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Pachanga Latino Music Festival announces first round of performers

March 3, 2015 By Austin Vida Staff

Pachanga Fest posterOrganizers of the Pachanga Latino Music Festival announced the first round of performers for their eighth annual event happening Saturday, May 16 at Fiesta Gardens. A limited number of discounted tickets for the event will go on sale on Mar. 6 at pachangafest.com.

The first wave of artists confirmed for the 2015 Austin festival roster includes the following: former Mexican child-actress turned critical darling Ximena Sariñana; synth-pop hit makers Motel; acclaimed Spanish female rapper Mala Rodríguez; iconic Latin alt-electronic group Kinky; binational nostalgic rockers Enjambre; Compass: Mexican Institute of Sound & Toy Selectah, a collaboration between Camilo Lara aka Mexican Institute of Sound and legendary DJ producer Toy Selectah; Latin Grammy nominee Ceci Bastida, former Julieta Venegas bandmate and member of Tijuana No!; and alternative Chilean songstress and former lead singer of Los Abandoned, María del Pilar.

Fiesta Gardens is located at 2101 Jesse E Segovia St. A limited number of “Pachanga Ganga” General Admission and VIP tickets will go on sale Mar. 7 at 10 a.m. and will be available through April 1. Discounted prices are as follows: GA, $40; and VIP, $80. As of April 2, prices will increase to $50 for GA and $100 for VIP.

VIP aka “Very Important Taco” ticket holders will be treated to a complimentary five-taco tasting showcasing offering from local Austin restaurants 3:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. In addition to the taco tasting, VIP ticket holders will have access to salsa bar, paletas, aquas frescas and other complimentary non-alcoholic drinks throughout the day. The VIP ticket also offers a host of amenities that include indoor restrooms, an air-conditioned lounge, and private patio area from 2:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Filed Under: Music, News, Slider Tagged With: music festival, pachanga fest

Pachanga Festival: I came, I saw, I cumbia-ed

May 19, 2014 By Natalie Del Castillo

El Gran Silencio
Monterrey, Mexico’s El Gran Silencio performing live at Pachanga Latino Music Festival in Austin. Photo by Mari Hernandez.

Considering Austin is well known for its variety of festivals, Pachanga Latino Music Festival might just be the city’s best kept secret. Fiesta Gardens was the perfect setting for this one-day festival that had just about everything you’d want in a fest: food trucks, free goodies and lots of music. Oh, and plenty of tacos.

I started my afternoon with Making Movies, an Afro-Cuban indie rock band from Kansas City. I fell for their band instantly as I walked up and they were covering the classic “Aguanile” by Hector Lavoe. Lead singer Enrique Javier Chi was all smiles as people danced their way closer to the stage. As they performed, I couldn’t help but notice the different kinds of people in the crowd. It made me happy to see that this festival could bring out so many people and represent the diversity in Austin. Chi thanked the crowd for kicking off the day with them and expressing his love for events like this.

“For us, music is our freedom” Chi said. Their feel-good music made you feel just that, free.

Making my way through the festival, I loved that every set I saw had its own sound.

DMK, a Colombian Depeche Mode cover band made up of a father and his two kids, closed out the Niños Rock Pachanga Fest. The early fest gave the kiddos a chance to create festival screen print tote bags, make traditional Mexican crafts and learn about Tejano music.

Nearby, Austin’s own Brownout renamed themselves “Brown Sabbath” to do their own rendition of Black Sabbath tunes.  More and more concert goers piled in closer to the stage as the band knocked out some fan-favorites. A short distance away, Austin favorite Del Castillo blew the roof off with their brilliant guitar skills.

Rapper Niña Dioz at Pachanga Latino Music Fest. Photo by Mari Hernandez.
Rapper Niña Dioz at Pachanga Latino Music Fest. Photo by Mari Hernandez.

Later in the afternoon, Niña Dioz brought in a little bit of rap into the mix of the day. The lady rapper from Monterrey, Mexico looked like she stepped right out of an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Her raps flowed so perfectly as she made sure to keep the crowd’s energy up while the hot Texas sun beat down on the audience.

After Niña, I faced my only schedule conflict and decided to watch the first half of La Vida Bohème, a band from Venezuela that I had heard some buzz about. I did not want to leave once I heard these guys. They reminded me a bit of Los Enanitos Verdes but edgier which especially showed through their intense stage presence. It’s impossible to set these guys in one genre because they do it all. Their ability to infuse punk, funk, dance and electronic music into rock is impeccable.

At some point, I tore myself away to catch the last part of Gaby Moreno’s set. Moreno’s far from your cliché “girl with a guitar” mold. Her music is both in Spanish and English, but no matter the language, her voice is beautiful. She gave off this classic, old soul vibe that made her the darling of Pachanga Festival.

Both Chicha Libre and La Santa Cecilia were crowd favorites when it came to dancing, but my personal favorite was El Gran Silencio. Never in my life did I believe I’d witness a Mexican mosh pit, but that is exactly what was happening.

As the sun set, the crowd got crazy. El Gran Silencio’s set was where the real pachanga went down. I don’t think I saw one single person standing still as they played. Their rock/reggae sound mixed with cumbia made for the most epic dance party. Friends, families and couples spent the whole set screaming along to songs and kicking their legs out as small mosh pits were created all over the place.

Pachanga Fest headliner Julieta Venegas. Photo by Mari Hernandez.
Pachanga Fest headliner Julieta Venegas. Photo by Mari Hernandez.

It was perfect to end the evening with Julieta Venegas considering I had exhausted myself dancing for an hour straight. Julieta Venegas was a name I was not familiar with until her set began. Obviously, I’ve been missing out on so much. Julieta was the perfect mix of sweet and sassy on stage. Her heartfelt messages she prefaced almost each song with set the tone for the entire show and everyone was head over heels.

Fans yelled “Julieta, te amo!” all through the set. She played music from all different points of her career while switching between playing guitar, accordion and keyboard. There couldn’t have been a better cherry on top of this wonderful day.

If there’s anything I took away from this festival, it’s to appreciate the culture that Latinos have created and continue to develop over the years. My Latina pride was bursting out by the end of the day and I loved every second of it.

Filed Under: Events, Slider Tagged With: Austin, music festival, pachanga fest, photos, reviews

LAMC announces concerts at Central Park SummerStage

April 21, 2014 By Austin Vida Staff

LAMC poster webThe Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) will be happening again in New York City this summer for a special 15th anniversary celebration, including two free concerts at Central Park SummerStage featuring Beatnuts, Ana Tijoux, Bodega Bamz and DJ Tony Touch on Wednesday, July 9th and Babasónicos, Juana Molina and La Santa Cecilia on Saturday, July 12.

Now in its 15th year and called the “Sundance of Latin music” by the NY Times, the LAMC features free concerts at SummerStage in Central Park and Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park, plus intimate private concerts at various venues around the city, as well as numerous industry panels and Q&A’s with special guests, showcases and events. Additional LAMC events and concert line-ups will be announced later this spring.

Registration is now open; discounted yet once again at only $99 for a limited time at  here. Early bird registrants are automatically entered into a contest to win an exclusive LAMC guitar from Epiphone. Discounted hotel rates now available here.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: LAMC, Latin Alternative Music Conference, music festival, SUmmerStage

Pachanga Latino Music Festival announces additions to lineup and set times

April 17, 2014 By Austin Vida Staff

Pachanga scheduleToday the folks from Pachanga Latino Music Festival  announced two new additions to the lineup for the 2014 festival. Acclaimed Puerto Rican garage rock act AJ Davila Y Terror Amor (of Davila 666) and Latin funk tribute band Brownout performing Brown Sabbath, a Black Sabbath tribute have been added to the bill. These two add to an already stellar lineup that includes Julieta Venegas, El Gran Silencio, La Santa Cecilia, DMK, Gaby Moreno, La Vida Bohème, Sonido San Francisco, Niña Dioz, Del Castillo, Chicha Libre, and Making Movies.

Performances will take place on three stages with details on the H-E-B Niños Rock Pachanga performances will be announced at a later date. See the full performance schedule and set times below.

General admission tickets are available for $33. Patrons can also purchase VIP passes for $75, which provides exclusive access to the festival’s hospitality area, specialty taco tasting, and more. For more ticket information visit pachangafest.com/tickets/.

Pavilion Stage:
H-E-B Niños Rock Pachanga (12:00-3:55pm); DMK (3:55-4:25pm); Del Castillo (4:55-5:55pm); DJ Set (6-6:30pm); Gaby Moreno (6:25-7:25pm); DJ Set (7:20-7:755pm); La Santa Cecilia (7:55-9pm); DJ Set (9pm-9:30pm); Julieta Venegas (9:30pm-11:00pm)

Patio Stage:

AJ Davila Y Terror Amor (3:30pm-4:20pm); Niña Dioz (5:35-6:25pm); Chicha Libre (7:25-8:25pm); Sonido San Francisco (9:40-10:40pm)

Hierba Stage:

Making Movies (2:30-3:30pm); Brownout Presents: Brown Sabbath (4:20-5:35pm); La Vida Bohème (6:25 -7:25pm); El Gran Silencio (8:25-9:40pm)

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Austin, fiesta gardens, Latin Alternative, music festival, pachanga

LAMC 101: Intro to the Latin Alternative Music Conference

July 1, 2013 By Isabela Raygoza

LAMC founder Tomas Cookman / photo courtesy of Cookman International

New York City continuously seizes to amaze millions, notably for its unmatched entertainment empire. Summer just rolled in, and with that, New Yorkers and visitors expect tons of riveting shows to occur like every year. If you’re familiar with its music festivities, know a thing or two about the Latin alternative scene and know the difference between Bonnaroo and Vive Latino, then surely you’ve got the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) pinned down. But there’s a good chance you don’t know beyond the acronyms, or simply define it as the Latino SXSW or Latin CMJ. If your case is the latter, don’t worry. Let us guide you through it and give you the 101 on LAMC.

What is LAMC?

Though the LAMC is a critically acclaimed event that celebrates the Latin music scene, it’s actually normal to encounter music fest-goers who aren’t too familiar with it. Mainly because 1) they’ve never been to New York, 2) are not too exposed to the Latin alternative milieu. Whatever the case is, here’s a brief rundown.

Firstly, LAMC is a five-consecutive-day summer series of live music and panel discussions–this year commencing July 9-13. Yes, a bunch of Latino artists perform in all of the showcases who obviously play Latin alternative music, and yes again, they are based anywhere in Latin America, Spain or the U.S.

But who’s behind it, why does it exist, and how did it come about?

LAMC was founded by entrepreneur Tomas Cookman, CEO and founder of Nacional Records, in 2000–same year as Vive Latino and Latin Grammys. It emerged during a pivotal time when newer sounds of Latin music sought a more appropriate place to reside, outside of conventional Latin categorizations (regional, pop, rock en Español, etc.). Cookman was already responsible for importing and representing Latin alternative heavyweights like Manu Chao, Aterciopelados, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and other wunderkinds to the U.S. audience via his management and thriving label bringing the “New Sounds of Latin Music”–National’s slogan.

In a convo with Cookman, he recalls, “A little over 14 years ago, I noticed that a lot of the general market conferences were having Latino panels. They were more often than not about the genres of music that I was working with, supporting and championing–and they were well attended. That got a conversation going and before you knew it, the first LAMC was announced.”

Thereafter, Cookman with Nacional Records have been accountable for groundbreaking newer artists into the US such as luminary techno newcomers Bomba Estereo, Nortec Collective, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Pinker Tones among countless more. But when it comes to LAMC performers, not all of them are part of the Nacional roster. Some include artists from Latin American indie labels you probably never heard of like Quemasucabeza (Gepe), Arts&CraftsMX (Torreblanca, Delorean) to corporate major ones that everyone knows like Sony (Calle 13, Julieta Venegas) and Universal (Mala Rodriguez).

Another important thing to know that often gets misconceived is that…

LAMC 2013 happens July 9-13 in New York City.

LAMC isn’t your Latino SXSW or CMJ

Sure, all three above have similar formats (e.g. live showcases, panels, badges, etc.), but very different agendas. SXSW is focused on showcasing local and international music in Texas’ culturally renowned music-heavy city, Austin–a focal point and key differentiator. And CMJ Music Festival introduces college radio, industry types and the audience groundbreaking music around the world across Manhattan and Brooklyn.

So how is LAMC different from these? Three words: Latin alternative music. It is more than just a “Latin” genre but a subculture and an attitude, which we’ll shortly get to. To Tomas Cookman, he explains, “The beauty of it all is that [all music conferences] are important and serve their purposes. It would not make sense for there to be just one outlet for all this creativity. Imagine only the Cannes Film Festival but no Sundance or Toronto Film Festival. The same goes with the Billboard Latin Music Conference [which covers only Latin POP (Shakira, J Lo)]. Music is so varied and markets are so complex that it is key that there are professional and well-run events for people to get together and show what they are all about.”

So what is the LAMC all about? It’s about Latin alternative.

Now, Latin alternative is a fairly new subculture and music genre for the mainstream. Technically, neither “Latin” nor “alternative” are actually real music genres, but as my colleague Matt Barbot of Remezcla puts it, they are “umbrellas covering tons of different styles that have some basic things in common.” Under those umbrellas we’ll see that ñu-cumbia is like cumbia with newer elements, reggaeton and moombahton are totally different sounds and styles, and rock doesn’t have to be ‘en Español’ or is not limited to be. For these reasons and more ‘Latin alternative’ exceeds the categorization of what ‘Latin music’ was considered to be by the mainstream.

But really, it takes way more than a paragraph to explain it all, and Cookman knows that pretty well. He states, “Defining Latin alternative is a full time job as “rock” can be (and all the genres within that broad word). It’s hip-hop (and all its variations), electronica, reggae, tropical… well, just about anything. It’s about wanting something new” He reassures that it’s not just a sound but also an attitude and a feeling, as opposed to being defined by a drumbeat or rhythm. So you see, the spectrum of Latin alternative is very wide with a bright, evolving, and promising future ahead of it.

So what should you expect at LAMC?

First thing to do is reserve your badge. This will guarantee your entry for those five days. It will include access to the press area, panel discussions, and interaction area, all held at the New Yorker Hotel. Here, lots of networking, mingling, and publicity exposure occurs as well as knowledge gaining in the panel room addressing today’s most sought-after topics and debates in the music and media industry. You’ll also notice tons of industry types waiting to sign the next Calle 13, and others aiming for the latest exclusives on Los Rakas, Astro, Natalia Lafourcade… Surely, expect to attend indie and acoustic showcases, massive outdoor concerts, and more, all held in Central Park’s Summerstage, The Mercury Lounge, Crotona Park, S.O.B.’s, Gramercy Theatre, and Prospect Park’s Celebrate Brooklyn.

Indeed, this 2013 will be a bit different then those proceeding because LAMC is expanding not just in music but also in film, books, spoken word and food. Cookman informs us that this is the first year of LAMC Latin Tastes of New York. He says, “We continue to grow year after year and it is our goal to make this the center of all things cool and Latino every year. For one week in July, whatever your art is, you can celebrate it in New York.” And as the saying goes, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.

Now that you got the 101 on LAMC, we await to see you there. Check out the full lineup here and for more info visit www.latinalternative.com.

Filed Under: Events, Slider Tagged With: LAMC, Latin Alternative, Latin Alternative Music Conference, music festival

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