SXSW 2015 Festival will be a big Latino show off

There are plenty of music and entertainment festivals around the country, but only a few stand out. The annual South by Southwest Festival is one of…

Por Eduardo Stanley

24 Feb 2015, 11:02 AM EST

Recording artists Rafael Urbina, Alain Gomez, Ricardo Martinez and Luis Daniel Gonzalez of the band Famasloop pose in the press room at the 14th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards on November 21, 2013 (Photo:Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

There are plenty of music and entertainment festivals around the country, but only a few stand out. The annual South by Southwest Festival is one of those.

For more than a quarter of a century, this festival, known as SXSW, had been growing both in size as on influence. Created in 1987 in Austin, Texas, the event includes films, music, conferences, expos, round tables, and brings artists and personalities from all over the world.

One of the key peculiarities of SXSW is that most activities take place in small or not-so-big venues around the city. Also, organizers combine some well known names with artists at the starting point of their careers. Indie music at its best.

This year’s event is between March 13 and March 22, and the line up shows a strong Latino presence, both from within USA and from Latin American countries. For those interested on attending the event, it’s a great opportunity to discover new or unknown bands.

Of course, many other countries are represented, including Nepal, Pakistan, Australia, Italy, Germany, UK, and more. All genres are available to a diverse audience, while new artists expect to benefit from this opportunity to get attention.

This is the case of Famasloop, a rock/electronic five-member band from Venezuela.

The name of the band? We got inspired by Julio Cortazars book ‘Historias de Cronopios y de Famas,’ explained drummer Rafael Urbina during a phone conversation with VOXXI. We are a mirror of society We dont pretend to tell people what to think, but we are influenced by reality.

The lyrics refer to childrens plays as well as local political and social events taking place in Venezuela.

We are facing political and economical difficulties here, however, at the same time, we are experiencing a great musical and artistic explosion, said Urbina, who also explained that after their presentation in SXSW, Famasloop will tour Texas, Florida and California. We are planning togo later to South America.

Famasloop is presenting its third album, La Quema,” and regarding its musical style, Urbina says its Cucu pop, a name they created.

Today, musical styles are difficult to identify. Fusion is trendy as well as DJ mixing. This is the case of another band coming from South America to SXSW.

We are a six-member band and we come from three countries, said Anel Paz, guitarist and producer of General Paz y La Triple Frontera to VOXXI. We come from Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

The result is a festive, danceable music they identify as a mix between funk and rock. And a little bit more.

We are bringing our drums to play candombe, said Jorge Platero, drummer of General Paz y La Triple Frontera. Candombe is the African influence in the music of Uruguay.