La Santa Cecilia exemplifies the modern-day creative hybrid of Latin culture, rock and world music. The group draws inspiration from all over the world, utilizing Pan-American rhythms including cumbia, bossa-nova, rumba, bolero, tango, jazz and klezmer music. Their unique sounds and the experience of their colorful, passionate performances continues to captivate both loyal fans and new listeners. Named after the patron saint of music, La Santa Cecilia is composed of accordionist and requinto player Jose ‘Pepe’ Carlos, bassist Alex Bendaña, percussionist Miguel ‘Oso’ Ramirez, and vocalist ‘La Marisoul.’With a captivating voice that sings about love, loss, and everyday struggles, the band has become the voice of a new bicultural generation in the United States, fully immersed in modern music, but always close to their Latin American influences and Mexican heritage. La Santa Cecilia’s released their debut album, Noche y Citas in 2011. The album was nominated at the Latin Grammy Awards for the single La Negra. El Valor in 2012 was named one of the best albums of the year by NPR’s Alt Latino. In 2013, Treinta Días was released and went on to win the Grammy for Best Latin Rock Album, Alternative or Urban. In 2016, Buenaventura was nominated for a Latin Grammy in Best Pop/Rock Album category and a Grammy in the “Best Latin Urban, Rock or Alternative” category. Their new single will be released this summer and their 7th album will be released in the fall of 2019.

In 2005, rooted in community & tradition, a group of students learning Son Jarocho music became known as ‘Los Cafeteros,’ named after the Eastside Cafe community center they helped found.  They soon changed their name to Las Cafeteras to honor the feminine spirit of the group. Without intending to, they organically evolved from student-group into a performance group aimed at sharing Afro-Mexican music from Southern Veracruz, Mexico in their neighborhoods.
 
Over the years, Las Cafeteras would develop a genre-bending sound & electric live performance infusing lyrically rich storytelling with the purpose of sharing the hidden stories of migrant life in Los Angeles.  Las Cafeteras, who grew up in Los Angeles, were inspired not only from Mexican music, but from rock, reggae, hip-hop and Motown.  For Las Cafeteras, it was essential to use music as a way to build bridges among the different cultures and communities that historically have had tension.  Through music, Las Cafeteras were trying to help build ‘a world where many worlds fit.’
 
As Native and migrant children who are remixing roots music, the Las Cafeteras sound was brought to life by 4 distinct vocalist and their eclectic instrumentation, including jaranas, a donkey jawbone, a West African bass instrument, cajón, and a wooden platform used to dance Zapateado.  Their 1st album, “Live at Mucho Wednesday” was a recording at the famous, “La Cita” Bar in Downtown LA.  After receiving local praise for a raw and authentic sound that could not be replicated, Las Cafeteras jumped into the studio to do what no one ever thought they would do … record a real record.


The success of their first studio album “It’s Time” launched the band to new heights, placing them on stages with Mexican icons Café Tacuba, Lila Downs, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s & the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.  They’ve since toured North America from the Santa Barbara Bowl in California to the Lincoln Center in New York; from the Montreal Jazz Festival to Art Basil in Miami.
 
Las Cafeteras play music with the spirit that can only be explained through an ancient African Proverb, “if you can walk, you can dance, and if you can talk you can sing.”
 

La Misa Negra is a 7-piece band from Oakland, California, known for their unique blend of heavyweight cumbia and high-energy, Afro-Latin music.  On stage, they deliver an electrifying performance that explodes with infectious dance grooves and punk rock energy, powered by horn and accordion-driven riffs, a fierce rhythm section, and a vintage-inspired sound.

Since their live debut in the fall of 2011, La Misa Negra has toured the country, sharing stages and festival bills with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz, Thievery Corporation, SZA, Mon Laferte, Julieta Venegas, Ana Tijoux, Bomba Estereo, George Clinton, Antibalas, Budos Band, and Ozomatli.  On the strength of their wild and one-of-a-kind shows, they have gained a reputation as one of the most exciting live bands to emerge from the Bay Area in recent years, garnering a diverse fan base that transcends musical, cultural, and generational divides.

Founded by composer, guitarist, and accordion player, Marco Polo Santiago, the band consists of Colombian-born Diana Trujillo (lead vocals), Justin Chin (tenor & baritone sax), Morgan Nilsen (tenor sax & clarinet), Craig Bravo (drums & percussion), Elena de Troya (percussion), and Paul Martin Sounder (upright bass & percussion).  Together, the unlikely collective combines a wealth of musical influences as diverse as their cultural backgrounds, but it’s Marco Polo’s affinity for hip-hop and heavy metal that inspires much of the band’s sound and identity – evident in their name, on-stage antics, and popular t-shirt designs.

Now, four years after dropping their debut album, La Misa Negra returns with a self-titled, sophomore effort that they’ve dubbed, “the red album.”  Channeling Colombia’s Golden Age, they dive into retro-future cumbia, with tracks like “Me Voy Pa’ Porce” and “Acosadora,” and tap deep into their Afro-Colombian influences by incorporating traditional styles, such as currulao and tambora.  They showcase their love for Latin jazz on the monster Salsa tune, “Pistola,” and their hyper-speed reimagining of the Cuban classic, “Yayabo.”  They also allude to their non-Latin influences, with instrumental tracks and samples that pay homage to Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains, and Wu-Tang Clan.  Finding common ground between their heavy metal leanings and mambo-inspired horn lines, La Misa Negra’s arrangements serve as the perfect delivery mechanism for both their humorous storytelling and exploration of heavier subject matter, like gun violence, water scarcity, and gender inequality.

With their second release, the powerhouse septet unleashes 12 tracks that capture the raw energy of their live shows and solidify them as a new force in today’s Afro-Latin music scene.