FOM (Friend of Mambo)’s Paul Saucido of the Saucido Slant posted his first great article (of many to come) for LaBandaElastica.com.

Friday night in Austin. Downtown Red River, with my buddy Matt, we hit Creekside Lounge for Peligrosa All-Star’s monthly set. Creekside, a rundown punk, waste-iod bar got lit up that night with the sounds of hip-hop, Latin boogalo, Reggaeton and Cumbia. Cumbia, latin music made simple for gringos and the rhythmly challenged. The outdoor deck turned into dance-love fest with hipsters bumping into Chicanos/Tejanos, all sweaty, all devouring the fusion mixes of DJ Orion, Manolo Black, Hobo D and Pagame. Then it hit me, I think between my 6^th or 7^th beer, Austin is the Cumbia capital of the States!

Read the rest of the article on LaBandaElastica.com

Rock y Roll Día is this Saturday!  I caught up with Paul and asked the 411 for the event, who it’s supporting, and why he’s doing it!

Funny in the beginning.  Mas café?

Serious and soulful in the middle.

And funny at the end.

Here it is.  BOOM!

I received a message in my inbox this past week that was really exciting:

Austin Tejano Music Coalition To Announce Major Enhancement for Tejano Music in Central Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Austin, Texas – The Austin Tejano Music Coalition invites you to attend a press conference on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. at Plaza Saltillo, located at East 5th and Comal Street.

There will be an announcement of major significance for Tejano music and fans of Tejano music in Central Texas.  In attendance will be Tejano musicians, fans, elected officials and members of the Austin Tejano Music Coalition.

The announcement?

Tejano Radio is coming back to Austin after 3 years on 1560 AM radio and 95.1 FM.

A lot of Tejano music lovers feel left out by big radio station companies and have had to use grassroots efforts to spread the word.  Several coalitions across Texas (and recently in Kansas City) have propped up in support of the music.  Here are some interviews I conducted today with Julian Fernandez of Los Texas Wranglers and Senator Gonzalo Barrientos.

Ruta Maya may just be another Austin coffee house during the day, but every Wednesday evening, it becomes a popular dance spot for salsa as it lends its stage to the local band, Cienfuegos.

Their specialty in Cuban son, bolero, and other styles of Latin music has become a local favorite, as one could tell from the large crowd at Ruta Maya this past Wednesday.

The vibrant live music brings out dancers ranging from beginners to experts onto the large dance floor. There were also those that go to just enjoy the music as they sit inside on a couch or on the patio while they enjoyed a Cuban cigar or a beer. This type of music is no longer popular solely among those of Latin descent, but people of all backgrounds.

Last year Cienfuegoes took home the Best Salsa/Merengue award at Univision’s Premios de Texas Music Awards show. They have two records available, in which on its first recording includes the playing of Shango Dely, who is percussionist of Santana and Carlos Vives.

In communication with Daniel Nelson, the lead vocalist and guitarist, he was able to provide me with interesting information about the band.

Full interview available after the jump.

Q: How did your group come together?

A: We have been performing as Cienfuegos for about 4 years. The band started as a trio consisting of me (Daniel Nelson, gtr/vcl), George Shalda (trumpet/vcl/multiinstrumentalist) and Joe Espinosa (gtr/vcl). We had all become interested in traditional Cuban son independently. As far as starting the group, I had wanted to do something like this for a few years. My mother is from Mexico of Spanish decent and I had always loved the songs she would sing to us in Spanish.

My wife Michele got me into salsa dancing after moving to Austin in the 90′s. After we took a trip to Cuba (just before 9/11/01), I decided to try to start a band. Joe responded to an ad I had placed in the musician’s referral section of the Austin Chronicle. In the mean time, George and I had met at the eastside elementary school where we both taught and I mentioned the idea to him and invited him over to play some tunes I had learned in Cuba. That first jam session was so much fun that we knew we wanted to keep it going.

Joe stopped playing with us about a year later as our gig schedule started to interfere with his independent business. George and I continued playing gigs around Austin and have been fortunate to play with many of the fine musicians in this town. We both quit our teaching jobs to devote full time to Cienfuegos, which we co-manage. We still play in various configurations, but our full band is a 6 pc with: Joshua Lowe (bass), Samuel Lopez (perc/vcl), Art Meza (perc). Piano duties are shared by Evan Jacobs (leader of Tacks, the Boy Disaster) and Angelo Lambesis. These are the guys with whom we play most regularly. However, there are some veteran Austin musicians with whom we have played over the years and who still join us on occasion, such as Tito Cuba (Perc/vcl), George Walker (bass), and Richard Lopez (perc/vcl).

Q: What message are you trying to get across to your fans/listeners?

A: Basically, we just hope that the crowd at any of our shows will have as much fun listening and dancing as we are having playing this music. Fun is our main motivation.

Q: How would you describe your sound and where do you go/see/do to get inspiration for new material?

A: Our sound is evolving somewhat, but started as that of an acoustic Cuban conjunto from the first half of the 1900′s. We play many traditional Cuban tunes and styles from that period, with an emphasis on Cuban Son, which is the predecessor to what people refer to as “salsa”. Some of the other styles we play are bolero, cha cha, merengue, cumbia, etc. Recently, we have been adding original songs that are heavily influenced by these traditional styles as well as some more contemporary sounds. We are currently working on a CD of original material that we hope to finish by the end of the summer.

Q: Why do you think salsa has become so popular, specifically in Austin?

A: I think “salsa” has been increasing in popularity for the same reason that all of us in the band love these styles; because of the groove. Specifically, the Africanized rhythms that are the backbone of these styles are so infectious that once they get to you, you’re hooked forever.

In addition to Ruta Maya, the band performs at The Belmont, Central Market, Manuel’s, Baby Acapulco, and others. Throughout this summer they are scheduled to perform at The Monarch Event Center where free salsa lessons will also be offered. Learn more about the band at www.musicacienfuegos.com.

If you haven’t heard of this group, you’ve been living under a rock!

Grupo Fantasma, a group with members from all around Texas (Laredo, El Valle, Houston, Eagle Pass) and whose lead singer is from Nicaragua, has been around for a few years now here in Austin.

They most recently went on a mini-tour with Prince, with the highlight coming in the form of Prince‘s band at Super Bowl XLI during the halftime show.

OK. So now to the music. What does it sound like, you ask???

GF would probably tell you that it’s in a genre of its own! They blend all sorts of music together: cumbia, rumba, salsa, and FUNK…pretty much anything that will make you get up and dance!

They recently performed and headlined at Austin’s semi-annual Pecan Street Festival. The cool thing is that their crowds are not just Latino. Maybe it’s just Austin, but I think virtually every shade of human being supports GF!

The SXSW Music Festival was in full swing in Austin on the second week of March.

Among the Latin offerings this year were shows from Allison, Delux, Panda, Mala Rodriguez, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Circo, Ceci Bastida, Montenegro, David Garza, Monareta, Upground, Sussie 4, Fobia, Chikita Violenta and more.

Chikita Violenta were among the most raved about with their Indie, new sound unlike the others. Their new record, Stars and Suns Sessions, was produced by David Newfeld of Broken Social Scene in Toronto and his influence clearly shows. Their sound is heavily driven by keyboard and synthesizer. They also chose to sing in English instead of their native language, which clearly shows a desire to break out in the general market.

Check them out!