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Sandra Rodriguez

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Like Father, Like Daughter – Meet Beatriz Solís

Mexican musician, singer, composer, actor, and producer Marco Antonio “El Buki” Solís, has apparently passed on the music gene to his eldest daughter Beatriz “Betty” Solís.

The Latin pop, grupero, cumbia, ranchera, and bachata star’s grown child is set to perform in Mexico City, at the Palacio de los Deportes, a spectacular indoor arena, on August 17th. She will be featured in a special Billboard showcase.  Similar events have been held successfully in Chile, Colombia, and outher countries, and it’s the first time it will be hosted in Mexico.

A wide variety of stars such as Lupillo Rivera, Dulce María, Los Polinesios, Kalimba, K9, Diana Jane Hansen, Maite Perroni, José Manuel Figueroa, Alexander Acha, and Juan Solo will be in attendance and performing. These artists have little in common, as the goal is to offer audiences a varied range of genres.  Additionally, an online contest enables fans to select a singer out of four possible candidates, and the winner is added on to the list of stars that will take the stage.

Betty was asked to participate as a result of the popularity attained by her first tracks. She introduced fans to one of them, “Mi nueva historia”, during her dad’s shows held in 2016. Father and daughter sang it together and it made for a touching moment.  A concert video of the song has been seen on YouTube over 2.5 million times, and the official song video already has roughly 1.6 million views.

The 29-year-old chanteuse started singing as a little girl at family parties, not surprising, given that her mother, Beatriz Adriana, is also a big ranchera music star.  In April, following the release of her second single, “Llévame”, Betty played several venues in California. After the Billboard showcase in Mexico City, she will offer a number of presentations, both within Mexico and in other countries, soon to be announced.

She is currently wrapping up production for her third single, “Nuestro amor se fue”, composed by her dad.

Enjoy “Mi Nueva Historia”, by Beatriz Solís Ft. Marco Antonio Solís and a few of her music videos:

Synth-Pop Bands Moenia and Belanova to Begin US Tour

This May, Belanova and Moenia, two of the most popular electronica-synth-pop groups to emerge from Mexico, will offer live shows in several major American cities. Moenia has racked up much fan support since it was founded, even before the mid-90s, when the group launched a self-titled debut album. It is known for pioneering an experimental and poetic side of Spanish-language electronica. “No Puedo Estar Sin Ti,” “No Dices Más,” “Déjame Entrar,” “Estabas Ahí,” and “Manto Estelar” have been a few of their hit singles.

Their 2004 tribute album “Stereohits” features a compilation of cover tunes from beloved international artists from the 80’s and 90’s, including Mecano, Los Amantes de Lola, and Soda Stereo—highly recommended for Gen X-ers who remember the original tunes and younger generations open to musical discovery.

Enjoy the visually stunning video for “Comerte Mejor”, one of the more recent Moenia songs:

Lead singer Denisse Guerrero, along with band members Edgar Huerta (keyboards, programming) and Ricardo “Richie” Arreola (bass, guitar), formed band Belanova and have been delighting audiences since the year 2000 with tunes such as “Por Ti,” “No Me Voy a Morir,” and “Nada Es Igual”.

Watch the video for the upbeat “One, Two, Three, Go!,” and fall in love with Guerrero’s distinctive voice:

Catch both bands in concert this May. They are slated to be in Seattle (Moore Theatre), San Francisco (The Warfield Theatre), Los Angeles (Microsoft Theater), Denver (Gothic Theatre), Kansas City (Arvest Bank Theatre), Rosemont (Rosemont Theatre), and New York (Playstation Theater). Click Here to find tickets in your city!

Jenny and The Mexicats Celebrate 10th Anniversary with a New Tour

Last year we featured Jenny and The Mexicats when we announced their third studio album, “Mar Abierto,” click here!

They recently announced their upcoming tour to celebrate their 10th year anniversary.

Upcoming shows include:
Friday 20 July 2018 – 191 Toole, Tucson, AZ
Wednesday 25 July 2018 – The Casbah, San Diego, CA
Thursday 26 July 2018 – The Parish at House of Blues Anaheim, Anaheim, CA

See a full list of concerts in your area here!

Enjoy a few of their popular videos:

 

 

World Fusion Band Tanga Releases Exciting New Music

“Tanga” is a word that automatically makes some Spanish speaker’s ears perk up if only because the word means “thong”—and not as in a sandal, but as in a very revealing type of underwear. It’s also a word that immediately makes world fusion fans sit up and take notice, since a Vancouver-based band by that name, founded in 2007, is known for blending Caribbean beats with East African marimba music, Colombian electrocumbia and Guatemalan dancehall.

Their first full-length album, Simmer & Serve, was followed by Havanaelectro, which was recorded in Cuba and nominated for the 2014 Western Canadian Music Awards: World Recording of the Year and the 2014 Canadian Folk Music Awards: World Group of the Year.
The release for Reencarnción, their third album, is set for March 7th. It will excite audiences with a fresh take on urban Latin music, and will include singles “Guanchaka,” featuring special guest MC Guanaco; “Cumbia Loca,” and “Hasta al Fin,” recorded with troubadour Benjamin Venagas.

Record label TrebleFive’s Reencarnación was the result of the band’s travels to Ecuador, which inspired the artists to add an Ecuadorian feel to their sound, which this time around is fueled by warm coastal breezes, Amazonian fire water, and sweaty club grooves.
The band actually recorded in Quito, where they transformed old apartments into a studio and collaborated with local stars. Then, Tanga traveled through the edge of the Amazon toward Esmeraldas, currently a musical hotspot, and turned a beach house into another makeshift studio.

Christian Martinez (vocalist and lyricist), Sangito Bigelow (vocalist and percussions), Chris Couto (timbales), Jay Esplana (keyboards), Matt Reid (bass), Issah Contractor (drums), Adam Popowitz (guitar), and Malcolm Aiken (trumpet) are festival favorites. Check out a list of upcoming live shows at Tangaband.com

Enjoy the below videos:

Texas star Gina Chavez announces deeply personal EP

Austin-based singer-songwriter Gina Chavez recently delighted audiences with a new, very touching song titled “Heaven Knows”. Now, she is announcing “Lightbeam”, a five-song EP to be released this upcoming summer.

This EP was inspired by Chavez’s own relationship. A proponent of marriage equality, at age 24 she identified as staunchly Catholic. Despite her religious views, she soon fell for the woman she eventually wed and deeply loves to this day. The songs express and celebrate that love. Chavez is known for bilingual Latin folk-pop, yet this EP will showcase a different sophisticated, sensual, and decidedly soulful style. Fans of the 2015 Austin Musician of the Year are sure to be dazzled by her versatility as an artist, and moved by her highly personal lyrics.

The Texan musician is well-travelled and her talent has led to international acclaim. On her official website, she mentions she and her band toured Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and that covering “Nazar Nazar”, a song popularized by Uzbek pop star Sardor Rahimxon, allowed her to acquire overnight fame throughout the region.

See her live closer to home during the Official SXSW 2018 showcase, scheduled for March 14 at Austin venue Flamingo Cantina. For additional show dates, music, and more information on the award-winning artist, visit GinaChavez.com.

Enjoy her new song “Heaven Knows”

 

Award-winning Dominican artist Vicente García to perform at legendary SoCal venue

Singer-songwriter Vicente García, Best New Artist at the Latin Grammys, will be offering a concert in Los Angeles on February 27 as part of his International A La Mar Tour.
The dreadlocked Dominican has gained quite a following thanks to his unexpected fusion of reggae, bachata, blues, jazz, folk, salsa, merengue, and other genres. His music is influenced both by the sounds of the Caribbean and a more urban sensibility he picked up while living in Bogotá, Colombia. Talented and versatile, he has worked on collaborations with Latin artists and bands such as Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Sanz, Juanes, Maná, and Camila.

In 2016, García released a hugely successful album, “A la Mar”, featuring “Carmesí” and “Dulcito e Coco,” two of his most popular singles. The following year his A La Mar Tour took off. Tour stops included Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, Mexico; Lima, Peru, and Medellín, Colombia. European fans were also treated to shows in Spain and Belgium.

Now, fans in the Los Angeles area will be able to see the award-winning singing sensation live at legendary concert venue Troubadour (9081 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90069), where music greats including Neil Young, Elton John, Neil Diamond. Billy Joel, Leonard Cohen, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Guns N Roses, Pearl Jam, Korn, Radiohead, Johnny Cash, Queens of the Stone Age, Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Tom Jones, Nine Inch Nails, and Sam Smith have performed.

Tickets and additional concert info available at Troubadour.com

LA Fashion Show to Shine a Spotlight on Pre-Hispanic and Mexican Cultures

Let’s talk FASHION! Mexican fashion line Sindashi is set to hold a runway show on February 22nd, and anyone interested in viewing spectacular garments and traditional Mexican fabrics and embroidery is welcome to attend.

The collection to be shown is truly unique. The silhouettes and styles are contemporary, glamorous, and cool— something a trendsetter, influencer or tastemaker might be happy to wear to a dinner party, a red carpet, a gallery opening, or a wine tasting, or even just for a photo to post on Instagram.

However, this is not disposable fashion. These are not pieces to wear for just one season. These are masterpieces to be treasured, not only because they are gorgeous, but also out of respect for Mexican and pre-Hispanic cultures, such as the Otomi people, the Huicholes, the Aztecs, and the Mayans, which were the sources of inspiration for the line.  Garments are made out of cotton, linen, wool, and other natural fibers. Each handcrafted piece is one-of-a-kind, and signed by the individual who created it. Ladies from indigenous communities in Mexico, embroidery experts, help make these true masterpieces, and are fairly compensated for their work and given incentives. This, in turn, often allows them to escape from abuse and live with dignity.

The Sindashi line, which can be found in Mexico, in places such as super hot travel destination San Miguel de Allende, is also currently available in LA at a boutique known as BeYunik.

The runway show, featuring Mexican women as models, will be a part of an event hosted by Raw Artists, to take place at Boulevard3, a popular Los Angeles venue. The show itself is set to start at 7 P.M. Get your tickets here!

Learn more by viewing these videos:

Plus, Boulevard3 is no stranger to the fashion scene. Also, look at Enrique Iglesias leaving the venue:

 

Prehispanic Sounds and Electronica Amaze International Audiences

Photography by Nelson Aguilar

DJ and producer Alyosha Barreiro, along with band Nok Niuk, are the Mexican artists that make up Prehispánica Electrónica. They recently performed in Los Angeles, sharing their unique brand of music, which, as their name would suggest, fuses ancient prehispanic sounds with exciting electronic beats.

As part of the “2017: Year of Mexico in Los Angeles (MXLA 2017)” program, Barreiro and Nok Niuk offered an unforgettable, intensely moving multimedia concert in front of over 5000 spectators. This outdoor event was held at the Bell Gardens Veterans Park.
“It was truly an honor to be able to perform in such an important city, especially in times of such great political differences. It seems to me that it is time to unite and sympathize with our Northern brothers who are going through very difficult times,” said Barreiro. “It’s important to remind them where we came from and where we’re heading.”

Over the course of roughly one hour, Prehispánica Electrónica led the audience through a thrilling journey that included solemn ancestral Aztec rituals as well as a climactic scene featuring an explosion of energy, contemporary sounds, music generated by synthesizer, and enveloping atmospheric melodies coming from flutes and ancient instruments called ocarinas.  “Our goals were always clear: to reestablish our identity as proud Mexicans, to honor our ancestors, to forget—even if just for a moment— that there is a border created by political ideology, and, most importantly, to highlight that, in the end, our essence and our past unite us and give us our identity,” stated Barreiro.

The LA concert had a special musical guest, Karin Burnett, who came onstage around the midpoint of the show. She immediately captured the attention of the audience with a dramatic interpretation of the passage of souls through Mictlan, the underworld described in Aztec lore. Profoundly touching songs, as well as prayers recited in Nahuatl, bookended her appearance.  Burnett has had a very successful career thanks to a project called Afrodita, in which she and fellow musician Immanuel Miranda fuse cumbia, ballads, and electronica in order to create unexpectedly sensual tracks.

Visual artist Gustavo Cisneros was in charge of creating the dazzling multimedia world in which the Prehispánica Electrónica show took place.  It goes without saying that the artists love Mexico. On social media, at this time they express deep sorrow over the recent earthquake that took the lives of nearly 300 people at last count, and left many others homeless or destitute.

Barreiro, around the time of the show, mentioned there were plans for upcoming concerts in Mexico City—which is now astounding the world with its spirit of solidarity and collaboration in the aftermath of the earthquake—as well as in the Netherlands and Austria.

Find Prehispánica Electrónica on Facebook and watch an amazing Spanish-language video below:

 

Periko and Jessi León release video shot in gorgeous South Florida

Singer-songwriters Periko, from Peru, and Jessi Leon, from Argentina, are a true Latin pop sensation. This bicultural, bilingual duo joined forces after a chance meeting in Miami.
A highly successful first joint studio album titled “Fuerza Mayor” earned Periko and Jessi the coveted Latin Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist.” Now, the two friends are promoting “Sal y Pimienta,” another album which is now distributed digitally under Sony Music.

“Besos de Caramelo” – or “Caramel Kisses”— is their second single from this album, and the music video was just released. Scenes were shot in amazing locations that might be recognized by eagle-eyed residents of South Florida. These include the beach in Jupiter, certain parts of the exciting Everglades and a gorgeous field of sunflowers in the city of Homestead. Fans not familiar with these places will most likely be tempted to pack their bags and visit.

A young Colombian talent, Juan Manuel Sierra, directed the modern, sexy video, featuring not only the aforementioned stunning locations but also a surprise ending in which Periko and the beautiful Jessi do something for the very first time. Discover what that would be by viewing the video below:

 

Chyno Miranda Shares Proposal Music Video & New Salsa Song Featuring Wisin & Gente De Zona

Venezuelan performer Chyno Miranda dedicated a song titled “Tú Me Elevas” to his significant other, Natasha Araos, when he proposed. Fans can enjoy this highly romantic track, now available on all major digital platforms, as well as its music video, shot in beautiful Canaima, Venezuela.

Chyno had traveled to a popular national park in Canaima to shoot scenes. Natasha thought she would be the featured in the video as a model, but was not aware of her then-boyfriend’s plan to pop the question.

Three days into the shoot, Natasha couldn’t find her man anywhere, but agreed to take a helicopter ride she was invited on. When she looked out the window, she saw the artist was by Salto Ángel, known as the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall. He then asked her to marry him. Children from a local community, the Pemon tribe, sang and joined in a traditional ceremony to bless the couple.

Chyno and Natasha recently wed in Miami. The “Tú Me Elevas” video shows exactly how this touching and undoubtedly unique proposal took place. Watch it here:

Chyno fans will also be pleased to learn that his first single as a solo act, “Quédate Conmigo” (“Stay With Me”) is now available in a salsa version. Chyno teamed up with talented musicians Wisin and Gente de Zona and released it this month, September 2017, on digital platforms.

The original song, from this past July, delighted audiences in Venezuela and Ecuador, where it reached Number 1 on the charts just one week after dropping. Streamed over 14 million times on Spotify, it was also highly successful in the U.S., Argentina, Chile, Peru and numerous other countries. The video, on YouTube, currently boasts around  34 million views.

The new “Quédate Conmigo” song is not meant to compete against the original one, but rather to offer salsa or tropical music lovers a treat. Perfect for dancing!

Enjoy the brand-new version here: