Pacha Massive is Es Musica’s October Artist of the Month!
We’re thrilled that Es Musica has chosen Pacha Massive as their October Artist of the Month. Check out this interview recently filmed at our offices!
[Internet-landia] Piece on Mexican Immigration in ViceMagazine.com
Friend of the office, photographer Dulce Pinzon, took the pictures for this interesting & candid look at the stories of Mexican immigrants both in the U.S. and Mexico.
Check it out and click here: “Both Sides Now: Mexican Immigrants and the Families They Left Behind”
Manu Chao’s Tombola Tour Mexico Comes to an End in DF w/ ATENCO
Manu played this past Saturday at FORO SOL in Mexico City. The residents of San Salvador Atenco made their way to the show and backstage where Radio Bemba and Manu met with the activisits. Read more about them below and more about the rebellion in San Salvador Atenco CLICK HERE :
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The Frente del Pueblo en Defensa de La Tierra or Community Front in Defense of Land, was formed in 2002, by residents of San Salvador Atenco,to resist their forced displacement by the government of Mexico. The government planned to displace them to make way for a new Mexico City Airport. The people of San Salvador Atenco have uprising from time to time for various reasons, the most common being disputes for land.
Atenco is famous across Mexico for having resisted in 2002 the forced displacement from their community to make way for a new Mexico City Airport. Villagers, mostly small farmers, formed the People’s Front in Defense of Land (Frente del Pueblo en Defensa de La Tierra) and, wielding their machetes, became a symbol of popular protest in Mexico.
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Caption: Paget (Tour Manager) meets with ATENCO activists as Chuco [sound man] weilds symbolic machete. Photo Credit: TC
NEWS BUZZ: Bostich+Fussible Set to Perform Live at Los Premios MTV Latin America!
MIAMI, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ — MTV Latin America announced today that iconic Mexican rock band Cafe Tacvba, electronic group Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich + Fussible and Chilean pop band Kudai are set to perform live at Los Premios MTV Latin America 2008. The network also announced a new list of confirmed presenters including Gene Simmons, television personality and bassist of the legendary rock band Kiss; multiple nominee Babasonicos from Argentina; international superstars 30 Seconds to Mars; and Colombian comedian Andres Lopez. In addition, British alternative rock band The Kooks and three-time nominee from Argentina Emmanuel Horvilleur will perform live on the red carpet pre-show “La Alfombra de Los Premios MTV 2008,” airing Thursday, October 16th at 9 p.m.(Mexico & Colombia) and 10 p.m. (Argentina). Los Premios MTV Latin America 2008 will air live on Thursday, October 16th from Auditorio Telmex in Guadalajara, Jalisco - Mexico at 10 p.m. (Mexico & Colombia) and 11 p.m. (Argentina).
“We are certain that Cafe Tacvba, with their incredible musical talent, remarkable career and multiple nominations this year, will offer a tremendous performance and that Bostich + Fussible will add an electronic feel to the show,” commented Jose Tillan, Senior Vice President of Creative, Content, and Music for MTV/VH1 Latin America. “It is an honor for us to welcome the legendary Gene Simmons who is sure to create tons of excitement for our audience as a presenter. His famous tongue was the inspiration for the Premios trophy!”
Read more about this HERE
Leaving on a jet plane…off to Buenos Aires for the LAMC!
Hola everyone - I’m taking off to Buenos Aires tomorrow and I wanted to let you know about it! Jennifer and I are off to LAMC Buenos Aires to check out all the great panels, bands and more taking place at La Trastienda.
This year’s performers include Gonzalo Yanez (also a Nacional Records’ artist), Banda de Turistas (ambient indie pop group from Buenos Aires), Udi E A Geral (reggae group from Brazil), Prietto Viaja al Cosmo con Mariano (rock duo from Buenos Aires), Rosal (acoustic/folk performer from Buenos Aires), RH+ (aka Rock Hudson - up & coming electronic indie group from Chile), and No Lo Soporto (rock/pop group from Argentina). There will also be very interesting panels going on with panelists from leading industry veterns in the region! Visit the official website for ALL the amazing details:
http://www.lamcargentina.com.ar/index.html
Click the poster to go to the official website with all details on the showcases, panels, etc!
Haz click para mas detalles!
Eric Bobo in NYC for VH1’s Hip Hop Honors [w/ Cypress Hill]!
Hola mundo! We’re proud to share with you news about our upcoming solo release from Eric Bobo, “Meeting of the Minds” - it comes out on November 18th. Right now, as we’re prepping for the release, Bobo is out in New York City with Cypress Hill [Eric has been a member of CH since 1994] - for the VH1 Hip Hop Honors show! Check out all the latest scoop from NYC and check out Eric’s myspace page [ADD HIM!]: www.myspace.com/ericbobo - stay tuned for lots more news on Bobo and this release. Check out Bobo on the far left in the picture below!
Link: http://blog.vh1.com/2008-10-01/hip-hop-honors-cypress-hill-goes-up-in-smoke/
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Hip Hop Honors: Cypress Hill Goes Up In Smoke
The gang’s all here this beautiful Wednesday morning as the second day of rehearsals for Hip Hop Honors kick off. Some say hip-hop runs on its own time, but Fat Joe, Jim Jones and the Gym Class Heroes are all here, right on time, to honor Cypress Hill. To have such a collection of talent under one roof is amazing, and that’s not lost on the honorees themselves. While walking around surveying the set, B-Real happens to whip out the same digital camera your loyal bloggers have to record the moment, as a decidedly less portly Fat Joe walks over to pay his respects.
It’s obvious Fat Joe’s been doing his homework, as he tears through a flawless rendition of “The Phuncky Feel One.” Jim Jones has a little work to do before the show, as he seems more interested in watching the dancers than the words to “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That.”
Appropriately, plumes of smoke wreath Cypress Hill as they run through “(Rock) Superstar.” Moments later, Cypress Hill, Jim Jones, Mack 10, Gym Class Heroes are up on the mezzanine, answering our questions about Cypress Hill and a particular herbal remedy the group are fond of (coming soon…). Mos Def swings by and tells us which honoree he’s most excited to see, which we’ll have for you later today.
Check back for tons of updates from hip-hop’s front lines, and be sure to tune in Monday, October 6th at 10 p.m.
Monareta-mania across the nation! “Picotero” out Tuesday.
MONARETA have announced additional shows in support of their debut album “Picotero”. This is great news indeed! I can’t wait to catch up with them again. It’s always entertaining and fun hanging out with the guys.
Catch them in your town and if you want to host a show - let us know!
October 11th - Descarga @ The Echo - Los Angeles
October 22nd - Fluid’s Nightclub - Philadelphia
October 23rd - Made in Dumbo - Brooklyn
October 24th - Mehanata (DJ set) - New York City
October 25th - Nacotheque @ Fontana’s Bar (CMJ Showcase) - New York City
Be sure to stop by their Myspace (www.myspace.com/monareta) page, have a listen and let them know what you think of the new tunes.
You can order the new release at Amazon.com now & iTunes (with exclusive bonus tracks) on Tuesday!
Aterciopelados + Amnesty International & Link TV team up for “The Price of Silence Campaign”
News buzz regarding Aterciopelados —- we will keep you posted on this [especially when the track is officially out]. Their new album, “Rio“ - will be released on October 21st in the US. Check this out:
Amnesty International and Link TV are in the final phases of production for a music video that will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The song “Cancion Protesta” by the Colombian Grammy-winning rock group Aterciopelados has been re-written to address issues of human rights, and is now entitled “The Price of Silence.” The video will take place in the UN General Assembly (The UN has granted unprecedented access to the GA for this project), and the various artists will be composed into the space by The Syndicate, one of Hollywood’s most prestigious effects houses. Artists who have recorded to date are: Stephen Marley (Jamaica), Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Yerba Buena (PanLatin), Julieta Venegas (Mexico), Emmanuel Jal (Sudan), Chiwoniso (Zimbabwe), Hugh Masekela (S. Africa), Rachid Taha (France/Algeria), Natacha Atlas (UK/Egypt), Kiran Ahluwalia (Canada/India), Yungchen Lhamo (USA/Tibet), Gilberto Gil (Brazil) and Aterciopelados (Colombia) with more to be added. Release date TBD - around mid-November, 2008.
Photo from the video shoot for the campaign:
Manu Chao in Monterrey - literally ROCK & ROLL!
Well well well. I’m back in LA LA Land after a grueling early flight home from Monterrey, MX - but nothing can get me down after the AMAZING show on Sunday the 28th at Parque Huasteca.
With lobby call at 11:20 AM on Sunday morning, RADIO BEMBA and I made our way down to the park. Once we arrived, we were awe-stricken by the natural amphitheater created by the steep mountains surrounding where the stage would be. We would be literally ROCKing and rolling! Apparently, the land is sacred to certain indigenous tribes in the area and considered the place where the universe began. I can’t say that a Manu Chao show quite equals that level of profoundness, but it was nice to think that the music that would echo off those same mountains also considered so sacred to some peoples. Exhibit A:
Caption: View from the stage - say hello to Chuco (sound) and David B (drummer)
Caption: Directly behind the stage - I am told Chuco and Paget (tour manager) took the liberty of climbing into the bottom cave while we went back to the hotel - how could I have missed that!
Days go by quickly on show days. Sound check under the sun went smoothly and it was back to the hotel with the rest of the crew. Part of our crew, Ana, is a wonderful woman who had joined Manu on the tour from Austin into Mexico. They first met in the Sahara a few months back when Manu participated in the 1st annual Sahara Film Festival. She flew to Austin last week and was invited by Manu to stick around for the rest of the Mexican tour. I loved hearing about her experiences, her family and her dedication to Manu’s music and message! Did I mention she was in her 70’s?? I can only hope I can capture that sense of adventure and passion as I mature. I’ll never forget watching her at the side stage joyously leap up and down as the band raged on through their set. She will always make me smile when I think of her…
We made our way back to the venue in time to catch Toy Hernandez’s [from Control Machete] Sonidero Nacional - albeit, we were stuck in a deep traffic jam leading up to the park. The excitement brewed from the 10,000+ capacity crowd. The rest is history: Hugs by band, High fives, Ole ole ole ole, Each member comes out one by one, Screams, applause, MUSIC, Radio Bemba Radio Bemba “AYE!” “AYE!” - and on and on and on. I was lucky enough to hang out with the Pmosh guys during the set and we had a GREAT time - hearing Jonaz rap to every lyric in “King of the Bongo” was pretty sweet.
After our staff dinner aftershow, Manu stuck around to talk to local Monterrey youth who were eager to talk to him - Manu hasn’t been in Monterrey in a longggggggg time and you could feel the enthusiasm.
Flashback to good byes and off I am, back in Los Angeles. What a trip. Hope to fill you all in with more trips as the time comes! Until then, enjoy these pix:
Caption: Oh the selection in Mexico for Manu merch…
Caption: Enjoying the scenery during soundcheck on Sunday, the 28th!
Before I go, big shout outs and hello to: Paget, Angelo, David, Phillilpe and all of Radio Bemba, Manu, Ana, Tomas, Cesar, Jonaz+Rosso+Yussen[from Pmosh], Toy, and all of the rest I saw/met in MTY. I will surely be back - what a beautiful city!
Andrea Echeverri featured in Kevin Johansen’s “Oh My Love” Video
Hola mundo - we love this new video featuring Andrea from Aterciopelados. Long time friend of the office, Kevin Johansen, mellows things out with this super romantic song from his new record.
Speaking of Aterciopelados, we have SUCH BIG news to come which we can’t quite leak completely yet - let’s just say…it’s a small world out there and music is what keeps us together - stay tuned for all the news as we get closer and closer to Aterciopelados’ new album release, “Rio”.
Check out the video here in the meantime (New Atercio’s video for the single, “Rio” SOON!):
