Making Movies isn’t the typical Latin rock band; they are not based out of Los Angeles, New York City or Chicago, but rather Kansas City, which isn’t exactly known for its Latin music. Formed in 2007, the band has begun a quick rise. Making Movies has coupled with bands like the Aterciopelados and Caifanes. Making…

Pilar Diaz has the kind of style and talent that could make a person cry. As the former frontwoman for the now disbanded Los Abandoned, Diaz would work a stage within an inch of its life. She delivered the band’s high energy bilingual pop-rock with such fervor that it’s no surprise she would wear leotards…

Nacional Records recording artist Pacha Massive returned to Austin in May to perform at the third annual Pachanga Latino Music Festival at Fiesta Gardens. This New York based collective's signature sound is a funky bilingual fusion of dub and electronica with Latin rhythms like cumbia and palo. Pacha Massive is touring in support of their latest release, If…

The third annual Pachanga Fest took place on May 22 at Fiesta Gardens in East Austin. In what was a fantastic day of celebrating Latin music and Latino musicians from all walks of life, Nacional Records recording artist Bomba Estéreo was a perfect fit to close the festival. With vibrant energy and an electric stage presence,…

For those who follow the latest trends and "it" bands in the indie rock scene, Neon Indian kinda came out of nowhere as the hyped band of 2009. The lo-fi dance-rock quartet's songs "Deadbeat Summer" and "Terminally Chill" were summer dance anthems for those who read hipster blogs and tastemaker websites like Gorilla Vs. Bear…

It sounds like a weird reality TV show premise: What happens when you mix a metal guitarist, an acoustic singer/songwriter, a hip-hop emcee, a jazzy drummer, an alt-rock bassist and a psychedelic turntablist? What you get is the band Este Vato. What connects them is their love of Latin music and their belief in spreading…

If you thought Hacienda couldn’t get any better, the Boerne, Texas-based retro rock 'n' roll quartet proved you wrong with their sophomore album, the recently released Big Red & Barbacoa. After a stellar debut album in 2008 with Loud Is The Night, the group reunited with Black Keys frontman and producer, Dan Auerbach, to record Big Red &…

Mitote is an Austin-based ensemble that, as vocalist and guitarrista Alex Chavez puts it, "seeks to explore the vast musical terrains of Mexican traditional son but with a Chicano sensibility." Their focus is on son jarocho, the traditional sones and instruments of southern Veracruz, Mexico. "We are inspired by both the grounded yet virtuostic musicality…

Simón Mejía is the musical mastermind behind Bogota's hottest Latin alternative act, Bomba Estéreo. The Colombian electro-tropical fusion act blends its nation's namesake rhythm, the cumbia, with pulsating bass, hip-hop beats and the spitfire flow of charismatic emcee Liliana Saumet. Their highly energetic live shows have made Bomba a staple of the Latin American and…