Molotov y Café Tacuba por los inundados

Los mexicanos participarán el próximo 19 en "Rock pa'l sureste", un concierto a beneficio de los damnificados por las inundaciones del estado sureño de Tabasco.

El espectáculo, en el cual estarán también sus compatriotas La maldita Vecindad y Zoé, será al aire libre en el Bosque de Tlalpan, una zona verde al sur de la capital mexicana.

Molotov expresó durante la presentación de su último álbum (Eternamiente) en noviembre su intención de buscar algún tipo de iniciativa para colaborar con los afectados, siguiendo el ejemplo de otros artistas mexicanos. Alejandro Fernández donó recientemente todo lo recaudado en uno de sus recitales, mientras que otros como Julieta Venegas y Natalia Lafourcade participaron también en un concierto solidario.

Para los que están cerca, las entradas costarán unos 300 pesos (unos 27 dólares). ¡A colaborar!

¿No me verás volver?

Después de haber tocado para más de un millón de personas en 9 países diferentes (Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Colombia, México, Panamá, Ecuador, Perú y Los Angeles y Miami en Estados Unidos), Soda Stereo anunció desde Miami que no seguirá tocando durante 2008. Todo terminará en el mismo lugar donde empezó, Buenos Aires, donde queda por llenar el último estadio, el 21 de diciembre.

"Soda Stereo ratifica que el show del próximo 21 de diciembre en el estadio River Plate será el último de su gira de retorno y todas las versiones sobre conciertos en el año 2008 son absolutamente infundadas", informaron los encargados de comunicación de la banda. Según dicen cada uno seguirá por su lado, Gustavo Cerati, Zeta Bosio y Charly Alberti volverán a separarse. Entonces, no esperen más Soda. Por ahora...

Metallica, de nuevo en camino

¿Ansiosos por saber cómo va a sonar el próximo disco de Metallica? Bueno, James Hetfield tiene algunas palabras para calmar a las masas, por ahora. "No queremos hacer algo muy bueno, queremos algo excelente y Rick Rubin está ayudándonos a conseguirlo", adelantó el cantante en la revista del club de fans oficial de la banda. James habló así del trabajo que están realizando junto al famoso productor, uno de los más importantes de la industria discográfica, que buscará llevarlos de nuevo a la cima de los charts mundiales.

• Molotov
• Café Tacuba
• Soda Stereo
• Metallica

Julieta Venegas at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards Latin America
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

The united colors of the Americas were on display at the third annual MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, as the Black Eyed Peas, Avril Lavigne, Maroon 5, Julieta Venegas, Café Tacuba and La Ley all took home awards.

The show's performances were equally diverse: the Peas, Lenny Kravitz, the Beastie Boys and rapper Pitbull represented the U.S., while Venegas, Molotov, Juanes and others held it down for Latin America. Unity was on display during the Peas' show-opening set, as the group was joined by Diego Torres, La Ley and Venegas for Spanish-language covers of songs including "Yeah!," "Hey Ya!" and their own "Hey Mama" and "Let's Get Retarded."

The show, which took place Thursday night in Miami, saw multiple awards handed out to Venegas (who dominated the show with three wins), Mexican group Café Tacuba and L.A.'s Maroon 5, who each took home two awards.

Although the ceremony was scripted entirely in Spanish (including an introduction from Bono and banter from other English-speaking artists), international acts were well represented. Maroon 5 were crowned Best International Rock Artist and International New Artist, besting acts like Franz Ferdinand and Yellowcard. Avril Lavigne won Best International Pop Artist for the second consecutive year (beating out Beyoncé, Hilary Duff, Joss Stone and Nelly Furtado), while the Black Eyed Peas won the new category of Best International Hip-Hop/R&B Artist over 50 Cent, Beastie Boys, Outkast and Usher.

Latin award-winners included Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, who won for Best Pop Artist (for which host Rubio was also nominated), and up-and-comer Belinda, who took home a trophy for Best New Artist: Mexico. Rockers Airbag won Best New Artist: Argentina, and Torres won Best Artist: Argentina. (Mexico, Argentina and Central America received individual awards for the artist and new artist categories.)

Instead of receiving a Moonman statue, as the winners of the U.S. VMAs do, each winning artist at the MTVLA VMAs was presented with a replica of a large pink tongue pierced with the MTV logo, which represents the Spanish language that unites most Latin Americans in the region.

Nominees in each of the 18 categories were chosen by the MTV Music and Video Academy, which is made up of music-industry professionals and MTV viewers. The winner in each category was determined by Latin American viewers who cast their votes online at MTV Latin America's Web site between September 7 and October 5.

The awards show, which took place at the Jackie Gleason Theater, will air on MTV on October 30 at 11 p.m. PT/ET.

• Julieta Venegas
• Café Tacuba
• Black Eyed Peas
• Lenny Kravitz
• Beastie Boys

Molotov
Photo: Universal Latin

Political rap-metal band Molotov were on fire at MTV Latin's second annual music awards Thursday night, winning Video of the Year, Best Group or Duo, Alternative Artist and Best Mexican Artist.

Another big winner was Mexican singer/songwriter Natalia Lafourcade, who won three awards: Best Solo Artist, Pop Artist of the Year and Best New Mexican Artist. Colombian artist Juanes, who took five Latin Grammys earlier this year (see "Juanes Sweeps Latin Grammys; Celia Cruz Honored"), walked away with Artist of the Year and Best Rock Artist. Bersuit Vergarabat was awarded Best Artist from Argentina and Vicentico won Best New Artist from Argentina.

Several rock performers from non-Latin nations were also handed awards. Avril Lavigne won Best New International Artist, Coldplay took Best International Rock Artist and Evanescence were given the New International Artist award.

MTV Latin's event took place at the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts in Miami Beach and was hosted by actor Diego Luna. Performers included Juanes, Vicentico and Ricky Martin.

• Molotov
• Juanes
• Natalia Lafourcade
• Bersuit Vergarabat
• Vicentico

Juanes
Photo: Universal

On a night when late flashy salsa queen Celia Cruz was honored with an all-star tribute, it was singer/songwriter Juanes who sparked the most fireworks at the fourth annual Latin Grammy awards.

During the show Wednesday night at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, the one-named Colombian sensation swept the major categories, winning in all five in which he was nominated.

Juanes took the big three: Record, Album and Song of the Year ("Es Por Ti"), as well as Best Rock Song ("Mala Gente") and Best Rock Solo Vocal album for Un Dia Normal, his second solo album. Already a four-time Latin Grammy winner before the program, Juanes, 31, became one of the most celebrated artists in the show's short history.

The program opened with a tribute to Cruz, who died in July at age 77 (see "Queen Of Salsa" Celia Cruz Dead"). The medley featured Gloria Estefan and Marc Anthony shouting Cruz's signature phrase, "azucar!," and singing a number of her most famous songs alongside such Latin legends as Willie Colón, Johnny Pacheco, Arturo Sandoval and Oscar D'Leon. Just last year, Cruz opened the show with one of her typically over-the-top performances before winning an award for Best Salsa Album.

Miami's Bacilos won Best Tropical Song for their humorous account of trying to make it, "Mi Primer Millon," which they performed on the broadcast. Band leader Sergio George came into the awards with six nominations, but was overshadowed by Juanes, though Bacilos also scored the Best Pop Album by a group for Caraluna.

Spain's curly-haired David Bisbal, who came to prominence last year after winning Spain's answer to "American Idol," "Operation Triumph," was named Best New Artist for his album Corazón Latino. Rockers Molotov won the Best Video Award for their clip "Frijolero," and Cuban guitarist and Buena Vista Social Club member Ibrahim Ferrer won the award for Best Traditional Tropical Album for Buenos Hermanos.

Though such crossover artists as Thalia, Shakira and Luis Miguel went home empty-handed, Enrique Iglesias represented, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Album for his Spanish-language effort, Quizás.

In addition to performances from Thalia, Molotov and Ricky Martin, the show aimed for a broader audience by pairing Latin stars with more mainstream acts, such as Juanes and the Black Eyed Peas and "American Idol" singer Kelly Clarkson with Brazil's Alexandre Pires.

For the second year in a row, the inclusion of Cuban artists in the show was shrouded in controversy. Though Miami — hosting the Latin Grammys for the first time — has a large Cuban population and 12 Cuban artists were nominated, a small contingent of protesters gathered outside the venue to demonstrate both against and for the nomination of artists from the communist country.

According to reports, none of the Cuban acts was able to obtain visas in time to attend the show. Cuban hip-hop band Orishas, who won the Best Rap/Hip Hop Album award for Emigrante and who now live in Europe, did not attend the show as a sign of solidarity with their fellow Cuban musicians.

Miami was to host the second edition of the show in 2001, but the event was moved to Los Angeles after anti-Castro demonstrators threatened to protest the show; it was ultimately canceled due to the 9-11 terror attacks (see "Latin Grammy Winners Will Get Trophies But No Ceremony").

For a look back at previous big Grammy winners, red carpet photos and much more, visit our Grammy News Archive.

• Juanes
• Celia Cruz
• Bacilos
• David Bisbal
• Molotov

Los Amigos Invisibles
Photo: Marina Chavez

The Watcha tour, a Latin rock spectacular featuring artists from nine countries and three continents, has announced the dates and venues for its third outing, kicking off August 15 in Denver.

The tour — which includes Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles, Chile's La Ley, Mexico's Molotov and Spain's Dover on its roster — will feature up to 10 acts in each of its 20 stops. Kool Keith is the only non-Latin act on the bill.

Organizers expect to announce more dates and venues soon.

Watcha tour dates, according to the tour's publicist:

• 8/15 - Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
• 8/17 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
• 8/18 - Chicago, IL @ TBA
• 8/19 - Toronto, ON @ Lamport Stadium
• 8/21 - Boston, MA @ The Roxy
• 8/22 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 8/23 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 8/24 - Bayamón, Puerto Rico @ Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum
• 8/25 - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic @ Quisqueya Stadium
• 8/26 - Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park
• 8/28 - Atlanta, GA @ TBA
• 8/30 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theatre at Bayou Palace
• 8/31 - McAllen, TX @ Villa Real Convention Center
• 9/1 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
• 9/2 - San Antonio, TX @ TBA
• 9/3 - El Paso, TX @ TBA
• 9/5 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
• 9/7 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
• 9/8 - Chula Vista, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
• 9/9 - San Jose, CA @ TBA

• Molotov
• La Ley
• Kool Keith
• Los Amigos Invisibles

Photo: D. Baron Media Relations

The third annual Watcha Tour — a collection of Latin artists including Venezuelan dance collective Los Amigos Invisibles, Chilean rockers La Ley and Mexican rap/metal act Molotov — will kick off in Denver in August and run for nearly a month before wrapping up in San Jose, California.

This year's Watcha (Spanglish for "check it out") tour also features Spain's Dover, Argentinean bands Enanitos Verdes and Bersuit and at least one non-Latin act, eclectic dance producer Kool Keith.

Other than an August 22 date in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom and a September 7 show at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, no venues have been finalized. The itinerary will likely include stops in Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Puerto Rico and Phoenix among its 20 dates, according to the tour's publicist.

• Kool Keith
• La Ley
• Los Amigos Invisibles
• Molotov

Sonicnet Music News

The lineup for the Watcha 2000 Tour, the rock en español extravaganza that includes Mexico's edgy Café Tacuba and hip-hop/rock hybrid Molotov, Colombia's pop/trip-hop duo Aterciopelados, veteran Argentina rockeros Enanitos Verdes, and East L.A.'s worldly Ozomatli, is so impressive that even the bands are excited.

"For us it is a very good thing to play in big venues with other great groups. We are very proud to be part of this tour," Enanitos Verdes (Green Dwarves) singer/bassist Marciano Cantero said from a rehearsal studio in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Darryl Eaton is equally proud to be associated with the second coming of the Watcha (Spanglish for "check it out") Tour, which debuts August 11 in Universal City, California.

Eaton, a Creative Artists Agency representative, started the Watcha Tour last year along with Kevin Lyman (with whom he had created the Vans Warped Tour) and Latin band manager Jorge Mondragón. Eaton, who is Molotov's agent, recalled being invited by Mondragón to the "Vive Latino" concert, a two-day showcase for rock en español bands, in November 1998.

"I asked Kevin Lyman... 'What if we took out the U.S. bands and added in Latin bands? Just kept the same production, the same stages, and dropped all the Anglo bands in Miami?,'" he said. "It was a total experiment, but something we just decided to try to do."

Last year's Watcha Tour was remarkably successful for a new event, Eaton said. "The amazing thing is, the first-year Watcha actually did better numbers than the first-year Warped Tour. And the Warped Tour has now been around six years, and we're probably going to see 400,000-plus people this year [for Warped] in the U.S. alone."

Last year's Watcha lineup of "alter-Latino" bands included Café Tacuba (which returns to the latest edition after opening a tour for Beck earlier this year), Todos Tus Muertos, Argentina's Illya Kuryaki, and Puerto Rico's Puya.

"I think we were lucky in that we had great bands. It was just a great collection of very talented bands in the area of rock en español," Eaton said.

Eaton also is trying to entice the Warped Tour fans to attend this year's Watcha, which includes an August 14 showcase in New York in conjunction with the Latin Alternative Music Conference.

Last year, Molotov played on both bills. This summer, Argentine metal rock outfit A.N.I.M.A.L. is doing the same. (Warped wraps August 6 in El Paso, Texas.)

"That's what we're hoping. We try to put one of the rock en español bands on the Warped Tour every year," Eaton said.

Watcha 2000 is loaded with bands such as Argentina's Enanitos Verdes, who have a following in the United States but nothing compared to what they have in South America. In 1995 they played to 60,000 people on a beach in Lima, Peru. "We have pictures," singer/bassist Cantero said, as if he couldn't quite believe it himself.

The Argentines will be emphasizing their latest album, 1999's "Nectar," which includes the anthem "Cordillera" (Mountain Range) and the ominous sax- and flute-spiked "Tequila." But "we will be playing songs from all our albums," Cantero said. He'll be joined by guitarist Felipe Staiti, drummer Daniel Piccolo, and guest guitarist Marcelo Lucero.

Twice nominated for Grammy Awards, Enanitos Verdes have 11 albums in all, including 1996's "Guerra Gaucha," which was produced by friend Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers). In fact, having been around since 1979 (with a brief separation at the start of the '90s), the trio is older than the Watcha Tour's target audience.

The musicians speak to the history of rock en español, especially in Argentina, where they don't even represent the first generation of rockeros.

"We have a little bit of Argentinean music, but not the traditional or the folk music. But we have a lot of years hearing Argentine rock, with musicians like Luis Alberto Spinetta and Charly Garcia," Cantero said.

"When I was a kid, I hear Spinetta and Charly Garcia," he added. "So we have a lot of background in the rock of Argentina."

The current itinerary for Watcha 2000:

• 8/11 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
• 8/12 - Chula Vista, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
• 8/13 - San Jose, CA @ Santa Clara Fairgrounds
• 8/14 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza (Watcha Showcase)
• 8/16 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore
• 8/18 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon
• 8/19 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew's Hall
• 8/22 - Worchester, MA @ Palladium
• 8/23 - New York, NY @ Tunnel
• 8/25 - Santo Domingo, DR @ Quisqueya Stadium
• 8/26 - San Juan, PR @ Hiram Bithorn Amphitheatre
• 8/27 - Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park

• Molotov
• Ozomatli

Mexican Rap group Molotov will headline a special Watcha/Vans Latin Warped Tour showcase on August 14 at Irving Plaza in New York, as part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference, which will take place from August 12-15.

The concert is part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC), will focus on the burgeoning Latin alternative music genre. The conference takes place at the Hilton Hotel & Towers in New York from August 12-15.

The LAMC's founders, Tomas Cookman and Josh Norek have invited musicians, record label executives, journalists, artist managers, retailers, and programmers to attend the three day music conference and participate in discussions devoted to the subject of increasing the commercial acceptance, and viability, of Latin rock and hip-hop music.

In addition to the Molotov performance, the LAMC convention will also feature other Latin alternative music showcases.

On August 12, La Ley, Los Amigos Invisibles, and Illya Kuryaki will perform a free concert at the Central Park SummerStage. August 14 will find major Latin rock stars performing acoustic versions of their songs at the LAMC's "Acoustic Writers-In-The-Round" event, while on August 15, the convention will wrap with the "La Banda Elastica Magazine Awards Show."

More information about the above events, and the Latin Alternative Music Conference, is available at www.LatinAlternative.com.

• Molotov

As the 1999 edition of the Warped Tour gets ready for its June 25 launch in San Antonio, Texas, organizers are firming up plans for its Latin artist offshoot, the Watcha Tour.

• 8/1 - Miami, FL @ Pompano Amphitheater Grounds
• 8/2 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock
• 8/5 - Houston, TX @ TBA
• 8/6 - Dallas, TX @ Artists Square
• 8/7 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunken Gardens
• 8/8 - TBA
• 8/10 - Tucson, AZ @ Pima County Fairgrounds
• 8/11 - Phoenix, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheater
• 8/12 - TBA
• 8/13 - San Francisco, CA @ Pier 30/32
• 8/14 - San Diego, CA @ Coors Amphitheater
• 8/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA

• Cypress Hill
• Molotov