=”” height=”250″ width=”302″>We’ve for the most part stayed away from this topic over the course of the past several weeks. Meanwhile, fans of America TV across the city have watched pundits on every show in the lineup debating Juanes’ motives for going to perform in Cuba in the controversial concert…
You know here at Crossfade we like to give you guys plenty of locally relevant music news. Like cool goings on having to do with some of your favorite local acts, MP3s you can download for your own listening pleasure, the skinny on concerts in town and other fun stuff…
Los Enanitos Verdes (“The Little Green Dwarves”) are pretty much the grand daddies of alternative rock in their native Venezuela Argentina. They’ve been in the game a hell of a long time — 30 years, if you count the early days, before guitarist Sergio Embroni and keyboardist Tito Dávila signed…
Puerto Rican duo Wisin y Yandel is without question the most successful reggaeton act in the history of the genre, outselling all the other heavyweights. Anyone remotely familiar with the genre will recognize their song “Rakata,” originally off the Mas Flow II (More Flow II) compilation and then later released…
Venezuelan jazz pianist/composer Silvano Monasterios is no stranger to accolades. It seems he’s been earning them since he began his professional music career at the young age of 18. In 1989, he received an award for “Best Soloist” in the Miami Jazz Festival. In ’91 he earned an “Outstanding Soloist”…
Songstress and Miami native Sol Ruiz seems to go by a lot of monikers–Neo Hippie Rain Maker of Cuban decent and flower child of Psychedelic Cuban Blues, just a few of them (though admittedly the most catchy). The later is probably the closest thing to pass for a description of…
From the land of the pisco sour comes a new, and even more intoxicating Peruvian export–FatKingBulla. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of a bold statement. Pisco sours are some strong stuff. Just ask my ex-neighbor about that morning I woke up on his lawn cradling his garden gnome (nothing happened…
Calling an artist a living legend in print can be a tricky business, with the risk of vocal naysayer upheaval very real. It requires either a certain disregard for reader opinion or a subject whose trajectory speaks so loudly that the writer’s words become less an affirmation than mere statement…
Songstress and Miami native Sol Ruiz seems to go by a lot of monikers–Neo Hippie Rain Maker of Cuban decent and flower child of Psychedelic Cuban Blues, just a few of them (though admittedly the most catchy). The later is probably the closest thing to pass for a description of…
From the land of the pisco sour comes a new, and even more intoxicating Peruvian export–FatKingBulla. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of a bold statement. Pisco sours are some strong stuff. Just ask my ex-neighbor about that morning I woke up on his lawn cradling his garden gnome (nothing happened…
Yo, WTF’s up with Jorge Moreno? It seems that, aside from a seemingly isolated performance on last December’s Victoria Secret Fashion Show, we haven’t heard from the talented Cuban-American singer-songwriter in some time. The release of his Grammy and Latin Grammy nominated debut record Moreno showed incredible promise, spawning tracks…
You no doubt remember the ultra-cool group Yerba Buena, the kick-ass group founded by producer Andres Levin. Its 2003 debut album, President Alien, earned it a Grammy nod, in part because of the smash success of the band’s catchy first single, “Guajira.” The group’s female vocalist, CuCu Diamantes, has had a…
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A Peruvian, two Cubans, an Argentine, a kid from Bean Town and a guy from the Heartland walk into a bar. Okay, it’s not actually a joke, but you’ve got to admit there’s crazy potential right there in the setup. Instead of…
Well, it’s Labor Day, ladies and gentlemen. That time of year that pretty much waves adios to the summer and renders your collection of white clothes useless (unless you’re a santero in the process of haciendote un santo). Kids are back in school and the fall weather is right around…
You know who’s really got their shit together when it comes to having a good time? Brazilians. I mean think about it. Carnaval, caipirinhas, Brazilian steakhouses, those Brazilian bikinis, Brazilian waxing…ok, maybe that last one is only fun in the post stages. But you get my drift.Now offering you yet…
People tend to give Argentina the most props for developments in Latin rock. Bands from that country, such as Soda Stereo and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, garnered widespread attention not only in their homeland but also all across Latin America. Farther north, though, Venezuela offers more in the way of valuable…
In case you missed the film La Mala when it played in Miami-Dade College’s Muestra de Cine Cubano in May, the opportunity presents itself once again to catch this flick. The movie is based on the life of legendary Cuban singer, La Lupe, played by singer-songwriter and pianist, Lena. For…
Perhaps you’re not an avid follower of the vast array of traditional styles that generally get lumped together under the banner Regional Mexican. And I won’t lie to you, neither am I. But millions upon millions of record sales annually (and the fact they’re playing the AAA) indicate that there…
What’s shakin’ party people? If you’re planning on heading to Transit this weekend, the answer to that question is a simple one: your asses. Because that’s what happens without fail whenever one of Miami’s local favorites, Suenalo!, takes the stage for their frequent appearances around the city. The eight-piece band,…
Argentine alternative group Babasónicos boasts an impressive longevity in the evanescent world of rock ‘n’ roll. Nearly 18 years after its founding, the band is now reduced to a five-piece from its original six, following the tragic loss of Gabriel “Gabo” Manelli to Hodgkin’s disease last year. Still, Babasónicos continues…
You wouldn’t think right off the bat of the Upstairs at the Van Dyke for a venue in which to enjoy the energetic, infectious and heavily rhythmic amalgam that is Bachaco’s music. But then again, Lanzallamas Monofonica will be taking the same stage one night prior, and it’s not their…
Tune in, freak out, get naked. That’s Marujah’s motto. And theirs is music as befitting of public nudity as any. But the unique blend they call world-step/dub-funk/electro-rock is not exactly what you’d expect of a band hailing from Tennessee.Almost equal parts rock, reggae and Latin, the songs that comprise Marujah’s…
