Introducing Lynx: Listen Now, Thank Me Later

I am always up to check out artists on the rise, and I was thrilled at the opportunity to interview Bachata singer-songwriter Lynx.

A Latino from the Bronx, Lynx is making his mark in the music business, competing with the likes of Romeo Santos, and Prince Royce. His debut album Dosis De Mi is out NOW, and if you are a lover of Bachata music, you should check it out.

Check out my interview with Lynx below, and don’t forget to connect with him on twitter, instagram, and facebook. You can find Dosis De Mi on itunes, amazon & Google Play.

 

Somos - Spain And Oakland Under One Roof

All Photos Courtesy Of: Claudia Guzman

Jarabe De Palo made a triumphant return to Oakland, and there was no better place for the band to introduce their new album Somos than The New Parish.

And with a sold-out crowd, Pau Donés and company made the crowd sing-along to classics such as "Depende", "Lado Oscuro", "Dejame Vivir", "Agua", "La Flaca", "Bonito." And, since the tour is promoting the new album, the fans got a first listen of songs such as "Hoy No Soy Yo", "Tu No Sabes Quien Soy", (my personal favorites), "Bala Perdida", "A Donde Vas", and many more. The concert went on well past midnight, and it was worth staying up late on a workday.

Prior to the show, I had the opportunity to chat with Pau Donés, we talked about the new album, the band’s almost two decades in the music industry, and much more.

My interview (in Spanish) below, for more on Jarabe De Palo, check out the band’s twitter, website, or facebook. The album Somos is out now and you can find it on amazon & itunes.

 

Credits: Nacional Records

Latino Filmmaking – Si Se Puede!

Diego Luna is currently on an extensive tour promoting the up-coming film Cesar Chavez which is set to be released on March 28th in theaters across the country.

I had the privilege of having a sit-down interview with Diego to talk about the film, and the many challenges behind bringing the film to the big screen.

"There Should Be Content (Films) That Represent Us"

Diego Luna 

If we want more films of substance to be produced, then we have to show support, and let Hollywood know that we are a force to be reckon with.

Cesar Chavez will be in theaters on March 28th – please go out and support this great film. 

"If We Fight Indifference Things Will Happen" 

Diego Luna

"Change Will Never Come If We Are Not Part Of It"

Diego Luna

 


Credits: H+M Communications

Introducing: El Gavachillo – Listen Now, Thank Me Later

Photo Courtesy: Claudia Guzman

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a show at the Elbo Room in San Francisco, where Will Abers (Wil-Dog) from Ozomatli was set to perform. But this wasn’t an Ozomatli show, oh no it wasn’t, Wil-Dog was ready to take this stage as El Gavachillo.

Can you imagine Wil-Dog singing rancheras and norteñas? Well, he does, and quite well if I say so myself.  I had already seen El Gavachillo performed once before, and I became a fan! If you like the Regional Mexicano music genre, you must check out what he is doing as El Gavachillo.

Photo Courtesy: Claudia Guzman

The show at the Elbo Room was terrific, El Gavachillo played for a crowd that (for the most part) had never heard this kind of music. He brought along El Regimen Sinaloense (a local band from the Bay Area that I recently interviewed.) Even Caipo from Bang Data got in the mix and was on stage with El Gavachillo and the guys from El Regimen Sinaloense.

I sat down with El Gavachillo to talk about his project away from Ozomatli, check out everything we talked about, you can also visit El Gavachillo’s youtube page for more info on his music.

El Regimen Sinaloense: A Band You Oughta Know!

A few years ago, a friend told me about a local band formed in Hayward, and that they were doing weekend shows at a restaurant/bar near my place. It was back in early 2009 when I found out about El Regimen Sinaloense.

The guys who are members of El Regimen Sinaloense, are all from around the Bay Area, and they came together to create a harmonious blend of music, and pay homage to the traditional Regional Mexicano music genre. These guys were not only exposed to “American” music, but thanks to their multi-cultural upbringings, they were able to grow up loving a terrific, yet sometimes underrated music genre.

I have seen the guys play several times, most recently at their show in San Francisco where they joined Will “El Gavachillo” (from Ozomatli on stage.) I had the opportunity to crash one of the guys’ rehearsals, where I got them to talk about their latest CD album titled  "En Vivo Rancheras Con Tololoche Vol.1.”

Check out my interview with the guys, and download their latest CD. You can also learn more information about the band, their up-coming gigs and more on their website, facebook or twitter.

Jiggy Drama – The Nerd Crossing Fronteras

A few days ago, I had a candid conversation with Colombian singer Jiggy Drama, whose real name is Heartan Lever Criado. He happened to be strolling around gorgeous Central Park while awaiting to do some promotion for his latest album titled Nerdside. When you listen to Jiggy, you expect the typical urban-artist style, the baggy jeans, and the bling but instead, Jiggy is a sexy nerd. His unexpected style is a breath of fresh air for what some people consider to be overrated music and artists (genero urbano).
 
Although Jiggy Drama is originally from Colombia, he grew up listening to American R&B and hip-hop artists, from Jay-Z, The Fugees, Mos Def and even Will Smith – from where he cleverly took the name “Jiggy” (remember Will Smith’s song Gettin’ Jiggy With It which was very popular in the late 90s) Jiggy has flow; he is a lyricist true to form and he is taking the music world by storm. Even if you do not understand Spanish, his music and sounds will make you want to move. 

Nerdside is already available on iTunes, the second single from the album is called La Fuga and the first single, La Flaka, is quite contagious. 
 
Check out my bilingual interview with Jiggy Drama, where he talks about the artists who influence his music, who he would like to collaborate with and much more:

   Entrevista Con Jiggy Drama by thechroniclesofazu


Credits: Azul Public Relations

Celebrating Two Decades Of Superb Music

Mexican singer/songwriter Reyli Barba could not be happier, not only is he celebrating 21 years of being in the music business, being a bona-fide and renowned artist but he is also going on tour starting on August 17th.

Reyli is currently promoting his latest CD titled Bien Acompañado (In Good Company) in which he has some very interesting collaborations with artists from Mexico such as Joan Sebastian, Ana Barbara just to name a few and also artists from Spain such as Rosana and Miguel Bose and many other collaborations more.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Reyli Barba over the phone where he talked about his up-coming tour which will bring him to the Fillmore in San Francisco on August 20th as well as what it has been like to be in the music business for two decades and how his latest CD came to be.

Check out my Spanish interview with Reyli Barba, Also, don’t forget to buy Bien Acompañado now on itunes, amazon and record stores everywhere.


TOUR DATES:

8-17/ San Diego, Ca.

8-19/ Anaheim Ca.

8-20/ San Francisco, Ca.

8-24/ Houston,Tx.

8-25/ Dallas, Tx.

8-26/ San Antonio, Tx.

8-27/ Mc. Allen, Tx.

8-28/Chicago, Il.

  Entrevista con Reyli Barba by thechroniclesofazu



Credits: Nexmale Entertainment

Don Tetto – From Colombia with Rock Love

When you think of artists from Colombia, who comes to mind? Juanes, Shakira, Aterciopelados perhaps? Colombia is a country known for its talented musicians who always break into the mainstream masses and transition into becoming superstars in the United States. 
 
Such is the case with rock band Don Tetto that has been captivating audiences with their tunes since 2003. Diego Pulecio, Carlos León Gomez, Jaime Valderrama & Jaime Medina have been busy promoting their latest CD Mienteme-Prometeme (Lie To Me-Promise Me) which earned them a nomination for the “Premios Texas 2011” for New Artist. The award show will take place on August 11th at the Long Center For The Performing Arts in Austin (Texas).
 
Mienteme-Prometeme (Lie To Me-Promise Me) can be found on itunes. Don Tetto is also one of the bands featured on the video game Rock Band and they are slowly but surely building a strong fan base in the United States.

If Juanes is tweeting about them - you know the band is here to stay

 
I had the pleasure of scoring an interview with Diego Pulecio (lead singer) where we talked about the band; how they come up with the name Don Tetto and how important it is for the guys to connect with their fans via twitter (they are the ones who respond to each tweet, not some assistant.) 
 
Check out my interview with Diego below (for my Spanish speaker followers) and don’t forget to buy their album on itunes and follow them on twitter.

  Entrevista con Diego de Don Tetto by thechroniclesofazu


Credits: Azul PR

The Traveling Of La Santa Cecilia

Perseverance is key when it comes to making it in the competitive music business and that is precisely what the members of the band La Santa Cecilia are doing.

From the heart of “El Lay”, La Santa Cecilia is bringing their contagious cumbia sounds to the Northern California on a “chiqui-tour” to promote their latest EP titled “Noche Y Citas.”

Marisoul, Gloria Estrada, José Carlos, Alex Bendana , Miguel Ramírez & Hugo Vargas are traveling anywhere and everywhere where they can share with an audience the music they have created. It’s been a long way since their days when they would hang out at the Placita Olvera in LA; just recently, the band was the opening act for the band Ozomatli during their anniversary tour. They also were invited to participate in the HBO series “Entourage.”

While resting in Santa Cruz and before heading to their concert in Oakland I had the pleasure of talking on the phone with Marisoul, the lead singer of the band. She embraced her Latina heritage and I conducted the interview in Spanish. She talked about the making of the video for the song “La Negra” which was filmed at La Placita Olvera, to their up-coming participation in the acclaimed SXSW festival in Austin Texas in March.

There is no doubt that La Santa Cecilia is one of the bands that you ought to know in 2011, their music is already on iTunes and you can also checkout the band’s website for up-coming show information.

 
Check out the phone interview with Marisoul and the video for “La Negra.”

  Entrevista Con Marisoul de La Santa Cecilia by thechroniclesofazu




Credits: Vesper PR

Food, Comedy and Rock & Roll!

      

 

I am pretty much obsessed with the Food Network and most recently with the Cooking Channel; whenever I watch TV I often focus on those channels. A few months ago a new show started on the Cooking Channel called Bitchin’ Kitchen and from the first episode I was hooked!

The show features Nadia Giosia, a spunky Italian gal who whips up unexpected, yet delicious concoctions as well as hysterical tips for your daily life (from impressing your in-laws, rockstar recipes to break up meals.) Nadia along with her crew: Panos, Hans & Spice Agent entertain millions of households in Canada & the United States. The Bitchin’ Kitchen concept started as a web series and slowly but surely broke mainstream and the show’s fan base grows every day.

 

I had the opportunity to sit-down with Nadia during her recent visit to San Francisco where she participated in the ZAP Festival. She took the time from her busy agenda to talk to me about everything, from how she got started, her love of fashion & music and she even answered questions that fans tweeted to me before the interview. If you tweeted a question, listen to the interview to catch Nadia’s answer.

Enjoy!




  Interview with Nadia G from Bitchin' Kitchen by thechroniclesofazu


Credits: The Brooks Group
Photo Credits: Bitchin' Kitchen

Nachos & Mexico City Love

Earlier today I had a TV assignment with my Union Rocker fam bam. I was scheduled to interview Mexican rock band DLD (formerly known as Dildo.) Although I don’t get nervous about doing interviews I always think about whether or not that particular band or artist will be friendly or accessible.

DLD is currently on a promotional tour in lieu of their 4th CD titled Por Encima (Above) and their promotional tour took them to places like TJ, Salinas, LA, Las Vegas and others. This morning they had a meet and greet with fans and the press at a restaurant in Santa Clara called Mexicali Grill.

I was so pleased to have attended the meet and greet, despite the fact that the guys were exhausted from the show the night before they were such good sports, they did not put a time limit on the interview, they interacted with everyone in attendance, took pictures and were beyond nice with us (the press.) Bands and artists don’t often realize that they are at the top of the fame game because of their fans, without them buying their CDs and attending their concerts they would be irrelevant in the music industry and also to the press.

The guys from DLD treated us great, after the meet and great we even had lunch with them. I mean, who can say that you shared nachos and beers with a bad ass band who, mind you played at Vive Latino and outnumbered none other than Deftones during their simultaneous presentation at the Mexican festival (which is the equivalent to Coachella.)

DLD will play the Teatro Metropolitano in Mexico City and plan to come back to the Bay in November, don’t forget to check out their music on myspace, you can also check out their youtube page and watch their podcasts. If you want to buy their latest CD Por Encima, check out this site.

As the meet and great came to an end, I sat down with Francisco Familiar (lead singer and guitarist) and he took the time to chit chat with me about the band. For all my Spanish speaking readers, check out my chit chat with Francisco (over nachos and beer), enjoy!

  Entrevista con Paco de DLD by themusicchroniclesofazu

Credits: Union Rocker, DLD Mexico & Mexicali Grill

The Latin flavor at Pride was HOT, HOT!

This past weekend the city of San Francisco commemorated the 40th anniversary of the internationally famous Pride Festival. Since it was the 40th year, the theme was appropriately called “40 and Fabulous” and fabulous it was. For two days, the city was filled with tons of people from all over the world, amusing characters, fun vibe and infectious music.

The music was a pleasure to your ears; the sounds were all over the musical spectrum. On the main stage and as Grand Marshalls were none other than the Backstreet Boys (yes believe it or not they are still around and the gay community LOVES them.)  As with most festivals, the latin music also took center stage and on the latin stage (sponsored by Club Papi & Granda Entertainment) were none other than María José & Edith Marquez. I had already told you guys about María José, she is awesome live and she came to Pride along Edith Marquez to perform for the gay community.

Maria Jose pumped the crowd with songs from her second album Amante De Lo Ajeno and she also did renditions of classics from Kabah. She also performed a duet with Edith Marquez, the song called Cosas Del Amor.

 During a small intermission I had the chance to chit chat with Maria Jose in her trailer, for all my Spanish speaking readers, check out the interview below, enjoy!





 

Entrevista a Maria Jose en el festival Pride de SF by themusicchroniclesofazu


Credits: Vesper PR