Jamming on the street in San Cristobal de las Casas
Before the ease of downloading, when I traveled in places like Brazil, Vietnam and Mexico, I went to street markets, where pirated CDs with photocopied liner notes in plastic sleeves hung from big white racks.
Whenever I heard music I liked, I’d ask the person who it was, what kind of music it was, and which other groups I should listen to. I walked away with stacks of bootleg CDs.
El Chopo, Mexico City’s rock market
But what’s even better is to have a musician or a music fan write me a list of their favorite bands. Then after a long trip I sit down with my lists and listen to the suggestions on YouTube.
A few posts on this blog are lists of my musical discoveries from Latin America. Many fine artists are practically unknown north of the Mexican/U.S. border, the great cultural divide in North America.
So this is my list to you, from one friend and curious traveler to another:
Kickass Mexican Music – My five favorite Mexican groups/artists from my first year living in Mexico. Now, more than two years after I wrote this article, I’ve seen all but one of these groups live. Can you guess which?
Think You Don’t Like Rock in Spanish – Some great songs, chosen to give a newbie a nice intro to the diversity of Spanish rock:
Rap and Hip Hop in Spanish:
Latin Music for Jam Fans – Another primer for quality Rock en Español (rock in Spanish):
Los Tigres del Norte - “Somos Mas Americanos” (We are more American) is a protest song every American should hear. Includes my translation to English:
Vive Latino 2012 - the biggest rock festival in Mexico:
Vive Latino 2013 – a great Sunday lineup of some of my favorite Latin bands:
For thoughts on playing, collecting and passing music between travelers – music from around the world – please read Discovering Music on the Road.
Thanks, and please comment with more suggestions. Send me your list from your part of the world. And click on these CDs:
