Translated by Megan Edgerton.<\/p>\n
In terms of the genre, I want to maintain a casual, but informed register as you would expect to see in a music review magazine or journal. I will do this by utilizing musical terminology where it is possible and a professional but casual tone, especially in the descriptions, verbs, and transitions that could use a boost.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Source texts: “Monte Negro: Dos lenguas y una ‘Cicatrix'”<\/a>, “Se avecina tormenta, Doma Tornados”<\/a>, “Ximena Sari\u00f1ana: Actriz y cantante nada ‘Mediocre'”<\/a>, and “Entrevista – Todos Tus Muertos”<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cMonte Negro: Two languages, One \u2018Cicatrix\u2019\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
Every once in awhile, you\u2019ll stumble upon a band that stands out among the rest. In this case, they\u2019re called Monte Negro. With their first LP, Cicatrix, Monte Negro offers an impressive mix of what truly represents the \u201cAlterlatino\u201d rock scene.<\/p>\n
Confining Monte Negro to a specific genre is debatable ; Kinski, the vocalist of the group, jumps from Spanish to English as if they were the same language, leaving the listener wondering whether to classify it as \u201crock\u201d or \u201cSpanish rock\u201d . The hybridity of their music is clear to see in their first single, \u201cGive me Love (no Llores).\u201d It exhibits a reggae rhythm carried in the guitar line while simultaneously incorporating lyrics that could be confused for those of a rock ballad by Poison or Whitesnake.<\/p>\n
On a Monday night, I was lucky enough to witness Monte Negro play a set in the basement of a bar in New York. The room is nearly empty , filled with only the hum of casual conversation and no more than eight people anxiously awaiting the arrival of the quartet. But just ten minutes before the show starts, the venue is filled from wall to wall with rowdy fans. Things are looking good for Monte Negro given their undeniably strong following .<\/p>\n
The crowd\u2019s reaction alone is proof that their music is anything but mediocre . As soon as they take the small stage , jumping, clapping, and sweating ensues, and Monte Negro manages to turn this hole-in-the-wall basement venue into a full-fledged rock show . Among the songs from their album, Monte Negro slips in a cover of \u201cBreak on Through\u201d by the Doors; nonetheless, their potential clearly stands out in songs like \u201cPena Colectiva\u201d, \u201cGive me Love (No llores)\u201d, and \u201cArde el Coraz\u00f3n (Triangled Love)\u201d.<\/p>\n
Many of these songs are available for streaming on their Myspace : http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/montenegrorocks<\/a><\/p>\n
\u201cAn Imminent Storm: Doma Tornados\u201d<\/b>
Zigor Cavero<\/p>\nUnafraid to put a fresh spin on his South American heritage, up-and-coming artist Doma Tornados has arranged the perfect musical balance between the traditional and the avant-garde. He\u2019s not to be underestimated, despite the region\u2019s unfamiliarity with his take on electronic music. Doma Tornados\u2019s prowess lies in his creative ability to fuse regional music styles, such as his crossbreed of cante jondo and bajos gordos.<\/p>\n
Guillermo Piacenza, the man behind Doma Tornados, keeps a busy schedule juggling two other side projects, TANOX (http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/tanoxmusic<\/a>) and Guillermo Piacenza (http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/guillermopiacenza<\/a>). But other aliases aside , we\u2019re most interested in Doma Tornados, the project in which Piacenza mixes native rhythms (focusing mainly on cumbia but without dismissing funk, champeta, or malambo ) with digital genius , dressing up his creation with imported styles (house, minimal techno) and bringing it to life with lots of dub spirit. <\/p>\n
Although Doma Tornados is yet to have a record hit stores \u2013 he\u2019s on the verge of releasing his debut on his netlabel, Hipi Duki Muzik\u2013 he has already received tons of praise for his musical achievements . <\/p>\n
All this said, the best thing to do is to check out Doma Tornados for yourself. When, you may ask? His next appearance is October 10th at Le Rock Party in Barcelona , but he can regularly be caught opening for The Peronists as well as playing percussion for MeNeO in clubs across the city . <\/p>\n
\u201cXimena Sari\u00f1ana: An actress and singer far from Mediocre\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
With a broad range of influences from Fiona Apple to Bjork, it\u2019s hard to know what to expect from young Ximena Sari\u00f1ana . Her debut album, Mediocre, is critically acclaimed in M\u00e9xico and is currently taking over charts in the U.S. at record speed.<\/p>\n
Generally speaking, Sari\u00f1ana\u2019s music can be described as a fusion of jazz, rock, and pop. Regardless of a relatively fixed style, each song bears something unique; the opening title track, \u201cMediocre,\u201d is so unforeseen it is hard to compare it to the rest of the album. As the album progresses, Sari\u00f1ana continues to keep listeners on the edge of their seats, especially with the singles, \u201cNormal\u201d and \u201cNo Vuelvo M\u00e1s.\u201d <\/p>\n
Despite the fact that she only recently completed her first album, Sari\u00f1ana has been deeply involved in entertainment since childhood. Her parents, both professionals in the television and film industries in Mexico, introduced her to the business as a young girl. In 1994, Sari\u00f1ana\u2019s acting career launched with her appearance in Hasta Morir, a film produced by her father. Soon after in 1996, she starred in the soap opera, Luz Clarita. During this time, her music career began with her recording of the theme song for the program. From then on, Sari\u00f1ana has continued to contribute to the soundtracks of programs and movies that she has appeared in. <\/p>\n
If anyone can do it, Sari\u00f1ana can. Having composed majority of the songs from Mediocre, she\u2019s undeniably armed with compositional and vocal talent that will help her rise to the top of the Latin American alternative scene. <\/p>\n
“An Interview with Todos Tus Muertos”<\/b><\/p>\n
Recently, Spinner was fortunate enough to get ahold of F\u00e9lix Guti\u00e9rrez, the bassist of Todos Tus Muertos, in Argentina via e-mail . <\/p>\n
Many groups have recognized Todos Tus Muertos as having a significant influence on their music. What bands have inspired Todos Tus Muertos?<\/i>
\nThere are lots; we could say that at first it was music from groups like Bauhaus, Crass, The Clash, Dead Kennedys, Stiff Little Fingers\u2026At the same time we were listening to Bob Marley, Rub\u00e9n Blades, Hector Lavoe, Armando Hern\u00e1ndez, The Specials, and with time the list branched out to include hip hop, Los Tigres del Norte\u2026it keeps growing everyday. <\/p>\nAn emphasis on peace and justice resonates in the majority of your songs. Do you write each song with reggae or punk in mind?<\/i>
\nWe like to create a mix of everything that we listen to, but more than anything we mix those [styles] that you mentioned. But we also have a Latin vibe\u2026and even in early songs like \u201cEl Tango Traidor,\u201d you can hear our attempts to create a tango-funky-punk. <\/p>\nAs a group, you\u2019ve been playing together for quite awhile. What would you say is the difference from being a musical group in the 90s? Do you think listeners have changed much, specifically as a result of the war, the economy, or the environment? Does this affect the way they think and receive the TTM\u2019s messages?<\/i>
\nYeah, there were a lot more people involved in the scene in the 90s. [Back then] It was more underground, but it eventually blew up. <\/p>\nYour latest album, Greatest Hits, recently hit shelves in the U.S. Would you consider going on a U.S. tour? You\u2019ve had a following there for years.<\/i>
\nFor sure, we\u2019d like to play there. We\u2019re working on it, but it\u2019s gotten a bit hard for us living on this side of the border; it\u2019s getting stricter everyday. <\/p>\nLastly, do you have any plans for another record?<\/i>
\nOf course! We\u2019ve got ten new songs that we occasionally throw into our shows. They\u2019ll all be a part of our next album. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Translated by Megan Edgerton. In terms of the genre, I want to maintain a casual, but informed register as you would expect to see in a music review magazine or journal. I will do this by utilizing musical terminology where it is possible and a professional but casual tone, especially in the descriptions, verbs, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[562,458],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38\/revisions\/110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/span401\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}