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[4/6] Preview: Vallejo at Cactus Cafe

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Austin-based modern rock band Vallejo are not only multiple Austin Music Award winners, but have the reputation for being one of the best live bands in the city. Their blend of old school arena rock and traditional Latin percussion has allowed the El Campo, Texas natives to win over new fans from all walks of life. Currently the band is composed of Vallejo brothers A.J. (lead vocals & guitar), Omar (bass) and Alejandro (drums). Bruce Castleberry (guitar) and Alex Geismar (percussion) complete the lineup.

Currently, Vallejo is in the studio recording their new album, Brothers Brew. According to Vallejo’s official website, Brothers Brew is tentatively scheduled to be released in early June. The album will feature ten new songs which were all written and recorded by the group themselves. The CD Release show will also be announced soon. We’ll be sure and keep you posted.

Tonight, April 6, Vallejo will be headlining a special acoustic show at Cactus Cafe.  Their friends Candiland, Naga Valli, Zach Baker and Jeff Hartsough will be joining them throughout the night’s set. A free copy of Vallejo’s Acousta CD will be given to the first 50 people upon entry. Doors open at 8 p.m. Show starts at 8:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. Admission is $15. Advance tickets can be purchased here. Visit the event post on Do512 here.

Listen to music from Vallejo below.

(Note: The Cactus Cafe & Bar is located at 2247 Guadalupe Street. It is across from the University Co-op and is located in the southwest corner of the Texas Union building. The Texas Union, at the corner of 24th and Guadalupe, is on the University of Texas campus.  Entrance to the Cactus is through the main West Mall Lobby.)

[4/4] Preview: Movimiento Rockero showcase at Antone’s

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Movimiento Rockero on April 4
Movimiento Rockero on April 4

Movimiento Rockero is a group of Austin-based Latin rock and alternative rock bands uniting to raise awareness and support for the genre in Austin and beyond. The collective debuted in 2011 with Thursday night showcases at Ruta Maya on South Congress. This year, the showcases moved to Wednesday nights at the legendary Austin music venue Antone’s. The fourth Movimiento Rockero showcase of 2012 will be Wednesday, April 4.

Waco, Texas’ Beautiful Disturbance opens the night’s showcase. A quartet that formed in March 2010, their music is influenced by classic American hard rock. Having performed on the January Movimiento Rockero showcase, the band looks to turn heads here in Austin. Beautiful Disturbance performs at 9 p.m.

Houston’s Los Guerreros De La Musica will make its Austin debut at this show. Formed in February 2009, the group is composed of experienced musicians who came from other previous bands from all walks of life. Their sound falls under the Latin fusion genre, incorporating elements of rock, ska, reggae and traditional Latin rhythms. Los Guerreros De La Musica performs at 10 p.m.

Headlining the night’s showcase is local rock en español band Kalua. A co-founder of the Movimiento Rockero collective, Kalua music is influenced by their American, Mexican, Colombian and Venezuelan backgrounds. After a brief hiatus in 2010, the band has since regrouped with frontman Juan Díaz’s younger brother Sam Díaz on guitar. Kalua perform at 11.

Get a taste of first time Austin performers Los Guerreros De La Musica with this live video clip below. Antone’s is located at 213 West 5th St. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9. Advance tickets are available for $5 here. Cover will be $7 at the door. Visit the event page on Facebook here and on Do512 here.

[3/8] Preview: Kalua, Kiko Y La Banda at Jovita’s

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Every Thursday night Jovita’s features a variety of Latin music for their “Sound Is Brown” showcase series. Previous artists have included Chris Castaneda Project, Braulio Y Fuzzion, JR Gomez, Son Armado, Tiburon, and even Flaco Jimenez just to name a few. Started by the talented Austin-based musician Clemencia Zapata, the weekly series aims to showcasing Latino talent from all walks of life at an affordable price. We’re joining our good friend Clemencia this week as we present two of our local favorites together, Kalua and Kiko Y La Banda.

Austin-based Rock en Español purists Kalua open the showcase. Their  music fuses American modern rock with Spanish lyrics, creating a classic ’80s Rock en Español sound with a modern edge. After a brief hiatus in 2010, the band has since regrouped with frontman Juan Díaz’s younger brother Sam Díaz on guitar. Recently the band has been adding strings to their live sets but they are going back to their original rockero roots performing without them on Thursday night.  Kalua perform at 8:30pm.

Following Kalua will be Austin-based Kiko Y La Banda. Formerly of Huerta Culture, frontman Kiko Villamizar is a staple in the Latin music scene in both Austin and San Antonio. Fans of Vallenato, Boléro and Colombian cumbia will want to stay late as Kiko Y La Banda perform at 10:00pm.

Jovita’s is located at 1619 South 1st Street. All ages are welcome. Cover is $5. Doors open at 8:00pm. Parking is free. Visit the event post on Facebook here and on Do512 here.

[3/7] Preview: Movimiento Rockero showcase at Antone’s

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Movimiento Rockero is a group of Austin-based Latin rock and alternative rock bands uniting to raise awareness and support for the genre in Austin and beyond. The collective debuted in 2011 with Thursday night showcases at Ruta Maya on South Congress. This year, the showcases moved to Wednesday nights at the legendary Austin music venue, Antone’s. The third Movimiento Rockero showcase of 2012 will be Wednesday, March 7.

Headlining this month’s showcase will be Austin-based Rock en Español purists and Movimiento Rockero regulars, Kalua. Their  music fuses American modern rock with Spanish lyrics, creating a classic ’80s Rock en Español sound with a modern edge. After a brief hiatus in 2010, the band has since regrouped with frontman Juan Díaz’s younger brother Sam Díaz on guitar. Recently the band has been adding strings to their live sets. Kalua perform at 11:00pm.

The guest on Wednesday’s showcase is Austin-based YAYO. Lead by and named after guitarist/vocalist Yayo Sanchez, the band is an old-school style throwback to when rock bands partied on the Sunset Strip, had long hair and shredded on guitar. Sanchez is backed by James Pagliuco, Gavin “T-rex” Zapata, and Aaron Altounian. In January, the band went into the studio with producer Brian Virtue (30 seconds to Mars, Jane’s Addiction) to record their first professional EP entitled Who We Are. YAYO perform at 10:00pm.

Listen to music from headliner Kalua below.


ComScore

Haydn Vitera. will be opening the night’s showcase at 9:00pm with a rare solo set. Antone’s is located at 213 West 5th Street. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 8:00pm. Show at 9:00pm. Advance tickets are available for $5 here. Cover will be $7 at the door. Visit the event page on Facebook here and on  Do512 here.

(2/8) Preview: Movimiento Rockero showcase at Antone’s

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Movimiento Rockero is a group of Austin-based Latin rock and alternative rock bands uniting to raise awareness and support for the genre in Austin and beyond. The collective debuted in 2011 with Thursday night showcases at Ruta Maya on South Congress. This year, the showcases moved to Wednesday nights at the legendary Austin music venue, Antone’s. This second Movimiento Rockero showcase of 2012 will be Wednesday, February 8.

Austin-based Vitera headlines the showcases. Vitera’s blend of modern rock and Latin rhythms have made them an Austin favorite amongst rockeros. The Spanglish lyrics sung by frontman and rock violinist Haydn Vitera create a sound that is reminiscent of the ’80s Rock en Español and ’90s alternative eras. Vitera is performing in support of their latest album, ¡Súbete!.

Joining Vitera will be Austin-based Rock en Español purists and Movimiento Rockero regulars, Kalua. Their  music fuses American modern rock with Spanish lyrics, creating a classic ’80s Rock en Español sound with a modern edge. After a brief hiatus in 2010, the band has since regrouped with frontman Juan Díaz’s younger brother Sam Díaz on guitar.

The special guest on this month’s showcase will be Austin-based Rock en Español band SPG.  Antone’s is located at 213 West 5th Street. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 8:00pm. Show at 9:00pm. Advance tickets are available for $5 here. Cover will be $7 at the door. Visit the event page on Do512 here.

View our live photos of January’s Movimiento Rockero showcase  by Kristie Bocanegra below.

Free Week Photo Recap: Austin Vida showcase at Stubb’s

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Angel Ferrer and Chris Pérez at Stubb's (photo by Kristie Bocanegra)

On Friday, Jan. 6, we concluded our Austin Vida Free Week showcases at the legendary Stubb’s BBQ. This was our rock en español showcase, featuring some of Austin’s long-time local favorites Kalua, Vitera and Maneja Beto. Kalua performed for the first time with a string section to compliment singer Juan Diaz’s mariachi-rock vocals while Maneja Beto performed with new female members, one of them an accordionist.

Our headliner was the new musical project from Grammy winner Chris Pérez. This was the first show for The Chris Pérez Project since their 2009 Pachanga Fest performance.The band is fronted by Austin-based singer-songwriter by way of Puerto Rico, Angel Ferrer. The group performed new material including their latest single “Todo es diferente” and the hugely popular “Best I Can.” For those of us in attendance who were around in the ’90s and are fans of Selena, it was a beautiful moment and Ferrer pulled it off well. In fact, their entire set was pulled off well to say the least.

We proved at Stubb’s that night that one of the most sneered at genres in Latin music, rock en español, not only has an enthusiastic fan base in Austin but performers that can win over even the most discriminating music fans from all backgrounds. For us at Austin Vida to have been able to put this showcase together and offer it to fans for free was truly something special.

* This show was sponsored in part by The City of Austin, Pachanga Latino Music Fest, Red River Noise and SATX Music.

All photos by Kristie Bocanegra.

(1/21) Preview: Austin Vida presents La Frenetika & Bombasta at Jovita’s

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After a very successful Free Week to kick off what should be a great year for Latin music here in the “Live Music Capital,” we are back at it again with our first official Austin Vida showcase of 2012. We are introducing a new monthly residency at Jovita’s, a South Austin staple and long time supporter of Latin music.  We wanted to kick it off with one big Latin dance party by presenting two sure fire party starters, Austin’s La Frenetika and San Antonio’s Bombasta.

La Frenetika is group of friends and musicians who came together to create an Austin-based band that performed Vallenato and Colombian style cumbia. The band also features current Kalua bass player Andres Acevedo and former Kalua member Andres Junca.  Arrive early and be ready to dance as La Frenetika perform at 9:30pm.

Headlining the night’s showcase is the “barrio bigband” from San Antonio, Bombasta. On Saturday night, frontman Roberto Livar will be celebrating his birthday. Be ready for even more energy and excitement from San Antonio’s answer to Ozomatli. For those not yet familiar with Bombasta, their music combines elements of traditional Latin rhythms, hip hop, salsa, rock and funk. Stay late and dance the night away as Bombasta perform at 11:00pm.

Listen to “De La Calle” from Bombasta below and download the song directly from the bandcamp widget.

Jovita’s is located at 1619 South 1st Street. All ages are welcome. Cover is $. Doors open at 8:00pm. Parking is free. Visit the event post on Facebook here and on Do512 here.

(1/11) Preview: Movimiento Rockero showcase at Antone’s

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Movimiento Rockero is a group of Austin-based Latin rock and alternative rock bands uniting to raise awareness and support for the genre in Austin and beyond. The collective debuted in 2011 with Thursday night showcases at Ruta Maya on South Congress. This year, the showcases will be moving to Wednesday nights at the legendary Austin music venue, Antone’s. This first Movimiento Rockero showcase of 2012 will be Wednesday, January 11.

Austin-based Vitera headlines the show. Their blend of modern rock and Latin rhythms have made them an Austin favorite amongst rockeros. The Spanglish lyrics sung by frontman and rock violinist Haydn Vitera create a sound that is reminiscent of the ’80s Rock en Español and ’90s alternative eras. Vitera is performing in support of their latest album, ¡Súbete!.

Co-headlining the showcase is Austin’s Rock en Español purists, Kalua. Their  music fuses American modern rock with Spanish lyrics, creating a classic ’80s Rock en Español sound with a modern edge. After a brief hiatus in 2010, the band has since regrouped with frontman Juan Díaz’s younger brother Sam Díaz on guitar. Watch Kalua on this recent Austin Underground interview featuring Austin Vida  intern Elizabeth Blancas here.

The guest band of the night will be Waco, Texas-based Beautiful Disturbance. A four-piece that formed in March of 2010, their music is influenced by American hard rock. Lead by vocalist Brenda Flores, Beautiful Disturbance will soon turn heads as they work their way into Austin and Central Texas.

Watch Vitera’s music video for their single “Todo,Mi Vida” below:

Antone’s is located at 213 West 5th Street. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 8:00pm. Show at 9:00pm. Advance tickets are available for $5 here. Cover will be $7 at the door. Visit the even page on Do512 here.