Latin Alternative Music Conference- Day 2

Day 2 of my attendance at the Latin Alternative Music Conference began with a panel on cloud streaming and the future of digital music. I'm not going to lie; it was kind of boring, maybe because I still listen to albums on CD and vinyl. I still prefer to go to a physical location, thumb through bins, come across a group I've never heard of or vaguely am aware of, and buy a few records. That's not to say that I don't buy CDs on Amazon or download an MP3 of a catchy tune by itself if I don't feel like purchasing the whole album, but there is nothing like the hit or miss of browsing- I've come across some of my favorite music this way.

Anyway, onwards and upwards, after a quick lunch at Grand Central station, I returned for the afternoon's panel on festivals and converts. This panel was more up my alley, since I help plan events with the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte. Included in this panel where Todd Patrick, who organizes concerts in Brooklyn and recently was featured in the NY Times for a rock festival he put on in Monterrey, Mexico. Also present were Andy Wood, who puts on the La Linea Festival in London, Laura Quinlan, who organizes the Heineken TransAtlantic Festival in Miami, and Erika Elliot, who choses the acts for NYC's Summerstage concert series. Something Mrs. Elliot said struck me as funny; she says she searches the world for up and coming artists and cutting edge acts, yet I've often been struck by how mundane and unoriginal the choice of featured artists at Summerstage has been. I'll give three examples:
1. The R&B and Rap artists featured at Summerstage are usually washed-up singers or over-the-hill rappers; where is the focus on finding young performers?
2. While the Latin musicians featured this week were outstanding performers, I noticed that all of them were from Nacional Records. All of them, except perhaps Ana Tijoux, hail from traditoinal centers of Latin music production, whether it be the Los Angeles metroplex, Mexico, or Spain. How alternative is that? Why, if one is searching the world over, can't you find talented musicians in Cochabamba, Guayaquil, Asuncion or Atlanta?
3. This one Mrs. Elliot said herself: Country music is not featured much at Summerstage. Wow! Now I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary country music, but I appreciate a good country song as much as I would a good South African isicathamiya performance or an Indonesian gamelan composition. She made it seem that the omission of country music was not because of a lack of space but through her bias or disdain for the genre.
But I digress, the panel was entertaining and informative, and afterwards I spoke with Laura from Miami about the possibility of collaborating on bring artists through Charlotte when they play in Miami.

After the panel, I met Daliz and we headed downtown for a quick bite to eat before the first concert of the night. At Le Poisson Rouge, I listened to an acoustic set where 10 different bands each played 2 songs. They were short sets to say the least, but the groups made the most of it, giving energetic performances. In particular, I enjoyed hearing The Pinkertones and other groups that rely heavily on electronics and technology show a different side. While other artists demonstrated how comfortable they are in a coffeeshop/lounge setting playing laid back gems and wooing the crowd. For singer-songwriter Alex Cuba, for example, the night show was just a continuation of an impromptu afternoon set where he played his guitar in the hotel lobby in front of gathered friends. While there were a few complaints from the crowd towards the end, I thought the sound man did a wonderful job changing out the bands in record time and getting almost all the equipment to work properly (There were more changeovers in 2 hours than in an all day festival). The barrage of music kept coming, and I barely had time to process one band in my head before another one took the stage. The sampler ended with Moderrato, a cheesy retro glam band playing, giving me a taste of what would come in their set later that night. Here are some photos, I apologize for the band's I don't label, help me out if you recognize them:

Locos Por Juana


Alex Cuba






Los Pinkertones








Moderrato


After the acoustic show, I headed over to the Bowery Ballroom where another concert was taking place. This was decidedly not an acoustic set, the instruments were electrified, mics turned up, and the floor was open, no lounging here.

The first group I saw featured a member of the Cuban group Orishas, Youtel, who now fronts his own rock band playing a heavy powerful style which mixes in congas and horns.





Next I listened as La Bien Quierida sang a gentler, pop style from Spain. The lead singer, Ana Fernandez-Villaverde has an intriguing voice and a few dedicated fans crowded the stage.



Isa GT, where do I begin with Isa GT. She plays an electronic funk that seems straight off the streets of Medellin and London, she dances around the stage with trememdous energy, but I was most fasciniated by her kick-ass Virgin Mary t-shirt. When she finished I wasn't sure if I liked or was intimidated by her music, but she definitely brings a stage presence.




For a few songs, an Argentine rapper crashed the stage. She had a gimmick, a rat-a-tat refain that she kept repeating, but I forgot her name.



Camilo Lara is Mexican Institute of Sound. He brought an electronic dance style to the stage with much enthusiasm. Everybody loved it and started dancing, the highlight of the night.



Moderrato- for some reason I love these guys, which everybody has already started to make fun of me for, but whatever. Apparently they started off in the late 90s playing covers of 80s hair bands for fun, and it turned into something more serious. But at 2 o'clock at the morning, I think it's sometimes better to rock some old covers rather than posture as a serious rock band. Besides the bass player had a machine gun bass and the drummer makes Ben Stiller model faces and wears make-up. What!