by rudyards | March 16th, 2014
Los Guerreros de la Musica (Houston, TX)
https://thelgmwebsite.com/
Los Guerreros de la Musica is from the great city of Houston, Texas. Formed in 2009, LGM has already made a significant impact on the Houston Latino music scene with their unique blend of Spanish Rock, Cumbia, Reggae, Ska, Jazz, Bossa Nova & Mariachi. This interesting fusion has a little something for everyone – especially those who like to dance!!
LGM has performed at events/venues such as the Houston Tamale Fest, Conoco Phillips Rodeo Run, Houston International Festival, East End Urban Arts Fest, League City Uncorked Wine Festival, Texas Legacy Festival, Texas Crawfish Festival, MECA’s Viva El Amor & Dia de los Muertos festivals, East End Street Fest, Discovery Green, The Reliant Center, Fitzgerald’s, The Meridian, Continental Club, Antone’s, Warehouse Live and the Miller Outdoor Theatre.
Stefani Vara (New York City, NY/Houston, TX)
https://www.stefanivara.com/
In an age when so many pop stars are made – through technology, through undue hype – it is refreshing to find Stefani Vara, a fan of music who backs up her lifelong desire to sing with a voice, so sweet you’ll wonder why she didn’t decide to become a performer until she reached high school.
Yet, when Vara decided that she wanted to be a professional singer, she embraced the choice wholeheartedly, uprooting herself from her family outside of Houston, Texas and move to New York City while still in her teens where she began her education in the world of music. After several attempts to entice a major label, Vara – whose motto is “Live The Life You Want., You’re The Creator Of Your Destiny” took destiny into her hands, by putting together several shows- asking a friend to choreograph three shows and hiring background dancers to perform at numerous New York City showcases.
The success of performing at these showcases led Stefani to a record deal with an independent label and distribution through Universal Records. While many would kill for her model-good looks – Vara represented Azzure Denim, Southpole Clothing and Shoes, Greedy Genius and has been featured in numerous magazine layouts including Vibe, Giant, Latina – the singer realized that some will take her singing abilities for granted and will attempt to categorize her as another pretty face with a weak voice. With this realization, Vara decided to go independent and record her musical passion instead of continuing to conform to a cookie cutter image.
With Stefani’s eclectic musical influences running the gamut from George Strait to Gloria Estefan, Selena to Mariah Carey, Marvin Gaye to Diana Ross and most importantly Tejano Music; the main factor with all these musical influences is storytelling through music, which Stefani continues to evoke in her career
Stefani’s celebrity has afforded her to participate / lend her support to various charities and events nationwide including Rebuilding Together and Casa de Juan Diego, becoming a prime example of paying it forward.
With the success of independent single(s)” Middle of The Night”, “Middle of The Night (Remix)”, and “Mentira” Stefani is diligently working on her new independent album with the hopes of hitting the road to tour ( as well as executive producing / co-starring in her family’s digital reality style cooking show “Comida Caliente” which debuted October 1st, 2013 on youtube -youtube.com/comidacaliente )…. this self-described “personable, organized dreamer” is determined to make her own path.
Stefani Vara’s talent, hard work, and determination, combined with a sparkling personality and beauty have brought her to the cusp of stardom, but it is her songs – rich, literate, melodic, and excruciatingly catchy – that will continue to propel her to stardom!
Karikatura (Brooklyn, NY)
https://karikaturanyc.com/
Karikatura makes life-affirming, body-shaking music that moves people around the world. While the band has toured everywhere from Japan to Brazil, New York City is home. With bright horns, socially conscious lyrics and booty-bouncing beats, Karikatura delivers real songs that transcend style and genre. An organic synthesis of all the music heard blasting out of car windows and shops onto the streets of NYC, Karikatura lives where cumbia meets hip-hop, reggae meets klezmer and indie-rock meets afrobeat. Neither purist nor revivalist, this is music of the present, for the future. The band will release Eyes Wide, its debut full-length album this year, following up two EPs and DIY tours of Europe, Asia and South America.
Born on the road, Karikatura hasn’t stopped moving since. The band was conceived in South India in 2009 by Ukrainian-born, Brooklyn-bred recovering metal guitarist, Dima Kay, at the end of a life-changing journey across three continents. He returned to his adopted hometown of NYC to make the group a reality, joining forces with like-minded musicians: soulful singer Ryan Acquaotta, bassist Eric Legaspi, woodwinds maestro Joe Wilson, drummer Morgan Greenstreet, and brass-blaster Ric Becker. They hit the road, traveling from Kyoto to Berlin, via Bratislava and New Orleans, to spread the joy of music that brings people together. They are equally at home performing at a packed festival in Belgium, a Manhattan jazz bistro, a Czech punk club or the subways of Sao Paolo.
This year, Karikatura will releaseEyes Wide, its debut full-length album, recorded to analog tape at Mighty Toad Studios and mixed at Strangeweather Studios by creative luminary Daniel Schlett (Bob Dylan,Yeasayer, Rita Indiana). The music on the album is as diverse as the backgrounds and life-experiences of the band-members; each member contributed songs to the album, expressing his personal vision, and the band shaped the music collectively. They write songs the way a storyteller crafts tales, exploring universal themes through personal experiences. The album is also a covert tribute to New York City, where the band spent a year of relative stasis and creative hibernation after three consecutive years of touring.
Karikatura’s debut EP Muzon launched the band on a DIY world tour for most of 2011, beginning with New Years in Japan and continuing with spring in Europe, where the band played twenty-one cities in nine countries. They were so warmly received that they returned to Europe later that year, playing 28 shows in 30 days, before closing out 2011 with a US tour from New York to New Orleans.
In 2012, Karikatura returned to Brooklyn to produce their second EP, Departures, which featured the single “Suitcase,” released with a remix by renowned dub producer Strikkly Vikkly (Victor Rice), and a music video. Before taking off for their third European tour, Karikatura spread their world-wandering sound around NYC, performing at venues such as SOBs, Nublu, Drom, Mehanata, Bembe and Spike Hill, for dancing crowds. They were also selected for the Music Under New York Program (MUNY), one of only 18 new acts chosen by the MTA out of 300 applicants for permits to perform in the subways of NYC. After just a few months with MUNY, Karikatura was invited to participate in the Red Bull Sounderground Festival in Sao Paulo, alongside other popular street music performers from around the world. They made a major impact on Brazilian audiences, instantly winning fans and building bonds for the future.
Wherever Karikatura goes, they move people with honest songs, strong rhythms and creative horns. Karikatura brings the world to New York and New York to the world, capturing the present moment, with eyes and ears wide open. At the same time, the band faces the future, with bags packed for the next adventure.
