Pachanga Fest, many Latino voices in one music festival
One of the biggest draws of Austin, Texas is it’s local music scene, as well as renowned festivals brining the biggest alternative and pop acts,…
Gaby Moreno was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2013 Latin Grammy Awards. She is one of may Latino performers at the 2014 Pachanga Fest, a music festival held in Austin celebrating Latino music. (Courtesy photo)
One of the biggest draws of Austin, Texas is it’s local music scene, as well as renowned festivals brining the biggest alternative and pop acts, such as the Austin City Limits, but one emerging festival is targeting you, the Latino music lover, showcasing some of the best folk and alternative acts that speak your language.
We are very happy to go back to Texas, they treat us very nicely there. And this is the second time well play at Pachanga Fest, said Marisol, lead vocalist of La Santa Cecilia, a Los Angeles-based band that combines cumbia, bossa nova, boleros and other Latino beats with a unique tone and personality.
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These festivals are great to listen and meet other artists. This year we’ll see El Gran Silencio, Julieta Venegas, Gaby Moreno, and others!
The one-day music and arts festival Pachanga Fest takes place Saturday, May 10, in Austin, and is the only event of its type aimed at Latinos.
Pachanga is a Latin-themed music, cultural arts and food festival dedicated to showcasing the vibrant blend of Latino-created music and art and the impact it has on American culture today, explains the official website, pachangafest.com.
Organizers went beyond stereotypes and showcase a variety and blend of cultures we normally call Latino culture. In the musical front, Pachanga Fest jumps from mariachi to hip hop, showing no favoritism for any genre.
This years line up keeps this spirit alive: Making Movies, Niña Dioz, La Vida Boheme, La Santa Cecilia, El Gran Silencio, Julieta Venegas, and more will take the stage.
The event has a family touch with childrens entertainment and an affordable price: $33 per person. Not bad for an almost 12-hour festival that has it all? music, entertainment and lots of comida latina, of course, with a particular focus on a huge variety of tacos.
We just played with Los Lobos in Los Angeles and now we are heading to Pachanga Fest, a well known event with great artists, said Enrique Chi, lead singer of Making Movies band, based in Kansas City, Missouri. You learn a lot sharing the stage with experienced artists.
Making Movies blends traditional Latino tones with rock and bilingual lyrics. Brothers Enrique and Diego Chi, of Panama, Juan Carlos Chaurand, of Mexico, and the gringo Brendan Culp are Making Movies, and its music sounds just great, honest and fresh.
The band took its name from Dire Straits third album and because it suggests to make, to create images Movies also tell stories and we want to tell stories with our music, said Enrique, who also explains what means to play in a festival, in front of a bigger audience they are used to. It is different from playing to a small audience, you have to play differently to connect with the people.
For the more experienced band La Santa Cecilia, this year will be its second presentation in the annual Pachanga Fest. The six-member group took its name from Santa Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians. They started to play together in 2008 and the bands time has come. Its song Ice el Hielo is a hit radio stations play often.
La Santa Cecilia is a guarantee of dance and entertainment.
The audience at Pachanga Festival would be able also to enjoy lesser known artists but equally creative, like Gaby Moreno, of Guatemala, who blends blues and jazz with the popular tone of baladas.
Other artists to watch this year at the event are Chicha Libre, Sonido San Francisco and BMK. Pachanga Fest is an ideal space to enjoy good Latin music from both well known and little known artists.
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