Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Country music's Hispanic fans, Margarita, Caliente at B.B. King's, Latin Nights/Talent, March 24 festival, Symphony hosts world music, Del Castillo

Margarita

Study says country music has potential Hispanic audience

The potential Hispanic audience for country music is explored in this forty-page report conducted by Edison Media Research on behalf of the Country Radio Broadcasters. The report and the results of Edison’s study, “The Hispanic American Relationship to Country Radio and Music,” were unveiled at the 38th annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville and involved 600 Hispanics nationwide, age 12-49 (press release here and excerpts in green below).

The good news for Country music is that nearly a quarter of Hispanics age 12-49 say that they enjoy listening to Country music (24%) and another 42% say they “do not listen to Country music but they would be open to listening more.” Only one-third of Hispanics say they dislike Country music and would never listen – a number in line with what is seen among whites.

One of the most significant findings points to tremendous untapped potential for growth of Country radios Hispanic listener base: Out of all surveyed participants, 41% agree that “Country radio stations are not interested in appealing to Hispanic listeners.” The results indicate that Country radio would benefit greatly from increased outreach to Hispanics: 56% of those who say they like or are open to Country music say that seeing an ad on Spanish television would lead them to listen more.

Larry Rosin, President of Edison Media Research concludes, “You reap what you sow. Country music only needs to make itself available to Hispanics, and then court them. Listening will almost assuredly go up.”

CRB’s incoming President elect Becky Brenner of KMPS in Seattle adds, “This potential increase in audience for Country radio and Country music is very exciting. We must figure out a way to tap into this rapidly growing demographic. The CRB will be analyzing the research in detail with a view to examining what the next steps will be.”


Margarita: the next Latin country star?

The Edison report above focuses on attracting Hispanic audiences to country music performers regardless of their race or ethnicity. Can there also be Hispanic country music stars? Margarita thinks so:

Margarita, who resides in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is the niece of the late Tex-Mex superstar Freddy Fender. Margarita has been opening shows for Latin / Mexican Regional artists and groups (including Intocable), throughout Mexico and the U.S. She plans to fuse her Latin roots with country music, building on the musical legacy of her pioneering uncle.

Matt Stevens, a longtime champion of latin country music, stated, "Country music is wide open to a latin female act, as long as the songs are great and the artist is accepted by country fans as well as Latinos. Margarita has a wonderful musical heritage. She's the real deal."


Caliente Nights heat up B.B. King's

The Nashville Rage reported on Caliente Nights, a "weekly series of salsa and meringue shows" at the basement below B.B. King's in downtown Nashville.

The musicians include Carlos Negron and an 11-piece Latin orchestra led by DJ Jay Franco, and "[m]any of the players aren't full-time musicians — they're full-time soldiers at Fort Campbell."

"'Having a family ... for me it's important to be back when the kids wake up in the morning,' says Carlos Betancourt, who works in the headquarters of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. He has two sons he's raising to play conga drums, just like their dad."

Nashville Latin Nights / Nashville Latino Talent Showcase

The Nashville City Paper reported on Nashville Latin Nights, in which San Rafael’s bandleader Rafael A. Vasquez is "starting a new venture called Nashville Latin Nights, a six-concert in 36 weeks production (roughly one show every six weeks)." The paper also said that "Vasquez will soon launch a Nashville Latino Talent Showcase, complete with prizes and judges."

Música de le Gente --- Music of the People Festival

Música de le Gente --- Music of the People Festival
American Roots Music Education and Metro Parks and Recreation
celebrate the music of Mexican-Americans

A festive and FREE celebration of Mexican-American music will be presented by American Roots Music Education and Metro Parks and Recreation on Saturday, March 24, 2007.
There will be lots of live music, including Rachel Rodriguez, Incanzable Cheyenne, and Danny Salazar y Los Kuatro during the afternoon. A new children's ballet, based on the folk tale "¡Salta, Rana, Salta!" (Jump, Frog, Jump!) will be presented by the Nashville Ballet at 1:00 pm and there will be a salsa performance by Salseros de todo el mundo. Throughout the afternoon there will be piñatas, dance lessons, and other activities.
Children can participate in crafts such as making paper flowers and cowboy hats, and building small wooden projects. There will also be opportunities for playing homemade rhythm instruments. Food and drink will be available for sale from local vendors.

FREE and open to the public

Date: Saturday, March 24, 2007
Time: 1:00 - 7:00 PM
Location: In the gym at Antioch Community Center
5023 Blue Hole Road (across from Antioch Middle School)
Antioch, TN

For more information & photos (color or B/W) please contact:
Buffy Holton (Director, American Roots Music Education) 385-5998
www.americanrootsmusic.org
For further information contact:
Mimi Shimmin (Special Events Coordinator, Metro Parks) 862-8424 x 357
Jose Ochoa (Superintendent of Cultural Arts, Metro Parks)
862-8424 x 347 en Español
www.nashville.gov/parks
For handicapped access call 862-8400

This project is funded in part under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts


Target World Music Festival: Music of the Americas

Nashville Symphony to Present
Target World Music Festival: Music of the Americas,
June 6 - 8
Internationally renowned artists to include Sergio Mendes, Jake Shimabukuro and Rick Trevino

The Nashville Symphony will present its first-ever world music festival from June 6-8, 2007 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. This three-day festival, sponsored by Target, will focus on music of the Americas featuring evening performances by such acclaimed artists as Latin country singer Rick Trevino, ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and Brazilian jazz pianist Sergio Mendes and his band. (Note: The Nashville Symphony will not perform at this festival).

In addition, the Symphony will provide free world music performances during lunch hours in the Symphony Center’s Garden Courtyard with themed international food selections available for purchase at the Symphony Café. Artists and menus will be announced at a later date.

“The Nashville Symphony has always wanted to present a world music festival to celebrate music and cultures from around the world,” said Alan D. Valentine, president and CEO of the Nashville Symphony. “Now that we have this amazing space and an inaugural line-up of top musicians from all corners of the Americas, we hope this exciting event will be the first of many more to come.”

Wednesday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.: Hispanic Influences in Country Music
As a nod to the CMA Music Festival, Latin country singer/songwriter Rick Trevino will provide a different twist to the country music activities as he performs Latin-infused country music, produced and co-written by friend Raul Malo. Trevino, a Grammy-award winning Texas native, is recognized for his eclectic mix of musical influences, which is reflected in his forthcoming album Whole Town Blue, a combination of South Texas swing, New Orleans honky-tonk and Spanish bolero.
For more information on Rick Trevino, please visit his web site at: http://www.ricktrevino.com.

Thursday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m.: Music and Dance of the Pacific Islands
Known for his lightning-fast fingers and improvisation, 28-year-old ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro shatters all musical boundaries by performing unheard-of feats on his four-string instrument. Shimabukuro has great respect for traditional Hawaiian music but considers it his calling to reveal the true versatility of the ukulele.
Also visiting from Hawaii are slack key guitarist Jeff Peterson, a Hawaii native whose unique instrument dates from the early 19th century, and the Hawaiian music group Kohala, presenting an acoustic blend of island jazz. Enhancing this performance from the Pacific will also be traditional Hula dancers and a native Hawaiian chanter.
For more information on Jake Shimabukuro, please visit his web site at: www.jakeshimabukuro.com.

Friday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m.: Brazilian Rhythms
One of the world’s greatest ambassadors of Brazil’s signature sound, pianist Sergio Mendes switched from classical to jazz at an early age and started his brilliant music career in the 1960s in clubs around Rio de Janeiro. A 1964 album by Mendes and his band Bossa Rio, arranged by the great Tom Jobim, helped explode the worldwide interest in bossa nova that continues over three decades later. This world music festival’s closing performer and his band will revisit a lifetime of monumental Brazilian music.

Tickets for evening performances of the Target World Music Festival: Music of the Americas are $10-$60 and can be purchased by calling the Nashville Symphony box office at 615.687.6400 or by visiting www.nashvillesymphony.org. Parking for all events is free at the SunTrust parking garage located at Fourth Avenue and Commerce.


Del Castillo on Dan Rather Reports

Del Castillo, the legendary Austin-based band that fuses Flamenco, Rock, Blues and World Music, will be featured in the next Dan Rather Reports on HDNet. The program, entitled “Latino Invasions,” debuts Tuesday, March 13, at 8 PM Eastern and will be repeated several times during the course of the week.

The veteran reporter contrasts the immigration issues the country faces with the Latino culture that is now part of the fabric of American life in this installment of his weekly series, the flagship series of the pioneering High Definition TV network. The influence that Latino culture has on television, movies and music is examined in depth with the latter segment keyed to Del Castillo’s philosophy and success.

HDNet filmed the band in performance at writer/director Robert Rodriguez’ SXSW Film Festival celebration that took place Sunday night at Antone’s in Austin. An extensive interview with Del Castillo band members was filmed earlier.

Dan Rather Reports: Latino Invasions can be seen as follows (all times Eastern):

Tuesday, March 13 – 8 PM
Tuesday, March 13 – 11 PM
Wednesday, March 14 – 2 AM
Wednesday, March 14 – 7 PM
Saturday, March 17 – 1:30 PM


Photo: Margarita

1 comment:

  1. I think that there is a market out there for chicano american country singers, The one that has my attention at the moment is Gabe Garcia he is on Nashville Star 6 hopefully he takes the top spot but you should tune in and support the latin american star.

    ReplyDelete

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