Ximena Sariñana

Is There a Latin Alternative? – Answer: Yes

I won't be attending SXSW this year, so I will not know what transpired, first-hand. Now that I've put that out there, I want to say a few things about a panel that will be taking place there. The panel is called, "Is There a Latin Alternative?" For those not in the know, the answer is yes. Here is the full description of the panel: A Spanish-language band can gain instant access to the growing Hispanic audience and sponsors targeting that demographic by marketing themselves as "Latin". But how limiting is being marketed as a "Latin" band — even Latin alternative? Can bands [...]

Let’s Call It “Alternativo,” Instead of “Latin Alternative”

The emerging genre, "Latin Alternative," is a label to more or less separate some of the newer artists that have arrived on the scene over the last few years that don't exactly fit in some of the various Latin styles that many of us have come to know. Artists such as Ximena Sariñana, Café Tacuba and Zoé have been tagged with the Latin Alternative name, but the name isn't quite right.In an interview with Jasmine Garsd and Felix Contreras, who host NPR's "Alt.Latino," for About.com, Contreras brings up a good point: "Latin Alternative" is only used among those in the music industry. From [...]

There Will Be a Latin Alternative Music Explosion – Not Maybe

I'm not one to air my views publicly. It's not my thing; but when I'm working on something and absolutely know it's going to happen and someone says it might happen, I have to speak up. I admire Desmond Child. I love some of his songs and even had an opportunity to meet with him when he was producing some tracks with Chynna Phillips back in the 90's at the old EMI Music Publishing studio on Sunset. (He's a nice guy, by the way.) I won't, for a second, forget how talented he is and the many accomplishments he has achieved, but when [...]

How Does Austria Really Fit into the Latin Alternative Scene?

Just because someone dubs your music a certain genre doesn’t mean that you’re a part of the pack. When I first started hanging out with people in the Latin music scene such as Christian Mejia of Intoroq, I was referring to Austria as a “Rock en Español” group, but I soon found that the guys are really Latin Alternative. Once that was established, I set out to find artists that were similar to the guys so I didn’t have to constantly describe them as “Latin Coldplay” (which is still a legitimate description). The thing is, I have yet to find a group that [...]

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