i won tickets to Pachanga Latino Festival thanks to twitter and the austin statesman.
When I had the chance (and when I wasn't too distracted & mesmerized by the artists and their set) I took some pictures. Most of the time I was dancing so I could care less about my camera.
Girl in a Coma (San Antonio, Tx):
Alright - I am a huge Girl in a Coma fan and have been seeing these gals...well...shit...since I remember seeing these girls play their first time at Cavalcade at Jefferson HS. I think I was there to see my sister perform (i had graduated a year after) and of course a Cavalcade wouldn't be complete with at least 3 or 4 bands that deprived of our friends/peers/students who went there. I even ran into an old high school friend at Pachanga Fest.
They played a very sultry stylistic cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" then later in their set included a Girl in a Coma version of "Come On, Let's Go" by Ritchie Valens and fast tempo cover of Selena's "Si Una Vez" (btw which i was singing my heart out on). AND they did "Walkin After Midnight" by Patsy Cline (which ended up as my favorite cover they played). They have a new EP out which are all cover songs including those 4 stated above. After contemplating why they would make an EP with just covers I read about it: Adventures in Coverland.
I also found this:
David Garza (Austin,Tx)
I saw David Garza about 5 yrs ago at the Continental Club during a happy hour on a Wednesday night. I had a date that we were to meet at Gueros and decided to calm my nerves across the street in a place I knew was comfortable enough for me and had live music. (I'm not a fan of Gueros - location is great but prices are laughable). I immediately drew to him because of his acoustic latin fused with classical guitar style and his poetry. He has a beat poet and a very bold and political lyricism in his music whether acoustic or electric. There were about 40 people at the Continental that day. He was amazing then and even now after seeing him open up (acoustic set) for Girl in a Coma he keeps rocking it like he did that happy hour I first saw him at.
I have a friend that waits on him (as in a waiter) at The Blue Star Cafeteria during the week. When he told me this I remember him pronouncing his name "Day-vid Garza" and when I corrected him and said "?.....oh you mean, DaVEEED Garza?", he turned beet red. I felt a little embarrassed I corrected him.
And he had a black eye too. Reason is unknown at this time.
It was pretty awesome to see David with a full band and his energy was addictive. he had me dancing and singing at this song.
Bombasta (San Antonio, Tx)
This band first caught my eye first as I read the small description of Bombasta from the Pachanga Fest map and schedule: "...the sound of a generation who grew up on both hip hop and cumbias, Rocksteady and rancheras, soul and salsa." And from San Antonio, eh?
Yes. There was a trumpet player that brought the mariachi flare & sustained high notes, a trombone player, 2 guitars, a bass, a dj mixing table, keys, and drums. These guys were awesome! I think there might have been a saxophone too. I hope to catch more of these guys in the future. I caught the tail end of their set and was definitely proud there was another sound deriving out of San Antonio that isn't horrible cheap metal.
Grupo Fantasma (Austin, Tx)
These guys sell out every time they have a gig at Antone's & every time they play at Waterloo Records for an in-store performance it is packed to the back of the DVD section.
Grupo Fantasma played to a overcrowded patio at Pachanga and had everyone, I mean, everyone dancing their day away. There was not one person NOT moving their head, shaking their hips, or swaying side to side. Every time I go to a show of theirs I cannot explain to you what comes over me - I just gotta move and shake it as hard as I can. They are leaving Texas to tour their new album "El Existential".
Hacienda (San Antonio, Tx)
These guys are another proud moment I had while at Pachanga. First off these guys opened up for Dr. Dog and The Black Keys. They were discovered by Dan Auerbach when their 6-song demo landed in his hands. Their cover of "She's Got a Hold on Me" was definitely a highlight for me since for awhile this was the only song I had of Hacienda. Read more about their starting points here.
Bomba Estereo (Columbia)
This band caught me by surprise. I read a really good interview of Bomba Estereo about 3 wks ago and head one song by then at that point - Fuego. When I saw they were headlining at Pachanga I started flooding myself with all of their songs and youtube videos. I couldn't wait to see them. They put on one of the best live shows I have seen in awhile. Li Seumet, vocalist, reminds me of a Colombian Salt-n-Peppa mixed in 90's female rap essence along with a bass drowning psychedelic funk.They have a cumbia feel that just feels natural and smooth with all of the different guitar harmonies. The drummer was too good!! With the fast tempos, slows & stops the drummer was changing styles, sticks, and sequences so often i thought that surely not every single drum beat was being composed by him. It was such a diverse Colombian sound. Seeing this band live blew my mind. I kept dancing until my hips were sore and although we all wanted another song and shouted "Orta, orta" (even after they played their whole album) we didn't get one because of the Travis Co noise ordinance.
They play one last time before heading back to Colombia at end of an ear today at 5pm! You better go. You won't know what you're missing.
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