under no obligation to play Mr. Reid's game and give cover to a White House and Democratic Congress that promised to make immigration reform a priority but haven't done so. Still, the Dream Act has enjoyed Republican support in the past from the likes of Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Richard Lugar of Indiana. And come January, the measure deserves to be part of any GOP effort to tackle immigration reform.

Restrictionists dismiss the Dream Act as an amnesty that rewards people who entered the country illegally. But the bill targets individuals brought here by their parents as children. What is to be gained by holding otherwise law-abiding young people, who had no say in coming to this country, responsible for the illegal actions of others? The Dream Act also makes legal status contingent on school achievement and military service, the type of behavior that ought to be encouraged and rewarded.

We'd prefer that border reform start by expanding legal channels of entry for people who come here to work. There would be little need for a Dream Act if more U.S. work visas had been available for the parents of these children. The U.S. focus on border security has, along with the economic downturn, had some effect on reducing illegal entries. But walls, fences and employer crackdowns mainly produce thriving markets in human smuggling and document fraud and make a mockery of the rule of law, especially in some border areas.

Supporting the Dream Act also makes political sense for Republicans, who will have a tough time winning national elections without more Hispanic support. Polls show that Hispanic-American priorities tend to match those of other voters—the economy, jobs, education and so forth. Nevertheless, immigration has symbolic importance among Hispanics as a sign of political recognition and respect.

If Republicans hope to limit President Obama to one term, they'll need to win in Mountain West states—Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico—with fast-growing Hispanic populations. The Dream Act is an opportunity for the GOP to send a welcoming signal to these voters. More important, it would do right by undocumented youths who did nothing to deserve their current vulnerability to deportation.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572404575635202343271966.html?KEYWORDS=harry+reid

Blue Sky Friday - DJ Angelfuk + Karaoke en Español

2010-11-12T10:37:00.001-06:00

The snazzy guys from Karaoke en Español, ie the best buddies Luis "El Coronado" and Hex "El Gran Ivan" just announced they'll be hosting their Karaoke en Español event on Fridays at Blue Sky, which is located at 4807 S. Pulaski. If you've never been to one of these events I can best describe it as a hilariously lewd musical version of Ed Debevic's. Sip.

On this their debut night, I've been asked to play some booty-shakin' tunes so I'll be stopping in to do my thing, a la DJ Angelfuk style so you can whisper in my year... "oh si, mas mas." Sassy!

Friday, November 12

Karaoke + DJ Angelfuk

BLUE SKY

4807 S. Pulaski

10PM-4AM, 21+, No Cover

MSNBC SPECIAL TOWN HALL EVENT: A TWO-HOUR DISCUSSION ON IMMIGRATION AND LATINO-AMERICA

2010-11-12T09:38:00.000-06:00

Co-hosted by Maria Teresa Kumar and Lawrence O’Donnell with panelists Rosario Dawson, Dolores Huerta, Jose Diaz Balart, Celinda Lake, and more

In an effort to bring more relevant English language programming to American Latinos, Voto Latino and MSNBC will be hosting the first English language town hall to discuss immigration, and the politics beyond immigration. We encourage people to watch, participate, and help us shape the conversation.

See you there,
The VL Team

MSNBC SPECIAL TOWN HALL EVENT: A TWO-HOUR DISCUSSION ON IMMIGRATION AND LATINO-AMERICA
DATE: Monday November 15th
TIME: 10PM EST
RSVP to watch: click here
Submit Questions via Twitter: #MSNBCVL
For more info: www.votolatino.org

VIDEO

Weekend Updates and 11/10/10 89.5FM Broadcast Info

2010-11-08T11:55:00.000-06:00

Although I'm really happy that the past few weekends have been so luxuriously lethargic, I'm also ecstatic that a new week of great productivity has begun. There really is too much to do. For those who basked with me in the listlessness, get ready to work. Oh, yes. It's time. Let's get started!

Buya celebrated their One Year Anniversary at Multi-Kulti on Saturday, November 6th. What a great celebration it was. The energy from the bomberos y pleneros, plus the drummers, vocalists, poets, artists and everyone in general was outstanding. It was moving and inspiring. It was so inspiring, in fact, that there's talk of a collaboration between rock, reggae and bomba as a side project. How's that for creativity? Be on the lookout for that soon.

- - -

Another wonderful news item not to be missed: PORTAFOLIO MAGAZINE. The magazine launches November 21st and it's the creative work of Chicago fashion designer Jhonnatan Hernandez.

The "Chicago based semi annual e-magazine/magazine will feature a collection of modern contemporary fashion, art, architecture, design and photography with a consistent fashion forward concept and edge to showcase the diverse, new and promising talent in the creative industry." Its an honor for me to be assisting with the market development of this new media resource. If you're interested in collaborating in any way, please contact: hdez@portafoliomag.com

- - -

On this week's radio broadcast (89.5FM - Wednesdays at 7:30PM CST - Stream it at www.vocalo.org) I'll be sharing music from New York's Sonido Secreto and Chicago's own EchoNine (via Anthony Macias) plus the usual updates about new music, videos and more from the amazing world that is latin alternative entertainment.

Sonido Secreto Biography:

Imagine yourself in a labyrinth of sound, escaping from reality with abstract waves and then waking up to reality with the thunder of their rock sound. This is the sonic experience you get from this rock quartet. This visionary rock group was formed in New York City in the spring of 1998. Sonido Secreto’s founding members are Pozo, Gaia and Oveck. Pozo (Guitars/keyboards) is a painter that shifted his interest to guitar playing. Gaia (Drum/Percussions) started his musical career by playing drums for several local acts. Oveck (Lead Vocals/Guitar) was a childhood friend of Pozo and Gaia, he joined the band after the three of them came across at a rock concert in New York City. After the departure of three different bass players, Sol (Bass/Vocals), who happened to be a close friend and fan of the band was called upon the fill the void. In the early days, Sonido Secreto was categorized as a blend of Grunge and Psychedelic rock with subliminal sound effects and samples. As the band went through several members loss, their sound evolved into a more progressive approach by turning into blues and art rock. / I've had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing this band several times. (And be told 'Thank you for not asking the same questions everyone else does." Hee hee!) You can read more about Sonido Secreto and listen to more tracks plus watch their videos on their website: www.sonidosecreto.com

Echonine Biography:

The duo is currently composed of Frank Delamora and Anthony Macias and they will be performing live on Thursday, November 18th at Debonair Social Club. You must listen to their music and tell me what you think it should be described as. Find them here. In the meantime, here's a free sample of a DJ set by Mr. Macias. Abracadabra. Nice, eh!

- - -

The lovely folks from El Stitch y Bitch are holding several events in the month of November. Please check our their blog for more information. In the meantime I am proud to announce that I am only a few more stitches away from finishing my first ball of yarn. Woo! This is exciting because it means I'm halfway done with my first actual creation and now I can officially call consider myself a StitchyBitch. Geeky, I know. Again, woo!

- - -

Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 9th I will finally be able to make it to a Kites concert. Yes! I'm sure this time Leo won't send me menacing text messages in which I fear for my life, and liver, among other things. If you're in the area, stop by and come enjoy some lovely music with me. If you're not in the area, well, make yourself more available, please. Follow them on their website for more information.

- - -

FREE - MUSIC - GRATIS

Anthony Macias - "Abracadabra"

(Comments: After a lovely walk to the tunes of Raga Barwa sent to me by the BFF, Abracadabra woke me UP, smacked me in the @ss and said - Get it together and let's go!)

Quique Cruz featuring HecOne, MC Natra, Phillip - "Hasta Poder Vencer"

(Comments: Watching Hector perform with Buya this weekend reminded me of what a talented artist he is. This isn't a new track but it's something I hadn't shared before. Enjoy!)

A Tribute to Os Mutantes

(Comments: Just listen!)

See you on the radio this Wednesday at 7:30PM (CST).

Send your news, music and more to: info@enchufate.com

10/27/10 Broadcast

2010-10-27T15:01:00.001-05:00

"On the radio, woah oh oh oh..." I love that Donna Summer song so much I sing it every time I'm about to embark on another segment at 89.5FM on Wednesdays. It makes me feel... good. I was seven when it came out so I'm not sure when I first heard it but I do remember later, perhaps when I was eight or nine, I'd play the 8-Track of Bad Girls. How my mother never figured out that I had it or that I'd play it really loud, with the front door open at our house, lip-syncing while dancing to the song (just in case, you know, Donna Summer drove by, I wanted her to know I could be in her group) I'll never know. Crazy, crazy.

Anyway, speaking of radio and music and all things that make me feel good, tonight [.DESCARGA.] performs on 89.5FM for "Live from Studio 10." This is a big deal for us as it's the first radio performance for this new line-up and well, it's Vocalo, and the people involved at this radio station are so talented, professional and above all AWESOME! Thanks again, Jesse and Adam and the staff!

During my segment, which is a half hour before the band goes on live, I'll be sharing new music from Kumbia Queers and Perrozompopo, plus mentioning new music related to Cuarto Poder, Os Mutantes, upcoming events featuring (((SONORAMA))), Tony Macias (drummer for the [.DESCARGA.]) and much more. Speaking of new music, here's the link to some new tunes from Cuatro Poder: "In Tha House"

By the way, check out our 2007 interview with Cuarto Poder at LAMC (NYC):

So, tune in, log in, and have a good time listening to all sorts of new music. You'll have a great time, promise!

See you on the radio!

It's been awhile...

2010-10-06T16:59:00.000-05:00

...and things are as busy as usual. Last time 'round these parts La Santa Cecilia was going to be in town. They rocked the Green Dolphin and to their relief completely won over the Ely Guerra crowd at a club we won't mention. The Luna Blues Machine opened the night for La Santa Cecilia and they were fantastic! I'm so glad they were able to perform that gig. Hopefully it means a lot of new opportunities for them. Fingers crossed!

Ely Guerra was also able to present most of the new songs on her new album 'Hombre Invisible' but we've now learned that she deserves an actual music venue that can accommodate her range, her sound, her sexiness. Yes. She's one sultry lady. Meow.

Some of us also made it to Smart Bar where the boys of (((SONORAMA))) showcased some of their new finds as they closed out the night for Toy Selectah and Zizek. Toy Selectah is a machine! He's so fun to watch. Overall, it was a really crazy, fun, scary, exhausting, delicious night. All in one. I like those kinds of nights, without the scary part so much.

Unfortunately this week the Fidel Nadal concert was postponed until further notice. I was really looking forward to that show. Oh well.

La Barranca, however, will still go on as scheduled this Saturday, October 9th at El Rey Ballroom (35th & Western) alongside local rock band [.DESCARGA.] and BA & Los Extraños Unidos. Tickets are still available so make sure to visit Red Star Shows for more information.

Tonight, tune in to 89.5FM for a new installment of the Seven in Seven, sponsored by Enchufate. I'll be playing music from ZUR, Batista and Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich & Fussible. Si si. Good times, good times. If you're outside Chicago, you can listen online at www.vocalo.org at 7:30PM (Central Standard Time).

I'll see you on the radio.

La Santa Cecilia - Tonight - Green Dolphin

2010-09-24T11:23:00.000-05:00

La Santa Cecilia performs tonight at Green Dolphin (2200 N. Ashland) as part of the World Music Fest. Doors open at 8PM, concert begins at 9PM. This is a free show before 8PM, otherwise $10 pre-sale, $12 at the door.

See you there!

09/22/10 Broadcast Preview (89.5FM)

2010-09-21T17:35:00.001-05:00

It's really tough to just pick two songs for my weekly broadcast during Jesse's MusicVox on 89.5FM, but I 'gots to do what I gots to do.' Or no? That would be a yes.

This Wednesday I'll be featuring news from the wonderful, whimsical, wordly world of latin alternative entertainment. During the segment I'll also be featuring two new songs to Vocalo. The first song up is from Spain's The Pinker Tones and it's called "Sampleame." The Pinker Tones formed in June of 2001 when Professor Manso and Mister Fury met three times on three consecutive days on Carrer Pamplona in Poblenou, Barcelona. They hadn't seen each other since University, and quickly work out that they live less than 500 metres apart. On the fourth day, Mister Fury receives a call, asking him to compose the music for a TV series "Once Upon a Time in Europe". Furia calls Manso, and the digital production skills of the Profesor and the analogic sympathies of the Senor are united for the first time. You can get more information, including updates from their very successful presentation at this year's Sonar by visiting their website here. Nice!

The second song to end my segment will be the just released single from Chicago rock band [.DESCARGA.] called "Chemtrails." The song was composed by vocalist Hector Ivan Garcia after learning about the streaks of white that seem to line our skies more than ever. Crazy stuff. Do your research, kids! For more info on [.DESCARGA.]'s upcoming performances, including their set with La Barranca on October 9th (El Rey Ballroom - 35th & Western) and full album release, visit them here.

I'll also be mentioning this weekend's coming events (La Santa Cecilia, Garrobos, Buya, Ely Guerra, Jaguares, etc), this past weekend's events (phew!) and how you can win tickets to some of the featured upcoming concerts. So, please tune in to 89.5FM (Chicago) tomorrow at 7:30PM (Central Standard time) or listen online via www.vocalo.org

As is usual on Wednesday nights, tune in to 88.7FM at 10PM for the nation's longest running lat/alt radio program Rock Sin Anestesia. Asi si.

9/15/10 Broadcast Recap (89.5FM)

2010-09-16T13:54:00.003-05:00

Wednesday's Enchufate segment during 89.5FM's the MusicVox with Jesse Mendendez included the song "Existential Proclamation" from Patrick Alan Cahel of [.DESCARGA.] and the newest single from La Barranca - "La Lengua Del Alma" - off their fresh album release "Piedad Ciudad." They are currently on tour for promotion of this new material and will be performing in Chicago on October 9th at El Rey Ballroom. More details as the date approaches.

We also did a quick review of the busy but beautiful picnic weather weekend.
It was the 2nd Friday of the month, which meant open galleries down Halsted Street in Pilsen. Before hitting the open art spaces, though, we were enjoying the Opening Night festivities for the Day of the Dead Exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Special note was taken to mention the lovely ladies of El Stitch y Bitch, creators of a one-of-a-kind altar where even the papel picado was knit. Yes! It's quite a site! Applause, applause to everyone involved in the project. It is stupendous!

As is usually the case after a 2nd Friday in Pilsen we ended up at the corner of Cermak and Halsted to dance a little dance in the outdoor area of Gallery 54B, then ended our long night at the sardine-packed Skylark. No matter what day or what time you're there, you will always run into someone you know (esa Chicle!).

Also discussed was Girl in a Coma who played last Sunday at Reggie's while we were over at El Rey for Rockotitlan's Anniversary. We weren't aware that the Rockotitlan event would take place in the lower level of the venue, but it was a great time overall (sound excluded).

We also mentioned this Sunday's Listening Party at Cobra Lounge for three new releases from Nacional Records including Polock, Matorralman (which we featured on last week's broadcast) and the new album from Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich & Fussible's 'Bulevar 2000.' Unfortunately the first song I've heard off this album is "I Count The Ways" and I haven't been able to stop listening to it long enough to get to the rest of the album. I am seriously obsessed, even more so than my usual crush obsession and those are pscyho-obsessions. Yes, freaks, I'm that hardcore when I'm in like.

Take a listen:

This weekend is equally as busy so please check out our calendar of events.

I'll be DJing this Friday for RatioNation + Eskucha's event at Lounge 858 (858 W. Lake) together with DJ Nando and Resistol 5000. Come out for the music and the free ticket give-aways. Groovy stuff, kids. Promise!

Love & Music!

UNITED WE WIN | Register to Vote PSA

2010-09-14T16:05:00.000-05:00

Voto Latino has just launched its United We Win campaign to mobilize Latino voters for the 2010 midterm elections, and to reinforce the message that Latino issues are American issues, and American issues are Latino issues. The campaign features high profile celebrity PSA's and online voter registration for all 50 states.

Seven in Seven will take you to heaven.

2010-08-11T12:40:00.000-05:00

No, not Seven Eleven, although I do like to stop in once in awhile to torture my body with a cool and luscious Icee/Slurpee. Yum. But I digress. The 'Seven in Seven' I refer to is the new segment I'll be hosting on 89.5FM, thanks to the always generous Jesse Menendez of Vocalo.

The newest broadcast airs this Wednesday (tonight) at 7:20PM (Central) and you can stream it online at www.vocalo.org and/or if you're in Chicago simply turn your dial to 89.5FM.

Sandra's Seven in Seven will feature my passion for, as always, latin alternative music and more. This week I'll be speaking about new music by bands such as Cuevo, Matorralman and Puya. I'll also mention upcoming concerts and performances by Los Pecados de Maria, [.DESCARGA.], El Haragan and Panteon Rococo. Seven lovely artists that are sure to take you to heaven, my way. You'll love it, I swear.

That's all for today. I'll be back soon to update you on Proyecto Latina's next event which takes place Monday, August 16th at Cafe Catedral. Check it out.

Of birthdays, tango and misfits. Oh my!

2010-07-02T11:45:00.005-05:00

The newest Enchufate radio recording for Vocalo (81.9FM), tentatively called Sandra's Seven in Seven, took place Thursday evening.

The segment mentions some updates from artists like Bomba Estereo and Las Kumbia Queers and will feature new music from Marcelo Baez ('El Dia Mas Triste De Mi Vida'), Puya ('No Hay Mal'), RA Amaro ('Con Mi Luna') and Daniel Cros ('Siempre Nos Quedara Paris'), among others. Stay tuned for the broadcast date and time.

Speaking of 'Con Mi Luna,' it's also the title of the upcoming full-length release from Zamandoque Tarahum, one of Chicago's pioneer rock en español bands. More commonly known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for Zamandoque Tarahum, RA Amaro will be doing a solo performance for the Mestizarte fund raiser on Saturday, July 24th at Casa De La Cultura Carlos Cortez (Mestizarte Gallery - 1440 W. 18th Street). This event will help raise funds for the Pilsen institution, which has been working with local artists since 1989 and functions as a community gallery and artist workshop. Along with RA Amaro, the musical entertainment for the night includes acoustic performances by [.DESCARGA.], Soul Pollution, Maribel Cruz, Diana Mosquera and Luis Guillermo.

Art on display will include works by such artists as Salvador Jimenez Flores, Isaura Gonzales and Julieta Alvarez with more to be announced soon. This is an all ages event and gets started at 7PM. (I'll be hosting so come say hi!)

Summer weekends in Chicago are sometimes too good to be true, but they are. Yaha! With so many free concerts in the park, at neighborhood festivals and all over the city it's a wonder anyone is ever home. Tonight, Friday, it's no exception with a couple of free concerts I suggest you check out. First is some sexy Argentinian electro-tango by Narcotango at Grant Park's Spirit of Music Garden (7:30-9:30PM) with free dance lessons to start the night's show (6-7PM). More info here.

Afterward, all you devilish fiends need to find your way over to the free ghoulish concert by Misfits Tribute band Devilocks, which is formed by members of lat/alt rock bands Sobre, [.DESCARGA.] and La Parka. This is a fun show to watch as Misfits fans get New-Jersey-Housewives-crazy up in there when they listen to anything Misfits related. I admit I do too because the band rocks their music.

My favorite cover, of course, would be 'Angel Fuck'. Oh and 'Where Eagles Dare'. And 'Last Caress'. 'American Psycho' is "hells yes!" And who doesn't like 'Mommy...Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?' I can't wait. The show takes place at Main (7320 W. Irving Park Road) around 9PM and it's free. (Note: I was told by Devilocks to mention: "Be there or we'll come and getcha! Bwahahaha!") Gulp.

On Sunday, El Señor Decker and El Frozty (if you don't know who they are, where have you been?) will be celebrating their birthdays at Cobra Lounge with a full-on night of live band performances by Los Pecados de Maria, Stank Star, Marujah (all the way from Tennessee, yeehaw!) and a special performance by members of Handsome Devilz and Saber. Plus a Cobra Sunday is not complete without the musical stylings of DJ Resistol 5000. Free? Yes. Drink specials? Yes. Fun? "Hells yes!"

Saturday, take your pick and tell me what show I should head out to. If it rocks, I'll be there. (strevino@enchufate.com)

See you on the radio!

Making Mondays Marvelous

2010-06-21T10:37:00.007-05:00

Proyecto Latina was one of those things I had heard mentioned by several of my literary and poetic friends throughout the years. When I heard it later through El Stitch & Bitch, I realized there were layers there I needed to uncover. My research began. What I discovered put a magical smile on my face and I felt a huge sense of pride. This is what more people should be doing in general.

Although the first meeting I went to was focused on a visual presentation by El Stitch y Bitch organizer Thelma Uranga (aka photographer extraordinaire), the entire concept of the gathering was intriguing.

Here gathered a group of women (and men) interested in the art of writing and coming together as one to share, expose and create. Marvelous, darling... simply marvelous. I was excited about the possibilities and looking forward to their next gathering, the third Monday of the following month.

Proyecto Latina has become my poetic haven. Every third Monday of the month I look forward to basking in the words and wisdom of women sharing their stories through the art of poetry, comedy and any medium they deem necessary to express themselves. It is empowering. It is inspiring. It is necessary.

"Proyecto Latina provides a platform to showcase work by Latina writers, poets, performers and artists. It is where Latinas in the arts and media intersect. We tell you about the work and impact these women have on our communities."

For June's session, (Monday, June 21st, 2010) Proyecto Latina is featuring Alicia Tellez Vega from La Dulce Palabra Spoken Word ensemble and it takes place at Cafe Catedral (2500 S. Christiana) at 7PM. This is free and anyone is welcome to participate during the beginning open reading portion. I encourage anyone interested in literature, poetry and writing in general to come on out. It's open to everyone. All ages welcome. (Bring your knitting! And your journals!)

Your next two Fridays, by yours truly

2010-06-18T11:58:00.012-05:00

One day, many years ago while I was out at Loyola visiting the folks from Rock Sin Anestesia, I met a guy referred to as "Jesuchico." Those pop-boy-band good looks combined with a sharp but sweet sarcastic tone have marked Jesus Echeverria's witty repertoire ever since and continue to have me giggling in evil delight. What amazed me most, though, was his eclectic knowledge of everything latin rock and beyond. He knew about artists before they knew about themselves. No, seriously!

I've learned quite a bit from this man just like I've learned from other music connoisseurs in this area such as Tomas Cookman, Gabriel Feijoo, Paco Barba, Charly Garcia, Calvillo, etc. (Thank you, my dogma!) Through all of them I've discovered music rarities so sacred I can't even tell you about them. No, seriously!

All jokes aside, the man is a genius and you should take the time to go see him play tonight as it's quite the phenomenon when he showcases that knowledge live. He's DJing tonight at Darkroom (2210 W. Chicago) during Eskucha's "Lavate Las Orejas" night which will be showcasing the expanse of latin alternative music and more with DJs Resistol Cincomil, Nando and Victor Lua. (9PM, no cover before 11pm and only $5 after.)

It's free (before 11pm) and they'll be giving away free tickets to the upcoming Heineken Inspire Night taking place at the Ravenswood Event Center on Friday, June 25th with a live band performance from Babasonicos and Heineken Mezclasonics DJs Mexican Institute of Sound, Nacotheque
and D'Marquesina.

Although Babasonicos and Nacotheque aren't new to Chicago, you should definitely head out to this free show because M.I.S. (who will also be performing at this year's Lollapalooza) and D'Marquesina's Hector and Glori are rarities in the Midwest. They'll leave an impression, no doubt.

Plus, it's a Heineken show and those are always a good time. And who doesn't enjoy free beer and food with some great music? Win-win, people...win-win!

So, this Friday head out to DarkRoom, listen to some outstanding music, get your dance on and get your tickets to next Friday's show where you'll be doing the same. Two Fridays planned out so well for you. You're welcome!

Here's another treat: download (((SONORAMA)))'s Tropipower Podcast.

See you around town.

-ST

Credits:
Nacotheque & M.I.S. photos courtesy of Jose Calvo of Enchufate
D'Marquesina photo courtesy of D'Marquesina.

Takin' it back ol' school style this Sunday + Grupo Fantasma + Music Delights

2010-06-09T15:25:00.006-05:00

Let's get is started with some free tunes:

Remember Todos Tus Muertos? Sure you do! (And if you don't, Enchufate!) Well, FIDEL will be performing in Chicago on Sunday, July 11th at an all ages show at El Rey Ballroom (Western @ 35th). El Chopito Records Event.

I'm not sure if this is in celebration of all his upcoming performances, including the much talked about Central Park show during LAMC but Nacional Records has graciously offered up a free tune just for you: FREE Fidel Nadal "Emocionado" MP3 Download. Just click on the link and it's yours. Neat-o!

Speaking of free, if you log onto the Enchufate Facebook you'll have received an invite to this Friday's Grupo Fantasma event at House of Blues (Sound Culture Event).

With it is a chance for one of you lucky music lovers to win a pair of free tickets to the show. We're on a roll with the freebies today. You dig? We do!

More freebies? Sure, why not!

Now we're takin' it back ol' school rock en español style. Oh si. Alejandro Marcovich, legendary guitarist, will be performing a free show this Sunday at Cobra Lounge in celebration of Señor Decker's 'Spanglish Rock Sundays' two year anniversary. Marcovich will be playing a Caifanes set, joined by rising mid-west latin rock band Making Movies. Between sets listen to my musical selections, as DJ Angelfuk. ¿No que no? Pues si. Plus, Movimiento TV will be on hand to give out free tickets to the upcoming RatioNation BOMBA ESTEREO concert at Green Dolphin. And, Enchufate will be on hand giving away free iTunes cards loaded with tons of great latin alternative music. We're on a roll, people... on a roll!

In the meantime, make sure to check out more delightful events on Enchufate.com and our corresponding Facebook and MySpace pages.

Antibalas + DiskoRuido + A Shaved Head = Weirdos (Joking!)

2010-06-04T16:42:00.003-05:00

Oh how I love my city. Even though we've had a strange week when it comes to weather, overall it's been quite spiffy. Last night, in all of its bittersweet moments, was a perfect combination of sunny and cool.

In case you weren't aware, last night also included the Afro-beat-Funk-Experimental band, Antibalas, playing a free show in Pritzker Pavilion at Grant Park. Aha. What a show, what a show! And free? Yes. Outdoors? Yes. With the best sound system ever? Yes!

Things got started around 7 with African music project The Very Best. Their last album, Warm Heart of Africa (2009), includes guest appearances from M.I.A. and Vampire Weekend. How quirky is that? Quirky enough for me to go take a listen, eh! After their set and a short break later, Antibalas took over the stage and the dancing began. What was really lovely to see among the crowd was the peaceful way in which everyone gathered in front of the stage. It seemed like the night was all about love, peace and music harmony. (This includes my darling friends Charly and Stephanie who were in celebration mode as an Antibalas performance years prior was one of their first dates ever. Sweetness oozed all around.)

Unfortunately, during the band's set I was informed that a friend of ours, a passionate music lover, had passed away. Rainer Tobon left our world last night. It almost seemed the love, peace and music harmony around us was meant especially for him. I'll keep you all posted on any fundraising events that will take place to help alleviate the costs associated with this tragedy.

After the energizing set from Antibalas, we headed over to Bernice's in Bridgeport. Have you been there? Woah! It is one crack-addicting hole-in-the-wall dive bar with oh-so-cheesy-but-awesome music and I love it! You have to ring a bell and get buzzed in. And if you look shady, like our resident photog JoseFO, you may just not be able to get in. Hee! The place is tiny, in comparison to my fave Skylark, but what it lacks in size it provides in kitsch and amazing reception from the bartender and Ms. Bernice herself who pops out now and again from the back of the bar. Delight! Bernice's is located at 3238 S. Halsted and if you Yelp it you'll find nothing but raves for this tiny gem. I also brought up Bernice's because the surf-instro band WrayGun is playing tonight. If you get a chance, do yourself a huge favor and go check them out.

It's Friday and tonight we're heading over to Junior's (after a quick stop at Bernice's, hello!) for Eskucha's DiskoRuido event, Automaton.

The line-up is solid and it's guaranteed you won't be sitting or standing for long. Yes, boys and girls, you'll be dancing the night way. DJ Nando, the man behind it all, assures us "It's going to be like an electronic music surge that will make any robot dance. We're all Automatons after all." Great quote, Nando! Junior's is located in Pilsen at 2058 W. Cermak. No cover before 11PM and only $5 after. Among the featured DJs is Miss Cedeño and Tony Macias. Yeah!

Saturday, we'll be heading over to Caoba for our gal pal Vero's fundraiser for the Sandoval Family. She will be shaving her head! Wha!? Yes, you read it correctly. Vero explains it: "Ignacio "Nacho" Sandoval was a good friend of mine growing up in the same neighborhood in the Back of the Yards. His sister Lety is like my little sister. His mom, a stay at home mom, taking care of her family which consists of 3 children now (one with cerebral palsy) and her husband (a self employed mechanic). Prior to 2007 Nacho was diagnosed with cancer. He had grown his hair out finally, when he started chemotherapy, as all patients of chemo, it started falling out, so he shaved it off! I had promised him all throughout that one day I would shave my head. I feel like it's only fair to know what a person feels if you walk in their shoes. So, in honor of all those affected with cancer, Nacho, this one's for you. Donations will be accepted at the door and a raffle ticket will be given for a special prize. All who want to participate come on out and shave your heads with me if you’d like. I'm a little nervous about it, but it's for a great cause." Things get going at 9PM and Caoba is located at 1619 N. Damen in Wicker Park. Please support this amazing effort.

That's it for now, kiddies. As you know Sunday is Cobra time so we'll catch you out there. 9PM, no cover, great music all night.

Kinzie Corridor Art WalkBlock - Thursday

2010-05-24T12:00:00.003-05:00

In August 2010, Kinzie Corridor Arts will mobilize hundreds of urbanities and art goers to celebrate the creativity of emerging artists with live visuals, world music and urban art. last year, artists inspired a community. This year, artists will mobilize a community.

This week, on May 27th, urban artists can become part of the largest growing community ART movement in Chicago. Fulton Street Collective is hosting an artist registration event for the 2nd Kinzie Corridor Arts Blockwalk.

Come celebrate the start of this ART movement with a showcase of industrial urban art, music and inspiration. Register for the Kinzie Corridor Art Blockwalk and start a movement.

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010 / 8pm-midnight

Location:Fulton Street Collective | 2000 West Fulton St | Chicago, IL 60612

Visuals by: Girsocopio / Colorswim
Art by: Dennis Johnson / Scott Holterhaus / Moeski&co
Music by: DJ Tanner / Scottfree / DJ Seano

Beer sponsor:PBR
BYOB

Invite your artist community to support, inspire, and mobilize!

http://www.kinziecorridorarts.com

lith prints + edgy sculptures + industrial signage + world soul beats = a community ART movement

[.DESCARGA.] on Chicago independent radio

2010-05-04T10:22:00.007-05:00

Chicago rock band [.DESCARGA.] will be performing this Sunday, May 9th together with Kansas City band Making Movies at Cobra Lounge (235 N. Ashland). The show gets started at 9PM and it's absolutely free. Yes! On this special occasion, in celebration of Mother's Day, Señor Decker, the bands, and Enchufate.com have come together to present the first lovely ladies in attendance a special gift. So, make sure you're there early to receive your regalito.

In an effort to promote this night, [.DESCARGA.] has embarked on a mini-promotional radio tour visiting local independent stations to discuss Sunday's event as well as their current musical endeavors. Even if you're not in Chicago you can listen to the live broadcasts online. Don't you love the internet? Yes, so do we. Check the schedule below and make sure to listen in, call in and show up this Sunday to Cobra Lounge.

[.DESCARGA.] will also be performing at Manifest 2010 Event for Columbia College on Friday, May 14th at 430PM in the Hokin Center. It's free!

[.DESCARGA.] on Facebook
[.DESCARGA.] on MySpace

Cultura Profetica performs Thursday, May 6th at Green Dolphin

2010-05-04T10:14:00.003-05:00

RATIOnation.com presents:

The return of...

CULTURA PROFETICA
Direct from Puerto Rico

(Malafacha Ska opens the show)

Thursday, May 6 2010
8pm doors | 930pm show
$20 in advance | $30 at the door
Green Dolphin (2200 N. Ashland)

In collaboration with Arteyvidachicago.com and Macondochicago.com

Tickets on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets

About Cultura Profetica:

"Connect yourself to the rhythm of the land and try to truly feel it. Understand that together we are a force, that all is possible if we just try". With this motto, this group of Puerto Rican artists delivers in its music a clear stance on how they wish their music to be understood. As conscious university students of the political and economic problems that affect Puerto Rico and the world in general, they have decided to raise their flight in favor of liberty, equality, and of the protection of nature and all that it provides us. Their ingenious musical creations are of contemporary character and of universal value, without forgetting the importance of a fresh, spontaneous composition and heavy in poetic scope. They have torn down the ideological barriers that transcend the values of this generation. Cultura Profetica can be classified as a banner of fight and reaffirmation of the union that underestimates the stereotypes on the color of the skin, social ladder or political affiliations.

Cultura Profetica does not accept seals or strict musical classifications. Its musical base is found in the roots of reggae with sounds of salsa, bomba, ska, jazz, funk, brazilian and an indisputable fusion of the Afro-Caribbean vibe.

In search of the perfection and as indisputable test of a genuine talent, Cultura Profetica manages to reach the "mecca" of the roots of the classical reggae. They have been given the right to open the doors to work and study inside the facilities of the "Museum of Bob Marley" in Kingston Jamaica. There is no doubt that this privilege was a vote of confidence by Mr. Errol Brown, who besides working as a sound engineer on all of the works of Cultura Profetica, he also made magic for 15 years while working with Bob Marley himself on productions including: "Legend", "Confrontation", "Uprising" and "Survival".

Their discography spans over 10 years from their first official release in 1998 of Cancion De Alerta to their last album The Best of Cultura Profetica in 2008. They are continuously working on new and unqie music that maintain the convictions that have made Cultura Profetica the best at what they do.

Echoes of a Revolution

2010-05-04T10:01:00.003-05:00

Celebración de Nuestra América Series...

...in conjunction with The Center for Latino Research, Latin American and Latino Studies, The Women’s Center and the National Museum of Mexican Art invite you to join us for . . .

Echoes of a Revolution
A Conversation between Elena Poniatowska & Sandra Cisneros

Wednesday, May 12th
6:00pm – 8:00pm
(early arrival recommended)

Books Available for Sale | Author book-signing will follow

Student Center | Room 120 | DePaul University
2250 N. Sheffield Avenue (corner of Sheffield and Belden avenues)

THIS EVENT IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Natalia LaFourcade en Chicago 22 de abril

2010-04-22T12:59:00.003-05:00

BUNBURY comienza gira por Estados Unidos

2010-04-22T12:06:00.002-05:00

Este 24 de abril, Bunbury comienza su gira más larga por Estados Unidos. Enmarcado en Las Consecuencias Tour 2010-2011 es un periplo sin precedentes para un artista rock español, en el que Bunbury ofrecerá 26 conciertos durante los meses de abril, mayo y junio, recorrerá el país de costa a costa y actuará en ciudades como Nueva York, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Washington, Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco o Phoenix, viajando por 15 estados. La venta anticipada de entradas para esta gira ya supera el 60% de los aforos y durante la misma se filmará una película documental dirigida por la productora 700 gramos.

En esta gira, Bunbury presentará su último álbum Las Consecuencias, que ha sido nº1 en la lista iTunes Latino en Estados Unidos. Este éxito se suma al nº1 directo logrado en España y México. En España, el álbum permanece siete semanas en los puestos más altos tras ser nº1 en ventas físicas con Disco de Oro, en ventas digitales (iTunes) y en vídeos con Frente a frente, su primer single, el más visto según certifica Nilssen Music Control y con más de 1,5 millones de visitas en YouTube. En México, alcanzó el nº1 y Disco de Oro el mismo día de su lanzamiento.

Bunbury será el primer artista latino en trabajar con Abbey Road Live, un nuevo servicio para la grabación instantánea de música que permite comprar grabaciones en directo de alta calidad de conciertos a los que el aficionado acaba de asistir.

Grabado, mezclado y masterizado en el mismo lugar del concierto por un equipo de expertos, las grabaciones estarán disponibles en una variedad de formatos, incluídos CD, DVD y USB, o vía digital a ordenadores y teléfonos móviles. Abbey Road Live grabará algunos conciertos de la gira de Bunbury por Estados Unidos.

LAS CONSECUENCIAS - GIRA U.S.A. 2010

24 abril El Paso, Texas (El Coliseo de El Paso)
27 abril Houston, Texas (House of Blues)
28 abril Houston, Texas (House of Blues)
30 abril Detroit, Michigan (Andrews Hall)
01 mayo Chicago, Illinois (V Live)
02 mayo Chicago, Illinois (V Live)
04 mayo Nueva York, NY (Irving Plaza)
05 mayo Nueva York, NY (Irving Plaza)
08 mayo Boston, Massachussets (House of Blues)
12 mayo Washington DC, Virginia (Warner Theatre)
14 mayo Charlotte, North Carolina (The Fillmore)
15 mayo Atlanta, Georgia (Tabernacle)
16 mayo Miami, Florida (The Fillmore)
19 mayo New Orleans, Lousiana (House of Blues)
21 mayo Denver, Colorado (Gothic Theatre)
22 mayo Salt Lake City, Utah (The Depot)
24 mayo Las Vegas, Nevada (House of Blues)
26 mayo Anaheim, California (House of Blues)
27 mayo West Hollywood, California (House of Blues)
29 mayo West Hollywood, California (House of Blues)
30 mayo Anaheim, California (House of Blues)
02 junio San Francisco, California (The Fillmore)
03 junio Ventura, California (Ventura Theatre)
04 junio San Diego, California (4th and B)
06 junio Phoenix, Arizona (Celebrity Theatre)
08 junio Tucson, Arizona (Rialto Theatre)

Fernando Delgadillo - 22 de mayo en Chicago

2010-04-22T11:23:00.004-05:00

Fernando Delgadillo nació el 11 de Noviembre de 1965, en la Ciudad de México, aunque desde pequeño vivió en el área conocida como Satélite, en el Estado de México.

Inició con la música en la adolescencia, en su casa siempre hubo reuniones con música, donde su papá o los tíos se pasaban la guitarra y cantaban las de José Alfredo, las de Cri-Crí para “los niños” y los boleros para “las señoras”.

En la adolescencia tomó su lugar en un grupo folcklore andino formado entre amigos y vecinos que se llamó "Huancayo", en el que no tocaba precisamente la guitarra (tocaba el bombo) pero ahí se integro al "ambiente bohemio" en la peña "El Sapo Cancionero",

Después de un tiempo de tocar las típicas canciones de folcklore y protesta pro-socialismo, empezó con sus propias canciones, y así poco a poco comenzó a dar conocer sus canciones entre un público que no estaba muy acostumbrado a escuchar "tanta letra" en una canción.... entre ellas se encontraban: "puede que pueda", "cuento" y "a la pirámide del sol".

Fernando Delgadillo personaje salido del Sapo Cancionero que con su 1.90m de estatura, cabello largo, botas, barba y arete daba conciertos guitarra en mano en el Ágora del Parque Naucalli, y se empezaba a dar a conocer en el área de Cd. Satélite (barrio al norte de la Cd. de México)....a veces acompañado de SEIMUS (Sociedad de Escritores y Músicos Urbanos Subterráneos compuesta por Delgadillo, Gonzalo Ceja, Rodrigo Solís y Juanito González) y a veces
completamente solo.

A base de colgar mantas en las principales calles de la zona, y la publicidad de boca en boca, Fernando presenta en 1992 su primera grabación en CD "Con cierto aire a ti”, realizando un concierto por vez primera en el Foro Felipe Villanueva también en Parque Naucalli, frente a mas de mil personas. Vinieron luego los discos "Crónicas de Bruno del Breñal"(1994) , un CD mitad narrado, mitad cantado donde nos cuenta una historia divertida y sin tiempo. Más tarde saldría "Desviaciones de la canción informal"(1994) donde Fernando exploró con un sonido mas armado con baterías y algunos otros instrumentos... para volver a sus orígenes en el siguiente disco "De vuelos y de sol" (1995) en el que participa Geraldine Célérier cantando a dúo un par de canciones de Fernando.

En 1997 lo invitan al "Festival Internacional de la Televisión de Beijing", siendo el único hispanoparlante del evento, graba "Primer estrella de la tarde" combinando sus composiciones con las de Gonzalo Ceja y es invitado también al "Festival Internacional de la Juventud" en la Habana...Llega 1998 y Fernando graba "Entre pairos y derivas", un disco que marcaría un gran paso en su carrera, pues es el primero que presenta en el Teatro Metropolitan, en la Ciudad de México, con un lleno total (3,250 personas) siendo el primer cantautor en México que, sin apoyo de una gran disquera, se presenta y llena este foro. También en este mismo año se edita en España una recopilación de su trabajo que lleva por título "Hoy ten miedo de mí". En 1999 grabó un concierto ante dos mil personas que daría como resultado los CD's en vivo Febrero 13 Volumen 1 y 2. El primer volumen saldría a finales de año y el segundo tardaría hasta el año 2000 para ver la luz... en ese mismo año se sube totalmente gratis por un año, a la red mas material de ese concierto, con un diseño que lo marcaba como Volumen 3. En enero del 2001 grabó "Campo de Sueños". Posteriormente se reeditaron y remasterizaron los “cassettes caseros” en formato de CD con los nombres respectivos de “Matutina” y “ Variaciones de la Canción Informal” ,en el 2004 también se realizó un material en vivo titulado “ Parque Naucalli” en formato de CD y DVD, como resultado de más de 10 años de conciertos durante los meses de Febrero y Octubre.

Después de cinco años en Noviembre de 2009 inicia la gira “Desde la isla del olvido” título de su más reciente producción discográfica en la cual explora temas de amor y de mar a lo largo 11 canciones inéditas.

“La gira Desde la isla del olvido”, se programó para 70 fechas originalmente, sin embargo se ha ampliado a 90, dado el enorme interés despertado en el público.

En el mes de Febrero inició la etapa Continente Americano, con un concierto en el “Teatro de la Ciudad” en San José de Costa Rica, en Abril las presentaciones en Chile y Argentina, y para el mes de Mayo tocará en la Ciudad de Chicago en The Olympic Theatre.

A lo largo de este año se presentará en una gran cantidad de Ciudades tanto en la República Mexicana como en América Latina Estados Unidos y Europa.

Actualmente Fernando Delgadillo es considerado uno de los más importantes cantautores mexicanos. Independiente por elección y convicción.

[Para entrevistas: Andres 773-858-5867]

Debut album from NORTEC COLLECTIVE'S CLOROFILA + free album stream!

2010-04-22T10:14:00.003-05:00

Nortec Collective Presents CLOROFILA!

Solo debut album
Corridos Urbanos

(Click on image for more information)

The solo debut from NORTEC COLLECTIVE member, CLOROFILA, is out NOW! "Corridos Urbanos" is the first album from CLOROFILA aka Jorge Verdin who is known for his musical and digital design contributions to Nortec.

Buy it at iTunes

Buy it at Amazon

The album is also available at Best Buy and Borders in California!

Stream the entire album for free at KCRW!

www.nacionalrecords.com

Cultura Profetica Concert Announced for May 6th

2010-04-14T14:22:00.002-05:00

RATIOnation.com presents:

The return of...

CULTURA PROFETICA
Direct from Puerto Rico

Thursday, May 6 2010
8pm doors | 930pm show
$20 in advance | $30 at the door
Green Dolphin (2200 N. Ashland)

In collaboration with Arteyvidachicago.com and Macondochicago.com

Tickets on sale now @ www.brownpapertickets.com

"Connect yourself to the rhythm of the land and try to truly feel it. Understand that together we are a force, that all is possible if we just try". With this motto, this group of Puerto Rican artists delivers in its music a clear stance on how they wish their music to be understood. As conscious university students of the political and economic problems that affect Puerto Rico and the world in general, they have decided to raise their flight in favor of liberty, equality, and of the protection of nature and all that it provides us. Their ingenious musical creations are of contemporary character and of universal value, without forgetting the importance of a fresh, spontaneous composition and heavy in poetic scope. They have torn down the ideological barriers that transcend the values of this generation. Cultura Profetica can be classified as a banner of fight and reaffirmation of the union that underestimates the stereotypes on the color of the skin, social ladder or political affiliations.

Cultura Profetica does not accept seals or strict musical classifications. Its musical base is found in the roots of reggae with sounds of salsa, bomba, ska, jazz, funk, brazilian and an indisputable fusion of the Afro-Caribbean vibe.

In search of the perfection and as indisputable test of a genuine talent, Cultura Profetica manages to reach the "mecca" of the roots of the classical reggae. They have been given the right to open the doors to work and study inside the facilities of the "Museum of Bob Marley" in Kingston Jamaica. There is no doubt that this privilege was a vote of confidence by Mr. Errol Brown, who besides working as a sound engineer on all of the works of Cultura Profetica, he also made magic for 15 years while working with Bob Marley himself on productions including: "Legend", "Confrontation", "Uprising" and "Survival".

Their discography spans over 10 years from their first official release in 1998 of Cancion De Alerta to their last album The Best of Cultura Profetica in 2008. They are continuously working on new and unqie music that maintain the convictions that have made Cultura Profetica the best at what they do.

Los Pecados De Maria: Mini-Midwest Tour Announcement

2010-04-08T16:34:00.005-05:00

After their successful five city tour of the Southwest United States, Chicago based rock band Los Pecados De Maria (The Sins Of Mary) continue spreading their eclectic brand of music to four cities in three Midwestern states including Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. With rave reviews in Dallas, Austin, and Houston Texas, LPDM is excited about taking their new show to Midwest audiences.

Los Pecados de Maria, or LPDM as affectionately known to their legions of fans, was started in 2004 by lead singer and acoustic guitarist Marialen Magana. In the five years since the band was formed, they have become one of the most sought-after Latin Hard Rock acts in the Midwest. The band includes Chicago natives Marialen Magaña A.K.A. "La Pecadora" on lead vocals, Javier Cazares on lead guitar, Gus Santana on bass guitar and Alex Reynoso on drums.

"The band's performances are that of seasoned rockers; precise, energetic and visually exciting" wrote Mario Salazar of ChicagoRocks.com, "their music includes all the colors of their varied influences while still maintaining their Latin roots and heritage in songs that make 'musical sense' and appeal to many different types of people."

LPDM was recently awarded the best Indie Latin Alternative Music award by a collective of the top live music venues in the Chicago Area.

Of their current album, Enchufate.com wrote:"Por Si Una Vez, is an album that everyone would like especially fans of Latin Rock Music. The musicians are very professional and the lead vocalist possesses an energy that transcends all music barriers."

Friday April, 9 2010 8:00 PM
LAS MARGARITAS NIGHT CLUB
2060 N.W. 94TH ST (Clive, Iowa 50325)

Friday April, 16 2010 8:00 PM
A SALIR
3000 S. 13th St. (Milwaukee, WI 53219)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53219

Friday April 17, 2010
JARDIN GUADALAJARA
5503 West Cermak Road (Cicero, IL 60804)

Cultura Profetica Concert Postponed

2010-04-06T09:04:00.002-05:00

From RatioNation:

Due to the delay of the release of Cultura Profetica's new album " LA DULZURA," Cultura Profetica's performance scheduled for next Friday has been postponed. The entire U.S. tour will begin in early May. We will announce the new date in the next few days. All tickets purchased for the April 16 show will be honored for the rescheduled date. If you wish to obtain a refund, please contact BROWNPAPERTICKETS.com.

As for the Meet and Greet - we will extend the dates for participation. Cultura Profetica is extremely sorry and has promised to make it up to us with an extra-ordinary performance.

Rick

RATIO
www.rationation.com

E>N>E:Chicago Rocks features MERRYWEATHER & PANAL (04/02/10) + Wrap Party Fundraiser (RatioNation)

2010-04-02T11:33:00.005-05:00

It's not that I'm lazy or anything, it's just that I just wrote it all out over here, so go read it and enjoy the musical stylings of both bands. Yes, PANAL from Denver, Colorado and Merryweather from Chicago are performing this Sunday at Cobra Lounge during the live taping of E>N>E:Chicago Rocks. 7PM, 21+, No cover.

Also, if you haven't yet heard Ratio Nation is teaming up with Latino Cultural Center and the Chicago Latino Film Festival to do an Official Wrap Party featuring Colombian's very own Palenke Soul Tribe. (Click on flyer for more information)

Sunday at Cobra Lounge (03/28/10) + Giveaways

2010-03-26T11:00:00.003-05:00

We'll continue recording E>N>E:Chicago Rocks every Sunday in March and April at one of our favorite venues in Chicago, Cobra Lounge (235 N. Ashland). Chris Decker, Blake, Danny and the rest of the Sunday staff have always been gracious enough in sharing the space for bands to perform from 6-9PM during our "live on tape" recordings and we definitely appreciate that.

If you'd like to participate on the show as a featured band, or want to help behind the scenes with lighting, camera work, segment producing, interviewing, etc just stop by any Sunday so you can take a look at everything that goes on. This is a multi-camera shoot and our staff is currently composed of eight amazing folks. They'll be more than happy to let you know how things run on any given Sunday (yes I had to go there).

This week we have performances from ARMA and a couple of surprises. We'll also start incorporating comedic acts so if you're interested in sharing some of your comedy (anything PG rated and below, please, due to our prime-time slot on Channel 25), send us an email to info@enchufate.com for more information. We have a few slots open in April so spread the word and come join the fun.

This Sunday we'll be giving away tickets to and ZOE and MOLOTOV! What do you have to do? Show up to the recording! That's it.

After the taping, we usually stick around for the musical enchantment that is Resistol 5000. Good times, people... good times!

ps - DEVILOCKS and STANK STAR open the MOLOTOV SHOW at Congress Theater.

Making Movies - March 21st - Cobra Lounge

2010-03-19T13:59:00.001-05:00

Making Movies. Wow. Each time I see them I fall more and more in love. I can't help it. They are that good. Seriously. They play this Sunday at Cobra Lounge together with locals Los Vicios de Papa and Azul de Noche.

See you there.

It's Just Too Bad

2010-03-19T10:07:00.001-05:00

Despite a full bar on a Wednesday night, people drinking like there was no tomorrow, everyone enjoying the sounds I was providing and an overall great time being had by all, despite all that the manager at Rock Box decided his two regulars that walked in would feel better if the music was changed.

So my set gets turned off, the hilarious 'ponchis ponchis' music begins and I get asked to leave. Yes. DJ Angelfuk was asked to leave or the police would be called. I know. Ridiculous.

So that was my last appearance at Rock Box and it's too bad because I do like the venue and it's possibilities. However, with management like that, it's a wonder it's still open.

Thank you to the promoters of the night, though, as they defended me as best they could. In no way does my opinion of the venue reflect my opinion of them. They, Vampiro & Heber, still rock.

See you at the next venue!

Rock Box Wednesdays

2010-03-17T12:12:00.002-05:00

The guys in charge of handling Wednesday nights at Rock Box (2624 N. Lincoln) have been doing a great job since starting it up a few months ago. Both Antonio (aka Vampiro) and Heber (aka Filet-o-Fish - seriously he resembles the bearded guy from the MickeyD's fish sandwich commercial - "Gimme that filet-o-fish, gimme that fish...oooo") have kept a steady flow of people and bands rocking hump day. The night is dedicated to local rock-en-español bands in Chicago with a few not-so-en-español artists weaved in to mix things up a bit. It makes me happy they chose DJ Pardo to play as well because he's one of the few DJs in the city who doesn't play mainstream crapola (and thank goodness he doesn't do laser imitations either, phew!)

I'm pretty much used to going now every Wednesday, regardless of what band is playing. The vibe is relaxed, the drinks specials are nice (except for the pretend 'glass' glasses which are really plastic and that's just ewww), there's different areas where you can chill, there's lovely s&m vids on the majority of the TV screens, there's free pool and popcorn and, it's just a good time every time I'm there. (Shouts out to Xanga and Brenda for making it even more fun!)

Well, tonight is no exception. My favorite band in the world, whom I will always credit for being the ones to open the door to music for me, [.DESCARGA.], are performing tonight for the first time this year. They've got a couple of surprises including some new tunes. I can't wait to hear them! To give the night an extra dose of sexy we've asked Edwin Days and his new band Future Passion to join us in the night's festivities. If you haven't seen Edwin, oh my. Hot, hot, hot. If for some weird reason you don't enjoy his music at least you'll have eye candy to enjoy during the night. Sweet! (Click on either name to visit their MySpace pages and listen to their music).

It's also St. Patrick's day so as suggested by the organizers, early arrival is recommended.

I have the pleasure of choosing the tunes for the night as DJ Angelfuk so I'll try to keep the good times going 'til the wee hours of the morning. Rock Box closes at 4AM. I know!

See y'all tonight, kiddos.

Dark Room - Saturday, March 13th - Be Counted, Represent Night

2010-03-12T15:08:00.002-06:00

I'm happy, excited and nervous to be a part of tomorrow's 'Be Counted, Represent' Night at Dark Room. I'll be DJ beginning at 830PM until local rockers Mr. Gray perform. The night features great music and free give-aways courtesy of Voto Latino and Nacional Records. I hope to see you there. I've been researching my list of music for awhile. Be ready to dance a little dance with me.

Eskucha.com, Voto Latino, Enchufate.com present:

2010 SXSW & Vive Latino artist direct from Mexico City...

VicenteGayo
http://www.myspace.com/vicentegayo
&
Marcelo C. Baez (Nacotheque, NYC)
http://www.myspace.com/impostor

with

Mr. Gray
http://www.myspace.com/mrgrayband

& Latin Alternative Scenester DJS:

DJ Nando
http://www.myspace.com/justnando

Resistol 5000
http://www.myspace.com/resistol5000

DJ Angelfuk
http://www.myspace.com/djangelfuk

Visuals by: Giroscopio
Photography by: Jose Calvo

As part of this special night, all attendees will be granted free admission before 10:30pm and will receive a gratis iTunes card (featuring $25 worth of free music from artists like Jaguares, Nortec Collective, Morrissey, Mos Def, Ozomatli and many others!). Be sure to go to http://www.BeCountedRepresent.com and take the census pledge to get even more free music and downloads from some of our favorite Latin Alternative and electronic artists!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Darkroom
2210 W. Chicago
Chicago, IL
21+
Doors 8:30pm ~ 3am

FREE before 10:30pm | $10 After
FREE $25 iTunes Gift Cards

Set times:
08:30 DJ Angelfuk
10:00 Mr. Gray
10:45 Resistol 5000
11:30 Vicente Gayo
12:30 - 3:00 Marcelo C. Baez & DJ Nando

Promotional Partners: VotoLatino.org, Eskucha.com, WRTE.org, Enchufate.com, Cafemagazine.com, REmezcla.com, HispanicPro.com, CityVida.com

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About VicenteGayo:

VicenteGayo is a band originating from Satelité, Estado de México, which was formed in mid 2007. VicenteGayo’s sound is defined by the basic elements of rock (lead guitar, bass, and percussion) in conjunction with “circuit bending” (electronic games and synths from the 80’s) created by themselves. This fusion of instruments creates an original sound that is very much their own.

Their first material was recorded in December of 2007 at Asrael Studios (also used by Austin TV), mixed and produced by Erick Espartacus, mastered by Harris Newman (Arcade Fire, Crystal Castles, etc) in Montreal Canada.

The first two singles, “Fin De Transmission” and “G-A-Y-O” have received airplay on major radio stations such as Reactor, EXA, Radio-Ibero, and Interferencia, among others. The video for “Fin De Transmission” has been on regular rotation on MTV Latinoamerica, Telehit, Efecto TV, and Canal Once.

In 2009, VicenteGayo has performed in Mexico’s major cities (Monterrey, Guadalajara, Cd. Juarez, etc) in addition to a Los Angeles performance. Now, in 2010, VicenteGayo has been invited to play at SXSW and more recently has been confirmed to perform at Latin America’s most important “Rock en Español” music festival, Vive Latino.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marcelo C. Baez (Nacotheque, NYC)
http://www.myspace.com/impostor

About Marcelo C. Baez:

Marcelo C. Baez (formerly known as Marcelo Cunning) and Amylulita Meneses are the creators of “Nacotheque”, the party dubbed “NYC’s Hottest Indie Rock Party en Español” by URB Magazine.

Nacotheque is a dance party in NYC that highlights new and old, popular and obscure music from all over Latin America and Spain of rock n' roll, new wave, indie rock, baile-funk, nouveau-eighties, electropop, disco, cumbia, punk, and some hip-hop.

The “Nacotheque” phenomenon that begin in 2006 has allowed this dj team the opportunity to perform with an endless list of Latin Alternative Music artist both known and undiscovered.

You know you are doing something right when you are invited to take your show on the road. Since 2007 the Nacotheque DJ team has performed outside of NYC in places such as Puerto Rico (Inde Rocks Music Festival), Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and international performances in Mexico (Mexico DF, Monterrey, Guadalajra, Tijuana, Puebla), and Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia).

Marcelo is currently producing his own music, having done remixes for bands such as Kinky and Circo, and has a new music project to be announced in 2010.

Sometimes great things happen on a rainy day

2010-03-11T17:27:00.002-06:00

I wasn't looking forward to the interview I had this afternoon. Previously, the same artist had acted a bit, shall we say, less than cordial when we had the chance to interview him in NYC during one of the past Latin Alternative Music Conferences. His arrogance precedes him and I'm not one to put up with such nonsense. We're all human, after all, and there is absolutely no need to feel superior to your brother or sister on this planet. Seriously.

Regardless, I made a commitment to get the job done and decided that whatever attitude he gave me I would simply be a blank slate. I was there to get a job done and I would do it to the best of my ability in the most professional manner possible. I would be nice. That much I promised at least one of his most passionate fanatics (Mayra aka Sra. Bunbury). So there I was, a bit nervous as I tend to get before any type of interview. I paced back and forth going over my notes and forgot about his arrogance and simply focused on my end of the deal.

I was told to get ready and while putting the gear together I saw him across the room (he was in another interview) and thought, "Wow, I'd forgotten how tall you were." I re-focused, continued with the task at hand and finally heard my name called.

"Sandra, este es Enrique."

"Enrique, esta es Sandra de Enchufate TV."

He had a glass of wine in one hand and with the other shook mine and kissed me on the cheek. I went ahead and turned my head and kissed him on the other cheek as well. Might as well start the interview out in nice mode, right? Right.

We looked for a spot to sit, he chose one, I sat near him and while the camera operator adjusted the light he asked me about the TV show. I told him we created it as an outlet for local bands to be seen and heard and gave him the time and channel it aired on. He asked if we had "bandas de rock en español" and I said we did, that we focused on latin alternative bands, independent bands and were now including all types of independent bands from Chicago. He said that was a great thing we were doing.

I started the interview and things flowed from there. He opened up. He mentioned his cat a couple of times. He seemed a new individual. My final question was for my own confirmation and understanding and his answer made me smile.

You can watch the interview once we post it on Enchufate.

Thank you, Enrique Bunbury. You were quite lovely today.

-SAT

Gustavo Cerati anuncia dos fechas para gira por EU

2010-03-09T12:33:00.000-06:00

Gustavo Cerati, líder y ex-vocalista de Soda Stereo, una de las bandas mas influyentes y reconocidas en la historia del rock Latinoamericano, continúa con su gira internacional, confirmando dos presentaciones en los Estados Unidos, el 28 de Abril en el Nokia Theatre de los Angeles y el 7 de Mayo en el Waterfront Theatre del American Airlines Arena de Miami, presentados por AEG / Goldenvoice.

A las par del lanzamiento de su 5º disco de estudio como solista, Gustavo Cerati continúa su gira Fuerza Natural, que dió inicio hacia finales del año pasado y que ha recorrido varios países del Continente Americano.

Desde el inicio oficial de su carrera como solista en 1999, Gustavo Cerati se ha mantenido ocupado entre giras y conciertos por todo el mundo, colaboraciones y trabajos como productor. A lo largo de toda su carrera solista visitó en gira en reiteradas ocasiones Estados Unidos, la última visita fue en el marco del Tour ¨Me verás volver¨ de Soda Stereo, después de 10 años de separación. Cada uno de sus discos como solista Cerati ha sido elogiado por la prensa y el público en general, recibiendo diversos reconocimientos en Argentina su país natal, premiando su trayectoria artística y eligiéndolo como "Artista de la Década", junto al popular y legendario Charly Garcia.

Su nuevo disco, "Fuerza Natural" es mucho más que un disco. Es un viaje emocionante. Una sucesión de historias rodeadas por la magia del folk, la vibración del pop, el poderío del rock, la manipulación electrónica, el color de la psicodelia y la calidez de los sonidos acústicos. En este disco Gustavo Cerati resume su trayectoria y propone nuevos recorridos, planteando en su trayecto diversos matices, climas y estados de ánimo.

Con "Fuerza Natural" la gira, todo este viaje de sucesos e interpretaciones plasmadas en su nuevo disco, se ve reflejado en concierto en lo que ha sido una de las puestas en escena y gira mas ambiciosas de Cerati.

Boletos para el concierto en Los Angeles ya están a la venta en todas las localidades de Ticketmaster, tiendas de La Curacao y Ritmo Latino. Boletos para el concierto de Miami, estarán a la venta a partir del 12 de Marzo en todas las localidades de ticket master.

Para compra de boletos por teléfono para ambos conciertos marcar 800.745.3000.

Amylu's candy for your ears

2010-03-09T12:29:00.001-06:00

Amylulita's Chula Pop Crush Mix - download it for free!

I conrazón the new Si*Se song “This Love”

2010-03-05T10:10:00.003-06:00

The first time I heard this band it was through a compilation CD from Putumayo, which at this point I don't remember where I got from. The song evoked memories of my childhood summers spent at the beach, especially those moments when I'd go off on my own, searching for ocean treasures or simply day dreaming about what I'd be when I grew up. The song was Mariposa and it made me feel like a mariposa, a butterfly in bloom.

The band's back with a new song and here's the link for you to listen and enjoy. Go to their website, fan them on MySpace and Facebook and please go out to their show if they're ever in your town.

Si*Se - "This Love"

Shout out, thanks and much love to Miss Nati out in Cali for sharing this.

Rock Box Wednesday (02/10/10)

2010-02-10T13:20:00.002-06:00

Although we're not hosting a Viewing Party tonight at the Rock Box (we were off this past Sunday due to the Super Bowl Festivities), we will be out in support of the night's live performances. The party gets started at 9PM and it's absolutely free. You can't let a little snow get in your way of a good time, can you?

Performing are Maladicto, Stomoxys Calcitrans and a band I'm new to and am looking forward to watching Dysfunctional Mariachi.

The venue has a great sound system, free pool table, free popcorn (yum!), cheap drinks ($3 Blue Moon!) and there's usually plenty of free parking out front. If you're on public transportation, take the Red/Brown line to Fullerton and then walk a few short blocks. Not bad at all!

So, see you tonight for a rockin' good time with live band performances.

Music News (Week of February 8th, 2010)

2010-02-08T12:11:00.007-06:00

We start the week off with some great news: the music publishing side of Nacional Records has reached an exclusive world-wide administration deal with Rondor Music. Congratulations, Nacional and everyone involved. Read more here.

Last night over at Cobra Lounge, the latino metal tunes of Stomoxys Calcitrans left a nice impression on the small but vociferous crowd. It was also nice to see promo for an upcoming movie premiere and the free ticket give-aways for that as well. Good job, guys!

This week features live performances from Maladicto, Stomoxys Calcitrans and Dysfunctional Mariachi at the Rock Box. It's free so even though it's a Wednesday night there really are no excuses. Seriously. These are all great bands to listen to and watch perform. For example, last week's set by Memoria definitely quedo en mi memoria. Front-man Javier's operatic performance allows one to delve into the intricacies of Memoria's musical drama and since he's accompanied with musicians of such high caliber, well, if you weren't there, let me tell you you missed out on some great indie talent. Oh yes. After Memoria's hot performance there was a band I'd never had the chance to listen to. They're Kaleb Stone. They play covers of all sorts of music and they do it really, really well. Check them out next time you have the opportunity. They made the night even more fun that it already was, for sure. It was also awesome to see so many new faces at this new weekly event. Shouts out to the organizers, Complot Roquero & Zamantara Productions for doing such a great job. [By the way, the previous week's performance by Sobre was outstanding! Those boys are tighter than Joan River's face. Auch! Seriously tight set. They rocked.]

Make sure to arrive early on Wednesday to check out TV show E>N>E:Chicago Rocks which airs at 8PM on Channel 25. Rock Box has been courteous enough to let us host the Viewing Party, for free, so stop by, have a drink, shoot some free pool and munch on some free popcorn. Good times, guaranteed.

2010

2010-02-05T12:04:00.002-06:00

This is going to be a great year. Yes. It is. Believe it. Feel it. Do something about it.

We're in a funny little place in the music world right now and I'm anxious and excited about the possibilities. Ultimately, my goal as someone working in the industry is to continue to expose the music that makes me swoon and giggle in delight. I hope I've been of some help so far.

Entries are currently late, as you can tell, but I'll be catching up in the next few weeks.

Until then, I'll see you at the next show.

(I'll be DJing March 13th at Darkroom with Nacotheque, Vicente Gayo and DJs Nando and Resistol Cincomil.)

Hope Springs Eternal

2009-11-16T15:13:00.003-06:00

The business of music is hardly business anymore. I feel lucky because I've been working in this industry so consistently, at least on my own projects, for as long as I have.

But times are changing. My job as assistant director of latin music for the record label I'm at is about to be gone.

I've learned a lot. For that I'm thankful.

"I don't know where I am, I don't know where I've been, but I know where I want to go." That line, from the song below, describes perfectly what I'm looking forward to. Changes.

Cheers to new beginnings.

PS - Everything else that I do related to music - Enchufate, the TV show, promotions, interviews, editing, writing - is on track. No worries there.

Stephanie's Birthday

2009-11-09T14:10:00.002-06:00

I'm taking the liberty of posting a special post for my dear friend Stephanie Manriquez, writer and music lover extraordinaire.

Stephanie, I hope you enjoyed your surprise birthday party this past weekend. Below is a photo story of my day, dedicated to you. Con amor, Sandra.

= = = = =

And so it began...

Ray and I headed out around noon on this beautiful day (and it really was beautiful - sun, blues skies, delightful weather) to pick up the ingredients for our favorite dishes we were making for your party. The invite said to bring our favorite dish, drink and game. Ray wasn't sure what he was going to make (well, he was sure when we started and then kept changing his mind, ya tu sabe) and I decided to make ratatouille after finding a tasty recipe in 'How To Cook Everything' by Mark Bittman, one of my favorite chefs.

There are a variety of recipes for Ratatouille, a Nicoise dish, and the ingredients often change from cook to cook. Most contain eggplant, garlic, onions, zucchini and bell peppers. Usually the recipe is seasoned with Herbes de Provence, but it can be as simple as parsley and basil. From Wikipedia I learned that: The word ratatouille comes from Occitan Ratatolha, is usually served as a side dish but may also be served as a meal on its own accompanied by rice or bread.

After cooking most of the afternoon, with some help from Ray, we headed out to the Vaca-Hernandez house via the #8 Halsted bus. Ray said he stuffed his face before we headed out so he was feeling a bit sleepy.

We were the first party people to arrive so we set up and watched while Brenda made some delicious pasta salad. Yum. We also started drinking. White wine anyone? Mexican vodka? Yum.

More friends showed up and we dug into the hummus and veggies that Ray made. Delicious. We also kept getting up to hide every time we heard the door. Funny! Some folks started playing card games at the kitchen table, others were reminiscing about other birthday parties and we were all wondering, will Stephanie arrive soon?

Finally, you arrived and it took you less than 30 seconds to cry once we started singing 'Las Mañanitas.' We hope it was from joy! Hee!

Once you said hello, through tears, to everyone and realized you were going to have an amazing time with all of your friends and familia, you relaxed. Charly presented you with your favorite beer, we all had some food and the music, courtesy of the hosts, began. It was love.

We played Pin The Tail on the Donkey, had you open your presents and sang to you once again when the came cake out. Of course Ray had to mash your face in but he also got some frosting on his face which didn't come out 'til after our lunch the next day. Hehehe!

Happy Birthday, Stephanie. It's been a pleasure and inspiration getting to know you these past few years. I hope our friendship grows even stronger in the years to come. You are loved!

ps - this is how much fun we had and how much it affected us the next day:

Blue Jungle

2009-10-07T19:46:00.002-05:00

Blue Jungle will be here Sunday. My friend Yayo is in this band. They're on tour from Los Angeles. Listen to them. Love them, hate them, just show up.

Cobra Lounge (235 N. Ashland), 9PM, No Cover. Also performing: aivaTAB & Sugar Pusher.

(09/03/09) Event Attended Updates

2009-09-03T13:41:00.017-05:00

By the time I woke up on Sunday morning, which was a reasonable hour despite the prior evening's amazingly fun time at Sonotheque, I knew I wouldn't make it to the rest of the weekend's final events including watching Making Movies & Minimal at Reggie's, Tropicaza at Wicker Well, Benjamin Anaya & Los Extraños Unidos at Cobra Lounge and Viva Fest at Grant Park. I was able to meet with the street teamers and hand them over the promo material for Viva Fest (and they moved hundreds of samples, yes!) and I made plans to attend the rest of the events but unfortunately, with the help of my lovely friend Bea and her assortment of relaxers, I finally slept soundly for the first time in years. Yes, years. Unfortunately I woke up too late to go anywhere as I had planned. Mil disculpas.

One of my favorite DJs ever is still in town and he played yesterday at Studio One. It was a fun time with a nice diverse crowd who appreciated the music and the spot we were in. I had a great time.

Photos are from all the weekend events. Glad it's finally over but would re-live the entire experience again and again. Thanks to everyone at FMEL for doing things right!

Entrevista FMEL 2009

2009-08-21T16:26:00.000-05:00

(08/21/09) The House on 18th Street

2009-08-21T15:25:00.015-05:00

Yollocalli Arts Reach and After School Matters presented a visual interpretation of Sandra Cisneros' HOUSE ON MANGO STREET. These are works in the perspective of young artists.

My darling friend Ray (aka El Toro Rocky) and cute as a button gal pal Thelma were the teachers for this project. I didn't know what to expect but what I saw was wonderful. Such creativity and talent all around.

I'm happy to be surrounded by such inspirational folks.

(08/21/09) Oh, Chana!

2009-08-21T12:42:00.004-05:00

It's always a chore to get to an event and get things set up but once everything's in place things have a tendency, most of the time, to run smoothly. Last night was a perfect example as I struggled with loads of gear I had to physically carry with me to get to the launch of Ratio's live events at Rumba but it was all worthwhile. The promotional products I carried were given away, the b-roll of the concert was taken, the interview with the artist flowed smoothly and the photos, thanks to Jose (and some to me) were all taken care of. Sweetness.

Chana, the featured artist, was a delight to watch perform and even sweeter to interview. She's definitely grounded and her appreciation of the night and the people that were there in support of her show was refreshing to witness. Her band, a mixed crew of invited musicians and producers, was also easy to get along with and talk to. Grammy nominated producer Martin, a member of lat/alt rock band Volumen Cero, was shocked when I mentioned we had interviewed him years earlier when they visited Chicago with La Ley at Congress Theater. What a nice guy! I didn't mention, though, that they had acted like 'rock stars' back then. I'll leave that tiny morsel for his next visit to Chicago with Volumen Cero which takes place sometime in November. I can't wait to bust him on that. Hee hee!

(Charly aka Giroscopio interviewing Chana. Me on camera wondering "I wonder what will happen if I push this button? Oops!")

I'm looking forward to more of Ratio's upcoming events. He's got a great concept going and I just hope people in Chicago realize the vast amount of talent he's bringing to our city. Take advantage, folks! These are the stars of the future!

See you in Aurora tomorrow for Sounds of Siren.

-ST
(Photo by Jose Calvo)

(08/20/09) Update

2009-08-20T13:58:00.002-05:00

It only took a couple of days off to realize how much has to be dealt with in the line of work I do. Unfortunately, the overwhelming amount of things that need to be done lead to an overnight visit to the hospital.

All is well now but with an added dose of meditation, yoga and relaxation techniques on hand.

See you around town.

-ST

(08/12/09) New Local Talent

2009-08-12T16:45:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was spent promoting a product for a campaign I've been assigned in Chicago. It went really well. The response was completely positive and I can't wait for the next events where we'll be able to do the same. So, if you know where I'll be come say hello and I'll give you a sample.

My friend Sal is known for his superb guitar playing skills. He's been in various bands in Chicago including latin alternative project Jaula and the electro-pop project of Subatomico. His brother Pat is killer on the drums as well. Quite the talented family! My other friend Luga rocks the bass and was a monster during his days in the always entertaining metal band Monospit. All three of them joined forces to create the band Caoba who made their debut recently at Fiesta del Sol. They've been doing a great job quickly acquiring new gigs at some of Chicago's major venues (Bottom Lounge, Rumba, Reggie's). Check them out next time you're up for some latin flavored pop en español.

And I have more to write but it's crunch time! Have to run get our show in to the station so it can air tonight at 8PM on Channel 25.

And....i'm out!

-ST

(08/06/09) FDS + Velorio + Chicago

2009-08-06T13:30:00.003-05:00

It's still unbelievable to me how anyone that works in the music industry made it through last weekend with so many events going on much less how things are going to be this coming weekend with Lollapalooza in town. Kwazy!

Fiesta del Sol went off without a hitch and most of the bands who performed were really pleased with the festival, the crowd and their performance. Velorio rocked Saturday afternoon while my buddies in Canyon did an outstanding job during the day on Sunday. I was able to go two out of the four days on Saturday and Sunday and man oh man Sunday was so jam packed for blocks and blocks that it was hard to get through the crowd. I'm not much of a "be in the crowd" type of person so I immediately started feeling claustrophobic but I made it through several interviews that will later be put together to air on E>N>E:Chicago Rocks. Phew!

Velorio rocked the entire weekend from Friday night's informal meet-n-greet at Sobre's rehearsal studio (that lasted 'til the wee hours of the morning), to Saturday evening's Black Gate Sessions performance to their final show on Sunday evening at Cobra Lounge. This was a great weekend that showcased not only local and touring band talent but also demonstrated what can be accomplished when people actually get together for the simple sake of supporting each other's efforts. Was that so hard, people... was it? Nope! So keep doing it! The rewards are never ending.

Ah. To add to the excitement of the weekend, my sister and brother in law were in town visiting and participating in the Chicago Rock'n'Roll 1/2 Marathon. It was a great experience for me and we had a blast the entire four short days of their visit. It would rock if they actually moved to Chicago and they actually may be looking into it but the cost of living here is outrageous compared to Houston, Texas. You see, Chicago... lighten up those taxes, man. You're killing us, smalls... killing us!

Good times at Cobra Lounge

This weekend is crazier still. Latinopalooza takes place Friday night at Reggie's Rock Club, then Rock en Vivo at Bottom Lounge on Saturday, plus Spanglish Rock Sundays at Cobra Lounge and Rock'n'Roots at Wicker Well. I'm tired already but I'll happily be at all these events to join in the efforts of exposing new music to new audiences. Oh yes.

I'll be updating more often because I had a dream that someone came along to tell me off because I wasn't doing so, asi que... nos vemos pronto.

See you around town!
-ST

(07/29/09) My Neighborhood Violence

2009-07-29T12:46:00.004-05:00

I've lived in the constantly changing, quickly gentrifying, predominantly Latino Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen, since returning to my hometown from the small town of Pasadena, Texas where I grew up.

Though the community is continually changing, there was always what seemed to be an underlying respect for the artists in the neighborhood and their work.

As of late, though, their has been a surge of violence against each other. Don't get me wrong, it's always been there in some for or another, but lately - woah, wow, ugh, ick, yuck, wtf!

A young artist was killed this week. Artwork at our local community radio was vandalized.

What is going on, Pilsen? Are you angry at the infiltration of hipsters and jocks from UIC? Then let's get together and discuss ways of dealing with it. Are you angry that the city wants to displace us with the 2016 Olympics? Let's strategize and plan a proposal for change, indicating our needs and OUR VALUE in this community WE BUILT.

Violence should never be the first option.

-ST

- - - - -

Tribune staff report
July 27, 2009
A man captured by two off-duty police officers has been charged with first-degree murder in a Pilsen shooting that prosecutors said one officer witnessed.Marcelino Sauseda, 25, is accused of firing into a van traveling on 18th Street near Loomis Street about 4 p.m. Saturday in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, hitting Jeff A. Maldonado, 19, in the head.According to court documents, an off-duty Chicago police officer driving his personal car saw the shooting. He chased the suspect, joined by an off-duty Cook County sheriff's officer.According to court documents, the officers arrested Sauseda in an alley near the 1700 block of South Loomis Street.

July 29, 2009
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicanisima/
An immigration-themed mural that Latino youth were painting was vandalized in the Pilsen neighborhood overnight. Scribbled over it were the words "lies" and "Mexicans are racist."The mural is an extension of a past exhibit put on by the National Museum of Mexican Art called a "Declaration of Immigration." Silvia Rivera, general manager of Radio Arte, said the mural is on their building at 1401 W. 18th St. Rivera said she doesn't know who did it or why but there is definitely a sentiment against Latinos and immigrants right now in the country."There is a certain tension in the air. The issue of Sonia Sotomayor is being played out. There's tension over whether or not immigration reform is going to happen," Rivera said.
But Rivera said they are going to try and turn something negative into a positive. The youth will paint over the vandalism and they are thinking of having a town hall meeting to talk about immigration and other issues. "We're going to look at it as a life lesson," Rivera said.This is a hard learned lesson. The people who defaced the mural are the real racists. It's just another example of the increasing anti-Mexican and anti-Latino sentiment that the right wing is spreading. We have to band together and fight against it.

(07/16/09) Review: Virus Digital Tour at Congress Theater

2009-07-16T13:28:00.002-05:00

It seems the current economic crisis across the world has led some angsty musicians to try and redefine their music by unsuccessfully attempting to create quirky fusions of contrasting genres together. This is leading to what seems like an alarming rate of copycats. Yes indeed. Thankfully, there are musicians like Bostich & Fussible of Tijuana based Nortec Collective, who confirmed to Enchufate before taking the stage Saturday at their "Virus Digital Tour," that they will continue to expand on the success of the norteño-techno concept they originated. "We grew up in Tijuana and our lives are influenced by the city. We play what we know and what inspired us on a daily basis. We'll continue to do that."

Featuring a setup and control deck straight out of Star Trek, ("as if paisas took over the Starship Enterprise" said an enthusiastic DJ Scarecrow) and surrounded by visuals that made no sense until you made them make sense, Bostich & Fussible riled up the crowd with hits from their previous two albums The Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 1 and Tijuana Sessions, Vol. 3 including Tijuana Makes Me Happy, Tengo La Voz and Tijuana Bass. They brought along their trumpet and accordeon players, jokingly referred to as their own "Tijuana Sound Machine," to accompany them and performed more music from their last production, the Grammy-nominated Tijuana Sound Machine, including TSM and Shake It Up. If you were in the crowd you were either dancing along or staring in awe. The surreal amalgamation of traditional banda, norteño and electronic beats pulsated feverishly, echoing throughout the gargantuan theater. This was definitely classic Nortec Collective, exactly what the audience had been waiting for. The experience, although short lived due to time constraints, was definitely well worth the wait.

Before NC's performance, Mexican Institute of Sound engaged the crowd in a modern, redefined set of cumbia, dance, hip hop, electronica and rock. Camilo Lara, creator, DJ and now vocalist, began his set by showering the crowd with dozens of logo-infused face masks in comedic tribute to the night's theme. With an MC/DJ and live guitar player along, M.I.S. hit us with sweet morsels of everything from Mejico Maxico, Piñata and our current favorite Soy Sauce. Cumbia, like in the album, was the first song in the list followed by Alocatel, Yo Digo Baila, interspersed briefly with a quick "Feliz Cumpleaños, Cafe Tacuba" shout out. We also heard Escribeme Pronto and Hiedra Venenosa. Overall it was a great sampling of all of M.I.S.'s hits. We can't wait to see him perform again in Chicago.

And what can we possibly say about Silverio, su majestad imperial, the man with the hypnotic ability to conjure up shrieking woman to the stage, one, two then three at a time until he was compleletely surrounded? We believe Ben Ortiz described it best, even before experiencing the live performance (posted in the Chicago Tribune): "Local buzz suggests that Silverio will be the stage-stomper of the lineup, as he usually dons a straight-to-video narco-villain ranchero mullet and strips down to blood-red Hanes briefs, to tweak raunchy electro break-beats from the DJ decks." He did just that, performing the same material he graced us with during his last visit, sweaty blood-red briefs and all. Local music blogger MeanLittleBumbleBee referred to Silverio as: "[...] juicy and moist!"

The Virus Digital Tour also featured local bands Saber and DJ WillyJoy, and a special surprise guest appearance by Kampion, who was the initial reason why the crowd began to dance. Unfortunately he was quite rudely interrupted by an uninformed MC, who must have not realized Kampion had only been playing for about 20 minutes before he just got up on stage and began hassling the crowd with Pitbull tickets. It was an awkward moment for everyone involved, including Kampion who was quite visibly upset about the situation. Regardless, shortly thereafter, the night continued to run smoothly.

It's also very encouraging to see Congress Theater producing so many great shows featuring such talented independent artists. Bravo!

-ST

(07/09/09) Quoted

2009-07-09T13:34:00.001-05:00

Extra Newspaper - "Virus Digital" Tour Article

(123456789) Tropipower Party + Digital Virus Tour + Wicker Well Discharge

2009-07-08T13:07:00.002-05:00

I'm sure you heard about the uniqueness of today's 123456789 once-in-our-lifetime ocurrence. It hasn't hit Facebook yet but I'm sure in a couple of more hours everyone and their mother will be posting about it. Heh.

Last Saturday at my casa was fantabulous too. Our hosts, Giroscopio and Eddie, on the one's and two's, played all sorts of vintage tropicalia, samba, funk, cumbias and yeye all night as the music-loving guests danced 'til the wee hours of the morning. We were louder than the fireworks outside. How's that for bad@ss? Because this is so fun and it's not music readily available elsewhere in Chicago (as far as nights dedicated to this) we'll be hosting a Tropipower Night on a weekly basis coming soon. Oh si. ¡Que delicioso!

On Sunday after our TV recording, we went to Cobra Lounge to celebrate Chris Decker's birthday. I was looking forward to celebrating for at least 45 minutes of Misfits tunes, covered by the best friends tribute band - Devilocks - but, as usual, they ran out of time and the band only got to play 20 minutes. Ugh. It was a rockin' 20 minutes, though. Thanks, guys. You made the night end on a high note.

Speaking of delicioso, the Bostich & Fussible boys of Nortec Collective, together with the boys of Mexican Institute of Sound and 'su majestad imperial' Silverio are performing this Saturday at Congress Theater. Enchufate gave away tickets to this show and it is so exciting to see so many people asking about the tickets and the concert, despite not really knowing all that much about the artists. (I can confirm this through our online contests. When I ask simple questions, most of the answers received are wrong, but obviously these folks want to go and find out more.) So we've been doing our best to expose more of the artists' music through brief bios, links back to their sites and video postings. I love you, technology.

[[Side Note: Eeeek! It was a huge compliment to be asked by three, count'em THREE different reporters (two city newspapers, one magazine) for more information about the artists performing on Saturday. They asked me! Me! Wow! Me! I'm beyond flattered. Thank you!]]

E>N>E:Chicago Rocks will be recorded Sunday at Tiger O'Stylies. Performing: Kelroy, Herencia de Zapata and Urban Twang. 6-8PM, free.

After the taping, we're heading over to Wicker Well for Rockotitlan's "Rock & Roots Sundays" featuring Benjamin Anaya & Los Extraños Unidos and my boys, [.DESCARGA.] Punk rock and samba. Lovely!

So, let's start rockin' the weekend beginning today! Watch our tv show tonight at 8PM on Channel 25. Three new bands are featured: Oui Si Only You, Tomorrow Has Arrived and Ruta 120. Right after, tune in to 88.7FM for Rock Sin Anestesia, the longest running latin alternative radio program in the country. Si, si!

Tomorrow, Les Nubians perform at Green Dolphin and there's our weekly Karaoke Night at La Botana plus Resistol Cincomil will be spinning over at The Zoo. Sweet!

See you at the next show!
-ST

(06/30/09) Cafe Tacuba: Concert Review

2009-06-30T15:03:00.006-05:00

Our society's need for immediate gratification crosses all boundaries. In the case of music, an evening's performance of a group of musicians celebrating twenty years together is a necessary 'tweet' to loyal fans everywhere. So it's with no surprise that in Chicago Cafe Tacuba fans giggled excitedly in anticipation of what they were privy to through cell phone photos and social networking uploads from fellow fans in Los Angeles, who were at the same concert the night before.

With a sold-out concert at Congress Theater, fans proved that an overflow of information (in relation to their favorite artist) with a quick click of the "send" button, has now become almost a prerequisite to an evening's final choice of entertainment. On Friday, June 26th, almost five thousand Tacubos joined for the anniversary of Cafe Tacuba's twenty highly successful years together. The band, as a token of appreciation to the exuberant crowd, celebrated with Chicago in an almost three hour dramatic display of talent effectively alleviating, at least temporarily, fan's insatiable thirst for their music.

(click on the photo below to see more photos of the concert)

The concert began in hot darkness. A single light slowly illuminated the drum sound heard from the stage. It was vocalist Ruben, followed shortly with another single light by the rest of the members, Meme, Joselo and Quique. Each one dressed in black but bathed in the single white light, drumming. It was the perfect intro for the celebration about to take place.

No Controles allowed the crowd to start the night with a fury of energy they'd been bottling up since the last concert with their Mexican heroes. With continuously running bright images in the background, they jumped straight into Alarmala De Tos, showcasing Quique on the beautiful electric upright bass. Fans were on fire, jumping non-stop through the first three songs which ended in Labios Jaguar. At this point, Ruben finally speaks..."Muchas gracias, buenas noches, eso fue Cafe Tacuba." Thanking the crowd he jokingly said they were done, then laughed and said: "¿Que paso, muchachos? Ya cumplimos 20 años. A la fiesta!" and after a brief mention of Michael Jackson's parting, plunged into Rarotonga, followed by a sultry cabaret red background that accompanied the sweetness of Que Pasara. This simply added more intensity to the already sweltering environment.

It didn't matter to anyone, they followed Cafe Tacuba through Puntos Cardinales, a keyboard instrumental by Meme, E-O and a heavenly Metamorfosis, with the larger than life spiral of lights we knew about from the previous LA concert, looming bright pink in the background. And, as is now a ritual at their concerts, violinist Alejandro Flores came out to join them during their cover of Juan Luis Guerra's Ojala Que Lleva Cafe.

Also present were the chicken hat, the Tacuba'd Macarena dance version, as well as that ginormous clear rectangular bubble we had seen in other 20:20 Concert photos. Cafe Tacuba, in dazzling synchronization with the audience, bounced, shimmied and blazed their way through three straight hours of non-stop jubilation. They covered just about every song any Cafe Tacuba fan would want to hear live.

Hot, exhausted but satisfied, and with few incidents among the thousands of culturally diverse folks gathered, you saw only smiles and heard only laughter as the crowd finally dispersed after such a rousing event. Thank you, Cafe Tacuba, for once again not disappointing those of us who have admired and supported you for so long. And for those new fans who were there for the first time... it'll only get better.

What did you think of the concert? Where do you think Cafe Tacuba will go from here? We'd love to hear from you so let us know: info@enchufate.com

-ST

(06/24/09) Cafe + Cafe + Last Weekend

2009-06-24T17:42:00.004-05:00

As I'm sure most of you Tacubos know, Cafe Tacuba celebrates their 20th Anniversary this year and they're doing so with 20 Concerts in 20 Cities aka 20:20. We're lucky enough to be one of those twenty cities and they'll be here this Friday, June 26th at Congress Theater. I'm excited about this show because there's the possibility of an interview this time. Yes, after all these years I might finally get the opportunity. Fingers crossed, yo!

"Pero la vida siempre vuelve a su forma circular..." my favorite song because of the lyrics...

I'm honored to have been asked to join the blogging team for Cafe Magazine. I'll be covering music and entertainment with a weekly write up. I'm excited about this opportunity and hope you'll join me on that journey. So, if you're keeping up with this blog and have news to share in relation to lat/alt music and entertainment, please keep me updated. I'll do my part to get the information out. ¡Gracias!

Last weekend was jam packed with all sorts of activities. On Friday, Gitana of Jah Cantors, who's making her debut as a DJ on Sunday at Cobra Lounge (more info below), joined me for the Chicago Independent Film Festival at the A.P.O. Building in Pilsen. We only caught the last film, Seki Sano:Vida y Teatro, a short documentary about Seki Sano, a Japanese theater director who lived and worked with many of the leading actors in Mexico. It was an interesting piece (though the sound levels were so off it was hard to understand most of what was being said because it'd get really loud, then really low). I still recommend it.

Afterward, we headed over to Decima Musa for the Pilsen Soundtrack Fundraiser. We got there in time for Fandanguero and their beautiful and lively son jarocho, which had everyone dancing, followed by an energetic ska set by my favorite locals Los Vicios De Papa. Seriously, these kids need to be on someone's label already, touring as headliners. I'll go so far as to say, and I mentioned this to the singer as well, that when they played at House of Blues with Panteon Rococo, they completely outshone them. That's how badass these kids are. Their energy is infectious.

Here's a little sampling, which doesn't do them justice, but you get the idea:

I was just informed our Karaoke night at La Botana will be postponed this week until next Thursday because of their AC situation. No comment on that. I'll update the blog once I know where we're headed on Thursday since we have tickets to Cafe Tacuba and more for Paquita La Del Barrio to give away.

Who's headed to this year's LAMC? I'm not, unfortunately, but there's definitely a lot of Chicago representation this year out there. Yay! It only took 10 years for the midwest to wake up. Hallelume!

Sunday, we're recording at Reggie's Music Joint and this week Hollus, Re. De La Parka and Soul Pollution perform. 6-8PM, free! Right after we're heading to Cobra Lounge for our first ever "Fun(d) Raiser" where you'll get to listen to more great music from Maria Blues, Capitulo 2 and Legion. This is where my beloved friend Gitana comes in as she's participating for the first time as a DJ! Yay! Also DJing are my other favorites Resistol Cincomil and the best friend, Scarecrow. This is a free event but we'll definitely be taking donations. We'll get started around 9PM so make sure to get there on time.

And on that note, see you tomorrow for the Karaoke update!

-ST

(06/19/09) Film Festivals

2009-06-19T14:57:00.002-05:00

The Hola Mexico Film Festival begins today in Chicago at Century Centre Cinema. The festival features fourteen of Mexico's finest films. There's also an afterparty at Ole Lounge with special guest DJ, from Los Angeles, Santi. (Note - DJ Angelfuk (me) will not be playing at this event). The festival runs through today through June 25th.

There's also another film festival going on that isn't getting quite the hype and I must mention it because it's also part of what's going on in our city and my dear friend, artist Ray Arroyo, designed the artwork for the festival. Auuu! The Chicago Independent Film Festival began June 17th and runs until tomorrow. The films are being screened at Northeastern Illinois University, Instituto Cervantes and in my 'hood over at the A.P.O. Building.

After tonight's screenings at either of the festivals, head over to Decima Musa for the Pilsen Soundtrack Fundraiser with performances by Los Vicios De Papa, Fandanguero and more. It's going to be a great night of culture..."Fo' sho!"

Tomorrow night, Depeche Mode vs Morrissey Tribute at The Olympic Theater. Who do you like most?

Here's my vote:

See you at the movies!
-ST

(06/11/09) Nortec Collective/MIS/Silverio + Paquita La Del Barrio

2009-06-11T15:36:00.002-05:00

Back when I first heard about traditional norteño music being fused with electronic music I was blown away at the possibility. I mean, what? Really... how was that going to happen and who was doing such a thing? It almost seemed like a joke, especially because I was listening to mainstream radio and there was no way something like that would ever get attention. Not on mainstream radio.

I was right about the mainstream radio portion, but since then I've become a huge fan of the originators, Nortec Collective, who continue to surprise and delight people from all over the world, with their unique musical magic. Si, magia. Just listen...

This dynamic collective will be performing in Chicago on July 11th together with my other all-time favorite, Camilo Lara and his Mexican Institute of Sound. Plus, I know, it's so good already how much better can it get? Well, Silverio's joining the crazyness. Can you imagine the backstage area this day? Wow! Wow! Wow!

I had the opportunity to interview genius Camilo Lara at last year's LAMC in New York. What a nice man. Really nice! Of course, I was in awe of him at the time but I quickly got over it once he began to talk about his music and things rolled smoothly from there. I learned so much in my three minutes with him. Oooh!

Silverio was also a treat to interview for our program and I knew he had an eccentric show but man when I saw his show in person, I was definitely surprised. The man is out there! So, if you don't know what I'm talking about, well, first of all Enchufate! Then, watch the videos below. Enjoy!

Did you get enough? No? Well, there's more to check out on their websites and MySpace pages so go take a lookie. You'll love it. Promise!

So, it's a rainy and cold Thursday in June in Chicago. In June! What is going on with our city? We haven't felt a "normal" week of weather in forever, it seems. Regardless, nothing ever stops Chicagoans from going out and having a good time... not the cold, not the snow, much less the rain. And of course, knowing the loyal folks that go to our Karaoke en Español Night at La Botana every week, I won't be surprised to see them all again tonight because we're giving away tickets to the upcoming Paquita La Del Barrio concert at Congress Theater. Y'all is crazy and I'm even crazier for knowing what I'm getting into tonight with the tequila-loving-wailers who'll be most likely singing ALL Paquita tunes tonight. Ay ay ay. (Hee hee!)

See you around town!
-ST

(06/05/09) Orgullo Sox + Amandititita/Reik + Reggie's Music Joint for E>N>E in June

2009-06-05T13:16:00.004-05:00

With so much going on, it's been a tad bit difficult to update as often as I'd like.

Anyhoot.

Last night [.DESCARGA.] performed at Zocalo for La Prepa series hosted by Haz+Ruido and TuRitmoTuNoche. It was interesting, to say the least. My favorite part, aside from the boys playing, was trying some new tequilas since it is a tequila bar. Tequila flights? Yum.

Tonight, [.DESCARGA.] performs once again, this time for Orgullo Sox, a latin showcase taking place at US Cellular Field, before tonight's White Sox vs Indians game.

Although I'm not a fan of Reik, not because they're not good, it's just not my kind of music, I am looking forward to seeing Amandititita and listening to her lively cumbia mixes. It should be fun. This concert is taking place at Congress Theater on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, we start recording E>N>E:Chicago Rocks at Reggie's Music Joint. I'm really looking forward to this show because it's such an interesting line-up. We've got Free Ajents doing their hip hop thang, Los Pecados De Maria rockin' it out en español and the crazy-sexy-funny-eclectic rock from I Fight Dragons. I've posted two videos below so you can see what I'm talking about.

I FIGHT DRAGONS:

LOS PECADOS DE MARIA:

See you 'round town,
-ST

(05/22/09) - [.DESCARGA.] + Violin

2009-05-22T13:04:00.002-05:00

[.DESCARGA.] performs tonight at Tiger O'Stylies. They're my boys, yes, so please show up or they'll harass me until the next gig. Haha. Here's a video for their song "Tu Eres Yo":

Tomorrow, I'm heading out to Aurora, IL to record some violin parts for the band Stomoxys Calcitrans, a metal band. I'm quite nervous, yes, but I know it'll turn out well. Better nerves than none... or no? Eeek!

Sunday we're recording E>N>E:Chicago Rocks once again at Tiger O'Stylies. This week features three new bands: Spitt'n Llamas, Central Disorder and On The Run. This takes place from 6-8PM and it's free. See you there!

Next week's full of goodies too so I'll be back this weekend to post again.

Have a beautiful weekend, Chicago!
-ST