And the Music Goes On

This is my last blog for the semester, but I must say, I’m going to miss blogging for borderbeat.net.

When writing each blog, I learned something new about music and bands, in particular. I also was able to refine my album reviewing skills and find better ways to describe the music I was writing about.

This blog also helped me branch out in my music taste. I normally stick to indie music and stuff that is mostly underground or prestigious to other music connoisseurs.

However, when keeping the border in mind, I forced myself to listen to music that I don’t typically listen to. I didn’t necessarily like every band that I blogged about, but they all had intriguing stories and I came out with one that I actually like quite a bit. Ryan Bingham was my favorite artist to blog about, and I really liked that he used growing up along the border for inspiration with his music.

I was also able to produce a form of news that I enjoy myself. I love reading about music, especially album reviews, and wanted to be able to provide that to others. Going into this semester, I didn’t realize that I would learn as much as I did and grow to appreciate other genres of music.

My advice to future Border Beat bloggers is to pick a topic to blog about that you truly love. You will be enthusiastic to blog, and that will be reflected through the quality of your blog. Also, you will learn more about your passion, which is always self-rewarding.

Blogging is a great way of staying updated and updating others, and I encourage everyone to blog in some way because it is a great method of communicating.

Concert Preview: Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios

Music really becomes even more beautiful when it is used to help support a positive cause.

Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios will be performing live at Club Congress on Tuesday for the annual Casa Maria Thanksgiving Benefit. Casa Maria, usually located at 401 E. 26th St., has been serving the homeless and less fortunate for more than two decades.

In addition to feeding those in need, Casa Maria also helps immigrants seek legal aid and American citizenship lessons in Spanish. For their Thanksgiving Benefit, Casa Maria will be handing out large bags of groceries in addition to their normal soup, bread and coffee meals.

Rich Hopkins started the annual tradition of the Thanksgiving Benefit with Casa Maria after he became involved with them as a result of writing a song and shooting a video portraying the struggles of the homeless community.

Grouped with the Luminarios, who will be performing with him on Tuesday, Hopkins is also a guitarist for the Sand Rubies.

The style of Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios is infused with industrial, crunchy guitar riffs and ongoing guitar leads.

To check out Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios and see what there sound is all about, watch this YouTube video of their track “Dirt Town” provided by user reidgwilson.




To hear more music from Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios, check out their MySpace page or go hit up the annual Casa Maria Thanksgiving Benefit at Club Congress on Tuesday, Nov. 20. The doors for the 21 and older show open at 7 p.m. Donations are suggested and Rich Hopkins and the Luminarios will be accompanied by The Jons and Triple Double.

Album Review/Concert Preview: Ryan Bingham

As was mentioned before, Del Castillo, from Austin, TX, is coming to Solar Culture Nov. 30. Del Castillo is also being joined by the young Ryan Bingham, who grew up in both New Mexico and Texas. Bingham’s new album, Mescalito, exposes his childhood experience of growing up on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bingham spent much of his life moving from small town to small town along the border without much money in his family. Because of his regional influences, Bingham’s music is a fusion of raw country and mariachi.

In Bingham’s recently released album Mescalito, Bingham tells it like it is and exhibits a lovely frankness in his gravely voice and lyrics.

The track “Southside of Heaven” is a twangy song with harmonica, banjo and tapping beats that sound more like a boot hitting the floor than a drum.

“Boracho Station” eerily sounds similar to something Johnny Cash would sing, and Bingham croons huskily about the hills of Mexico.

The track “Dollar a Day” is possibly Bingham’s most upbeat song on Mescalito and sounds like an old country anthem with sassy guitar leads.

“The Other Side” is also upbeat and features a slide guitar and a steady beat, as Bingham asks “Won’t you take me to the other side.”


Here is a YouTube video, provided by user ethornson, of Bingham performing “The Other Side” live.





Here is another video from YouTube, provided by user LostHighwayRecords that has people describing why Bingham is such an amazing musician and person.





It is clear that this 25-year-old, who sounds wise beyond his years, has an effect on others both musically and personally. Check out Bingham’s MySpace page or his official site to hear his honest, stripped down country-esque songs or show up at Solar Culture on Nov. 30 to hear him in the flesh.

Concert Preview: Del Castillo at Solar Culture

Del Castillo, from Austin, TX, uses their influences from the U.S-Mexico border to create a Latin rock sound that has garnered the six-piece band many prestigious awards in the music world.

Comprised of Alex Ruiz, Mark del Castillo, Albert Besteiro, Carmelo Torres and Mike Zeoli, Del Castillo produce a fusion of Flamenco guitars, blues and Latin that makes the band sound as if they have been playing for decades. On the contrary, Del Castillo has only been a band since 2000 and performing live shows since 2001.

Del Castillo was first introduced to the true spotlight when Director Quentin Tarantino selected their track “Malaguena Salerosa” for the “Kill Bill, Vol. 2” soundtrack.

Following that, Del Castillo won “Best Latin Traditional Band” at the Austin Music Awards/South By Southwest in both 2006 and 2007. Also this year, the band won “Album of the Year” for their latest album, Brotherhood, also at the Austin Music Awards/South By Southwest.

Here is a YouTube video provided by Del Castillo’s street team that was put together the when the group won “Album of the Year”




Del Castillo has actually won too many awards to list, but you can check them out on their official website.

Del Castillo’s music is enjoyable if you speak English or Spanish or neither, because the band sings in both languages and the instrumental aspect of their music is so strong that lyrics almost aren’t even necessary.

This Latin rock band will show Tucson what it’s made of on Nov. 30 when they hit Solar Culture at 31 E. Toole St. Del Castillo will be supported by Ryan Bingham, and the all ages show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $10.

For more information about the show at Solar Culture, check out Solar Culture’s website.

To hear songs by Del Castillo, check out their MySpace page.

Artist Glimpse and Album Review: Juanes

We don’t seem to mind the fact that we don’t understand the lyrics of a song because they’re in a language foreign to us when the person singing those lyrics is very attractive. Especially when that person singing is Juan Esteban Aristizabal Vasquez, or, better known as Juanes.

Juanes, originally from Columbia, has been entertaining Central and South America for many years with his Latin rock and pop style and clear vocals. His most recent album, La Vida Es Un Ratico, was released on Tuesday and commands the attention of anyone who appreciates rock, elements of Latin flare, and an over all, good feeling song.

This crooner didn’t always sing heartfelt songs with catchy beats.

He first experienced with music in metal band Ekhymosis.

Juanes garnered much of his success and kick started his career by collaborating with producer Gustavo Santaolalla who is famous for composing award-winning scores for “Amores Perros,” “Babel” and “Brokeback Mountain.” Santaolalla’s talent must of rubbed off on Juanes, because his first album, Fijate Bien (Take a Good Look), won three Latin Grammy Awards.

Juanes’s new album, La Vida Es Un Ratico, is slightly more down-tempo than his previous album, Mi Sangre and portrays less attitude.

“Gotas de Agua Dulce” is a swanky, medium-tempo beat track with non-stop lyrics that propel the song forward.

“Hoy me Voy” is simpler in its instrumental aspect, and features a guitar lead in the chorus that flows through the song in waves.

“La Vida Es Un Ratico,” the album’s title track, reflect’s Juanes’s meaningful and emotional vocals over piano layered with distinct drum beats.

Song “Me Enamora” is catchy in chorus and an upbeat, positive track with harmonizing vocals.

Check out Juanes’s music video for “Me Enamora” provided by YouTube user todoxaqui1.






Previous album, Mi Sangre might have been a better album overall, however.

“Lo Que Me Gusta a Mi” kicks off with a bevy of guitar licks that are dripping with attitude and sass.

“Rosario Tijeras” is a sexy, slow-beat crooner’s song to a woman.

Check out Juanes’s website to hear all tracks from Mi Sangre, or watch this live performance of La Camisa Negra provided by YouTube user MustangLoverMex.





The new album may not be as good, but we sure like his new short haircut.

Band Spotlight: Ozomatli

This nine-piece collaboration is about as diverse as it gets. Not only do they produce a fusion of Latin, hip hop, salsa, cumbia, Middle Eastern funk and dub, but Ozomatli also is comprised of members from all over the world.

Ozomatli, made up of Wil-Dog Abers, Raul ‘El Bully’ Pacheco, Justin ‘El Nino’ Poree, Asdru Sierra, Ulises Bella, Jiro Yamaguchi, Mario Calire and Sheffer Bruton contribute their talents of vocals, bass, percussion, trumpet, drums and trombone to create a sound that is unlike many others and dance-provoking.

Their track “Can’t Stop” off of their most recent album, Don’t Mess With the Dragon has a great beat from the start and has Mexican and Spanish influences and style with Reggae flare as well. The lyrics and beat of the song encourage listeners to take advantage of each day that they encounter positively.

Song “City of Angels” starts off briefly sounding like a hard rock song, then flows into funky horns and then, surprisingly, hip hop. The track kicks off with a spoken recording of a band member saying: “Let me tell you a little something about L.A....I love it!” This track truly showcases all of Ozomatli’s talents and facets of musical diversity.

“After Party” off of Don’t Mess With the Dragon features Mexican elements and funk.

Check out this YouTube video, provided by user darksun360, of Ozomatli performing “After Party.”



Also, check out Ozomatli’s performance of “Saturday Night” from their 2004 album Street Signs, in this YouTube video provided by user vintagetubelug.





Track “La Gallina” is very upbeat and sounds like a combination of mariachi horns and hip hop, and really ignites the track with enthusiastic shouts from the band members. The overall feeling of the Mexican style track is fun-loving and carefree.

To hear more upbeat songs from this culturally diverse band, check out Ozomatli’s MySpace page.

Album Review: Cafe Tacvba

Mexico-based band Cafe Tacvba has a fresh, well-rounded sound and just dropped their new album Sino on Tuesday.

Cafe Tacvba sings in Spanish and fuses melodic and often upbeat guitar with a myriad of other instruments, including piano, synthesizer beats, mandolin, and steel guitar. The band’s front man, vocalist and guitarist Ruben Isaac Albarran Ortega has a nice set of pipes, but the instrumental aspect of Cafe Tacvba is the most impressive and compelling.

The band from Naucalpan, Mexico has been together since 1989 and has snatched up a few Grammy awards along the way.

Sino is a well-rounded album from start to finish, beginning somberly with Ortega crooning quietly to just piano with growing intensity.

“Tengo Todo” is one of Sino’s strongest tracks, exhibiting a catchy chorus (that I can’t even understand!) and overlapping melodies with elegant electric guitar work.

“El Outsider” conveys diversity with Ortega singing in a scratchy voice to bass and synth beats.

The single track off of Sino, “Volver A Comenzar” builds beautifully with drum beats and airy guitars.

“De Acuerdo” kicks off with espionage guitar work and stomping drum beats.

Cafe Tacvba will be entertaining fans across the border and in other countries with live shows to promote Sino.

Tour Dates
Oct. 18 – Distrito Federal
Oct. 19 – Veracruz, Veracruz
Oct. 20 – Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Oct. 21 – Tehuacan, Puebla
Oct. 25 – Hermosillo, Sonora
Oct. 26 – Mexicali, Baja California
Oct. 27 – Tijuana, Baja California
Nov. 3 – Tokyo
Nov. 4 – Fukuoka

Check out this video of Cafe Tacvba collaborating with Incubus at the 2005 Grammy Awards.




To hear Cafe Tacvba’s new album Sino, check out their Myspace page, the whole album is there for listening.

"Feeding" on Music: Fall Club Crawl Gets Revamped

The Tucson Weekly and Club Crawl made a big step in technology and the live music experience by providing music lovers with text and web updates on the Fall Club Crawl music festival Saturday.


Sean Fitzpatrick, a corporate web specialist, set up the feature on ClubCrawl.net, the event’s website, and provided music fans and concert goers with updates on band sets, show times, traffic, crowd size, you name it. On the site, crawlers had the option of entering their cell phone number and name in order to receive free text messages from mobile correspondents who were covering the festival.


I was asked by Tucson Weekly editor Jimmy Boegle to help direct mobile coverage of the event by trying to hit multiple shows, comment on their quality (is the band good live, are they playing good songs?), alert festival goers of late set times and crowd size, etc. However, I was unfortunately out of town for Fall Club Crawl (one of my favorite events) but was able to keep tabs on the event from afar due to this new text message feed and mobile coverage.


By skimming ClubCrawl.net under their RSS Feed, you can see the types of text messages that music lovers were receiving from mobile correspondents, one being “Line at District. Come now for Tom Walbank,” and “The ‘entrance’ 8th and 4th is less of an entrance, more of a closed off block. Don’t bother,” and “To guarantee you see They Might Be Giants buy reserved for 25 at Rialto (includes crawl wristband). Otherwise come early to get a spot.”

This RSS Feed proved to be very helpful to crawlers in that the festival has multiple bands playing at multiple venues simultaneously and could have become confusing for many.

The live RSS Feed for Club Crawl goers took a step in the right direction for coverage of live shows, and was extremely informational and helpful.

Check out this video of Guilty Pleazeurs’ live performance of “Cherish” at Club Congress, provided by user jamesfreddys on YouTube.

Concert Preview: Fall Club Crawl, Saturday, October 6

It’s that time of year again! Only the best and biggest music festival to hit Tucson twice a year, Fall Club Crawl is right around the corner. This music explosion, which is put on by the Tucson Weekly, takes over downtown Tucson and brings a slew of musical talent.


Many popular acts this year include The Swim, Mostly Bears, Luca, They Might Be Giants and The Okmoniks. However, among the many bands performing at Fall Crawl, there are some amongst the others with Mexican and Latin American influences.

The Tucson-based Spirit Familia exhibits a fusion of Afro-beat, Reggae and Latin in their music and performed at Spring Club Crawl last year. Their song, “Cumbia de los Muertos” can only be described as a collision of Reggae beat and Latin flair. However, another song, “Apestoso,” seems to be heavily laden with aspects of Latin flair alone and no Afro-beat or Reggae. Spirit Familia displays their eclectic style through song “Soul Power,” which is mostly Afro-beat, and kicks off with exclamations of “Funky, funky!” from band members.

To hear these tracks and more from Spirit Familia to prepare for this weekend’s Fall Club Crawl, check out their myspace page here. Check them out at 8 p.m. at the Desert Toyota/KRQ Stage on Saturday night.

Also, check out their performance at The Hut on August 18 last year in this YouTube video courtesy of user cmmanos.



Another Mexican-influence band to hit Fall Club Crawl this year and veterans of last year’s Club Crawl is The Jons.

Originating from Nogales, AZ, the six-member band started its career touring Mexico and the U.S. to spread their New Wave/pop-rock style.

The Jons’s song “Mirage” kicks off with Mariachi-like horns and up-tempo drums. Track “All I Ever Think About” is a loud conglomeration of drums and snappy guitar licks. To hear these songs and others, check out their myspace page here.

To experience this loud, upbeat band live, check them out at 12 a.m. at the Desert Toyota/KRQ Stage on Saturday night (or Sunday morning).

Also, check out their performance at Club Crawl last year in this YouTube video courtesy of user thejons.

Musician Profile: Gustavo Santaolalla

For music aficionados, a soundtrack to a movie often makes the movie what it is. Gustavo Santaolalla has taken his lifelong musical career in the direction of composing mind-blowing soundtracks for equally mind-blowing movies.

Gustavo, born and raised in Argentina, made his first break in the movie soundtrack world when he composed the soundtrack for 2001’s Mexican film ‘Amores Perros’ or, ‘Love’s a Bitch’ for director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. ‘Amores Perros’ depicts the relationships that are spawned from a Mexico City car crash. A sample of Gustavo’s original music for the film can be seen in the following trailer from liberatedfilms.com.




The music Gustavo composed for ‘Amores Perros’ catapulted him into his career of composing more outstanding soundtracks for compelling films.

Gustavo went on to work for Inarritu again when he composed the soundtrack for 2003’s ’21 Grams’ starring Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro.

Success from ’21 Grams’ led Gustavo to compose the soundtrack to 2004’s ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ which depicts the young life of Ernesto Che Guevara. The soundtrack won Gustavo the British Academy BAFTA Award.

Following ‘The Motorcycle Diaries,’ Gustavo proceeded to compose the soundtrack for ‘Brokeback Mountain’ and won a Golden Globe Award for the song he composed titled “A Love That Will Never Grow Old.”

Inarritu asked the talented Gustavo to compose another soundtrack for him, 2006’s ‘Babel.’

Although Gustavo is known more for other films, composing the soundtrack for Mexican film ‘Amores Perros’ paved the way for Gustavo’s career and garnered him the gratification he deserved as a musician.

Listen to clips of Gustavo Santaolalla’s composed scores for his various films here.

To experience Gustavo live, check out the following YouTube clip from a live performance in Kazimierz, Poland from subscriber paw888.

Artist Spotlight and Review: Rodrigo y Gabriela

You don’t have to sing to captivate an audience. More and more music artists are exhibiting this concept in their work in the realm of experimental and ambient, such as Sigur Ros, yet many artists don’t dedicate an entire album to just instrumental and no vocal elements. That being said, those artists who do feature only instrumental elements in their works hardly ever use only one instrument.

Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Dublin-based duo that are Mexican born and specialize in the acoustic guitar. These two keep it simple by commanding a stage with just an acoustic guitar in both of their hands, perched atop wooden stools. Neither Rodrigo Sanchez or Gabriela Quintero sing in their high-intensity acoustic songs, but that doesn’t seem to take anything away from the musical quality.

The sound that is heard from Rodrigo y Gabriela would be the effect of throwing Metallica and flamenco guitar into a blender. The double acoustic guitars do not produce a calm sound as they typically would, yet instead are intricate, fast-paced and intense.

The band describes themselves as acoustic, folk and metal, even though there are no electric guitars, drums or bass being used. However, the sound that is produced is reminiscent of a metal band, such as Metallica or Megadeath.

Rodrigo y Gabriela’s track “Tamacun” is a fast, heart-pounding song that is a whirlwind of Rodrigo and Gabriela’s quick fingers and intricate guitar work. Knocking on the wooden acoustic produces the effect of drums.

The track “Diablo Rojo” certainly plays out like its name. The song has a dubious sound to it, and is also fast-paced.

“Stairway to Heaven” is slightly more slow-paced than other tracks, and builds in and out within itself through the song.

Here is a live performance of “Stairway to Heaven” provided by youtube.com The intensity of Rodrigo and Gabriela’s fierce finger work on the guitar can be seen through this video.




Rodrigo y Gabriela have been gaining popularity and have been on MTV’s Total Request Live and have performed on various other shows. Here is a live performance of “Diablo Rojo” on the David Letterman show provided by youtube.com.




Rodrigo y Gabriela had to cancel the rest of their tour dates because Gabriela is suffering from exhaustion. Those dates include included September 7 at the Rialto here in Tucson and September 8 at the Marquee Theater in Tempe. For more tour dates that are not affected by this break, check out their myspace page.

Master of All Things Great: Salvador Duran

People like Salvador Duran can seriously make a town what it is. Tucson just wouldn’t be Tucson without him. A Mexican-born flamenco guitarist, Duran is a ridiculously talented musician with a soothing set of pipes and the breathtaking ability to truly captivate an audience. Yet aside from his onstage skills, Duran is also a painter and is featured in the warehouse arts district on Toole Avenue.

Duran is almost otherworldly with his onstage presence, and I had the privilege to experience the magic of his talent at the Tucson Weekly’s Club Crawl in late April. Packed inside of a tiny bar, all eyes were on Duran. From the huge line outside of The District, it was apparent to me that not only does Duran have a following, he has a following of all different age groups and all different musical tastes.

Duran also mesmerizes the likes of equally talented and revered musicians. Iron and Wine and another Tucson local band, Calexico, toured with Duran and he joins the two amazing bands on the title track of their joint album.

To catch up with this outstanding musician and artist, listen to his tunes on his myspace page or check out his unique art in his gallery on Toole Avenue by Solar Culture. He happens to be extremely friendly and enjoys talking to people about his work.

This video, provided by YouTube, is a snippet from his tour with Calexico and Iron and Wine in Munich.

Electronica+Flare Horns=Fusion To Move To

Bands at a Glimpse: Nortec Collective.
Yes, this quintet is from Tijuana, Mexico and has cross-border influence with their unique style of music. Under an indie flag, Nortec Collective combines regional Mexican sounds and fusion, flare horns, and mariachi to come out with a blended, electronica style.

The group pays homage to tradition by honoring the oh-so reminiscent flare horns that are typical of Mexico, yet spices up their sound with electronica themes. Although listeners are reminded of the violence that is ever-occurring in Mexico as Nortec Collective splices track “Don Loope” with the sound of gunshots, nearly every song of the band’s is upbeat and usually lighthearted.

Listeners are even given an alternative look at quite possibly one of the regions most poverty-stricken towns, Tijuana, in the song “Tijuana Makes Me Happy,” in which the quintet proposes Tijuana to be the happiest place on Earth.

Nortec Collective just hit Tucson on Friday, and will stay on the U.S. side of the border for one more tour date before returning to Mexico. To see upcoming tour dates and check out Nortec Collective’s Mexican-infused electronica, check out their myspace page.

Abandoning the Comfort Zone

Though I am personally enthralled with indie music, I will strive to step outside of that realm for this blog and examine other aspects of music and how is represents or affects the border.