SXSWORLD

Groundbreaking Tour of Top Latino Acts Stops at SXSW By Chema Solari the record store shelves for the first time in 11 years. The band's long awaited new album, Circular Colectivo, is its fifth official release and first studio set since 1998's Mostros. With this album and forthcoming tour, the Mexico City band will celebrate a career that has seen the group become arguably the most important Latin rock act in Mexico and the U.S. With some 1.5 mil- lion units sold worldwide and sold out shows across the globe, the band's appeal extends beyond North America. While it took more than a decade in between releases, La Maldita (as I n the 25th year of its existence, seminal Latin alternative rockers and genre fusion pioneers, Maldita Vecindad y Los Hijos Del Quinto Patio (translated as "The Damned Neighborhood and the Sons of the Fifth Patio") return to the band is usually referred to in Mexico) has never really disappeared from the public eye, continuing to tour and headline important festivals and fundraisers. Long embedded in the Mexican social conciousness, the band has become a fixture of Mexican contemporary pop culture. The legacy of the band lies in its music and influence on other Latin La Maldita bands' sounds and in its place in contemporary history. The band took the urban-scarred landscape of Mexico City and added '50s Chicano counterculture elements, zoot suits and insightful artistic awareness to create a unique identity that has broken down all kinds of global barriers. Its place alongside such Mexican folk heroes as legendary actor-pachuco German "Tin Tan" Valdez, singer-songwriter and pop icon Juan Gabriel and actor-singer Pedro Infante is secure. Recorded with the help of Grammy-nominated producer, Greg Mundo Livre SA rience comes with the live show: an electrifying tour-de-force that divides the audience into either slackjawed spectators or uncontrol- lable dancers, while the band romps through its entire catalog in a no-prisoners mode. This year at SXSW, Maldita Vecindad y Los Hijos Del Quinto Patio telling coupled with the humorous yet combative spirit that the group has embodied since its self-titled debut album. One of the most eagerly awaited releases in Latin America's rock history, Circular Colectivo has managed to accomplish the rare feat of pleasing old fans, while attracting a whole new generation of admirers. But as the group's admirers will tell you, the real "Maldita" expe- Landau (who has worked with Carlos "Patato" Valdez, Buena Vista Social Club's Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, Kepa Junkera and others), Circular Colectivo celebrates some of the most characteristic elements of Mexican culture, while simultaneously examining it with keen insight. The 13 tracks maintain the band's peculiar style of bridging the gaps between ska, reggae, danzon, bolero and punk, all mixed up with Mexican folk culture, uplifting messages and an uncompromising left–wing political and social stance. The album also displays the band's characteristic epic urban story- the manguebeat cultural movement in Brazil. Led by Fred Rodrigues Montenegro, better known as "Zero Quatro," this outfit has been deemed ahead of its time in its native land. Albums Samba Esquema Noise and Carnival Na Obra were selected among the 100 best albums in the the nation's history by Rolling Stone Brazil. By recording and sampling the street sounds from his hometown of Recife, DJ Dolores has created compelling electronic music since the late '80s, gaining global acclaim for his peculiar vision of Brazil's culture and people. Both acts were hand-picked by La Maldita, and as kindred spirits Formed in the mid-'80s, Mundo Livre SA is one of the pioneers of will headline the Live Nation Latino 2010 showcase. This show rep- resents the first-time appearance for the band at SXSW, and is part of an American tour where La Maldita will share the stage with two of Brazil's hottest imports, Mundo Livre S.A. and DJ Dolores (both hailing from Recife). 50 SXSW ORLD / F EBRUAR Y 2010 in their quest for musical eclecticism, the three promise to not only deliver one of the most exciting package Latin tours in the last few years, but also put on shows that will highlight the vast cultural diver- sity and originality of Latin American rock. n Check my.sxsw.com for details on the Live Nation Latino 2010 showcase.

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