Los de esta Noche is a relatively new band here in San Antonio. I, although only guessing, assume they may have formed over the summer. Los de esta Noche played this past saturday at Salute after a march from UTSA's 1604 campus down to the Main Plaza in an effort to raise awareness for the DREAM Act, a legislation allowing illegal immigrants that are either attending school or in the military to stay in the United States without the threat of deportation but rather the opportunity to pursue citizenship, granted they were brought here as children. Alongside this march across town this group of activists, many students at UTSA, are on a hunger strike, vowing to not eat until Senator Hutchison will meet with them and they are allowed to voice their opinions to her about why she should vote for the DREAM act. The event at Salute was to raise the notion of standing up for something, whether it was a professors right to teach what he liked, as the event was initially for or to fight for the DREAM Act this night was meant for activism and charity. So Los De Esta Noche performed because some members were participating in the hunger strike.
Anyway the band, I feel, doesn't have a set genre although they sang in Spanish that was really the only consistent aspect of their songs. Their genres were all over the place much the DJ before them that was playing everything from Michael Jackson to Celia Cruz back to back, playing old school hip hop then followed it with jazz or Britney Spears, he might has well followed it with Britney Spears. Well the band, of course, has some politically charged lyrics since they are a politically active band. Tonight they are playing with a band called Karma which is another spanish singing politically active band that focuses on immigration injustices. Karma sings about such issues like children holding cells where children are kept in prison like facilities while awaiting deportation in central texas.
Esta Noche unlike Karma is singing politically charged songs but wants the crowd to dance and get into the music. Yes it is one thing to sing about something your passionate about, but some people just want to dance. So I appreciate their efforts to make both kind of people appreciate their music.
I have been thinking about this review for quite some time. It's taken me about a week and a half and that's how long this hunger strike has been going on. I feel it is an important issue and hope everyone is already aware of it. I know my review is still incomplete but I hope you check out the issues. I hope the band gets more facebook friends. and check out Salute on N. St. Mary's! It's a really cute little place, they take credit cards. and is locally owned. 21+ only
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Monday, 8 November 2010
Bombasta
Walking up to see bombasta play at first friday* was a new experience for me. first i had never seen Bombasta play before and second I had never successfully driven to first friday. So I'm walking up with a friend I had not seen a long while and tell him how excited I am to see Bombasta because although we live in San Antonio, I feel, there isn't much of this music being played around here, especially geared toward a younger audience. That's when I realized he didn't know who Bombasta was and could not infer from the band name what he had gotten himself into.
All I could say to him before he could hear the music for himself was they were a latin cumbia rap band or something of that nature. We walk up to groups of families standing around slightly dancing to the loud surge of music the 9 to 10 members of Bombasta were producing. These kind of bands, like Jai Roots and Grupo Fantasma have a full band of at least 8 members with a brass section, strings, vocals and a variety of percussion. We even joked that Bombasta had a professional beer drinker, because one of the percussion members just drank a beer for most of the songs. Anyway further into the songs I share with my friend that I think the name bombasta must be a combo of the words cumbia and rasta, and he agreed that my theory made sense. We watched this group of 30+ men play, sing and dance while trying to entice the audience into singing and dancing along and wandered off for something to drink. After 10 minutes of waiting at Blue Star for a water we come back out to find out the band finished early. Darn.
but aside from that, this band is pretty good. I think they're good for San Antonio. Their songs are catchy and danceable. They bring family crowds and an older latin community like Jai Roots did. I felt like I could dance to their music, but I didn't feel the overwhelming desire to like I did with Grupo Fantasma at the Latin Music Fest at Main Plaza this past weekend. Instead I stood there with my friend that had never been to first friday feeling bad that I was making him stand with me and listen to this band that he is in no way interested in while this event he has never been to is going on around him. But going back to the band Bombasta likes to mix Spanish and English lyrics, singing and talking to the audience, with a strong spanish sound. They don't want people to get up and start dancing in a circle I think they would rather people kind of Salsa dance to their music, which is kind of confusing for a "cumbia" band but that just shows their style and range. I don't really know spanish, but I felt their songs were about their Mexican roots, they have songs that talk about barrios and la raza like most semi-political latin inspired small time bands do.
I want to emphasize that I would see this band again. Even though I feel like I wouldn't really ever want to meet these guys, I would go see them again, especially to see what kind of bands they would play with. Perhaps some other San Antonio local, similar artists.
*First Friday is an art and music event in Southtown San Antonio where there are many free music shows, art viewings and local merchandise for sale. Beer and Food are always on sale there as well, it is family friendly and a community growing experience.
All I could say to him before he could hear the music for himself was they were a latin cumbia rap band or something of that nature. We walk up to groups of families standing around slightly dancing to the loud surge of music the 9 to 10 members of Bombasta were producing. These kind of bands, like Jai Roots and Grupo Fantasma have a full band of at least 8 members with a brass section, strings, vocals and a variety of percussion. We even joked that Bombasta had a professional beer drinker, because one of the percussion members just drank a beer for most of the songs. Anyway further into the songs I share with my friend that I think the name bombasta must be a combo of the words cumbia and rasta, and he agreed that my theory made sense. We watched this group of 30+ men play, sing and dance while trying to entice the audience into singing and dancing along and wandered off for something to drink. After 10 minutes of waiting at Blue Star for a water we come back out to find out the band finished early. Darn.
but aside from that, this band is pretty good. I think they're good for San Antonio. Their songs are catchy and danceable. They bring family crowds and an older latin community like Jai Roots did. I felt like I could dance to their music, but I didn't feel the overwhelming desire to like I did with Grupo Fantasma at the Latin Music Fest at Main Plaza this past weekend. Instead I stood there with my friend that had never been to first friday feeling bad that I was making him stand with me and listen to this band that he is in no way interested in while this event he has never been to is going on around him. But going back to the band Bombasta likes to mix Spanish and English lyrics, singing and talking to the audience, with a strong spanish sound. They don't want people to get up and start dancing in a circle I think they would rather people kind of Salsa dance to their music, which is kind of confusing for a "cumbia" band but that just shows their style and range. I don't really know spanish, but I felt their songs were about their Mexican roots, they have songs that talk about barrios and la raza like most semi-political latin inspired small time bands do.
I want to emphasize that I would see this band again. Even though I feel like I wouldn't really ever want to meet these guys, I would go see them again, especially to see what kind of bands they would play with. Perhaps some other San Antonio local, similar artists.
*First Friday is an art and music event in Southtown San Antonio where there are many free music shows, art viewings and local merchandise for sale. Beer and Food are always on sale there as well, it is family friendly and a community growing experience.
Monday, 1 November 2010
The Mechanical Walking Robot Boy
TMWR's front man usually plays at the Mix. The Mix is a little bar off North Saint Mary's "strip". A place where local comic celebrity Mitch Clem used to frequent. (he would hang out there before I was old enough to go in there. 21+ only)
Anyway following In Beds with an "English" electro-feel vibe was an interesting pairing on the bands choice. but the crowd really enjoyed the songs and both bands. Most of the crowd were familiar with much of the songs TMWR were playing.
Slow, which most of the songs came off of, was released in 2006 and given away as free prizes for people showing up to their set. So as the crowd swayed and sang along TMWR played 10 songs, which is a bit unusual for one set at a bar. and although I did not notice at the time I would not be surprised if those 10 songs were the 10 songs off the album, Slow. just out of order. or maybe it was in order.
Anyway Slow has 10 tracks, some up beat and others eerly depressing, such as "Double" which is track 3 but it is followed by their more nu wave, electro, she was revenge, 90's motif. Then somewhere toward the end of the CD a song called Flipped is about nearly every girl that has ever frequented that bar. Drunk girl going home with random guy kind of song. Then Tracers which shows a more 70's punk side then wrapped up with Slow, the title song. which was really drawn out, should be on Donnie Darko, the Party Scene, really Air sounding. probably my least favorite.
Check out MWRB, check out the mix.
check out donnie darko.
The Mix
2423 N Saint Marys St
San Antonio, TX
Anyway following In Beds with an "English" electro-feel vibe was an interesting pairing on the bands choice. but the crowd really enjoyed the songs and both bands. Most of the crowd were familiar with much of the songs TMWR were playing.
Slow, which most of the songs came off of, was released in 2006 and given away as free prizes for people showing up to their set. So as the crowd swayed and sang along TMWR played 10 songs, which is a bit unusual for one set at a bar. and although I did not notice at the time I would not be surprised if those 10 songs were the 10 songs off the album, Slow. just out of order. or maybe it was in order.
Anyway Slow has 10 tracks, some up beat and others eerly depressing, such as "Double" which is track 3 but it is followed by their more nu wave, electro, she was revenge, 90's motif. Then somewhere toward the end of the CD a song called Flipped is about nearly every girl that has ever frequented that bar. Drunk girl going home with random guy kind of song. Then Tracers which shows a more 70's punk side then wrapped up with Slow, the title song. which was really drawn out, should be on Donnie Darko, the Party Scene, really Air sounding. probably my least favorite.
Check out MWRB, check out the mix.
check out donnie darko.
The Mix
2423 N Saint Marys St
San Antonio, TX
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