Artists are known for drawing inspiration from their emotions, whether they be happiness, sadness, anger or anything else in between. And said inspiration has been known to manifest itself into great works of art, music and other varied works. In the world of music, a not so recent example that perfectly exemplifies it is It Ain't Over 'til It's Over, the 1991 hit by Lenny Kravitz, where he poured out his feelings regarding his then recent breakup with former wife Lisa Bonet. more ›

Wondering about the next hot act in the Latin music scene? Pay attention to the words of Nacional Records frontman Tomas Cookman. A few months ago, Cookman spoke to LAist about his label, the Latin music scene and various other topics. During the conversation, Cookman singled out Colombia as a hotbed of great, new music. True to his word, Coachella attendees will get a great example of another up and coming act from the northern tip of South America. more ›

Latin funk/disco legends Los Amigos Invisibles are hitting the road with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and are making a stop at the Conga Room this evening. The Venezuelan stars are hitting the road on the heels of their recent release Not So Commercial, a play on their previous release Commercial. more ›

Years from now, when someone asks, "Who was the MC Lyte of the Latin American hip hop scene?" one name will come to mind: Ana Tijoux. Born in France to Chilean parents, the GRAMMY nominated Tijoux is a true pioneer. Her CD, 1977 -- a reference to her birth year -- has helped her conquer the thriving Latin America hip hop scene. Tijoux explains how she got her start: more ›

South of the border, a growing music movement continues to extend its reach beyond Latin America and into clubs in San Diego, L.A., Las Vegas and other U.S. cities. In the midst of it all, we find Hello Seahorse!, a Mexico City based alternative Rock en Español band formed in 2005. more ›

os Angeles can be a frustrating place for Latin music fans. Despite the city's diversity, the Latin music scene is overwhelmingly dominated by Mexican regional and Spanish language pop flavors such as Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Shakira, Espinoza Paz, Belanova and various others. Although clear differences in their respective genres exist, others outside that small selection are relegated to niche markets. more ›

I missed the boat on getting as many CDs reviewed as I wanted to in 2008 (a subtle hint at a 2009 resolution of mine) so here are some stellar albums that deserve more than the short mention they are receiving below: more ›

Release Date: November 18th, 2008 more ›

Release Date: June 3, 2008 more ›

Last month LAist reviewed Nortec Collective's excellent new album "Tijuana Sound Machine". The Nortec Collective performs live tomorrow at 3:00pm on the Music from Around the World Stage at the Make Music Pasadena Festival which is FREE for all ages. more ›

Release Date: May 6th, 2008 more ›