Mana to Celebrate Mexican Independence Day with Two Las Vegas Concerts

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Maná is preparing for a grito in Nevada…

The legendary Mexican rock band will celebrate Mexican Independence Day with two concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The just-announced shows will take place September 15 and 16, celebrating Mexicans’ revolt against Spanish rulers — not be confused with Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates the Mexican victory over French troops in the Battle of Puebla.

While the band’s announcement did not mention anything about Donald Trump, the choice of celebrating Mexican Independence Day in a U.S. venue may be a jab at the current U.S. president from the band, particularly frontman Fher Olvera, who has frequently spoken out against Trump’s immigration policies and his statements about Latinos.

“Sometimes the results disappoint us or worry us, but they should never get us on our knees,” the singer said the day after the election. “Us Latinos will continue to keep our head up high and work to change what we don’t like, to have the life, country and world we want.”

The Las Vegas shows, which will be Maná’s only U.S. arena concerts in 2017, can be expected to rival the energy of the most fervent political rally.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31, at 10 a.m. PST.

Valdez KOs Matias Adrian Rueda to Win Featherweight World Title

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Oscar Valdez is officially a world champion…

The 25-year-old Mexican boxer, who always dreamed of being a world titleholder like his idols Erik Morales, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Jose Luis Castillo knocked out Matias Adrian Rueda in the second round to win a vacant featherweight world title Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“This was my dream since I was 8 years old,” Valdez said, holding back tears. “It is the dream we shared, me and my father. I just work hard in the gym. We got to accomplish our dream. Now I want to fight the best. Whoever it is, let’s do it.”

Valdez won the 126-pound world title vacated last month by Vasyl Lomachenko after he moved up in weight and won a junior lightweight title. And Valdez did it in explosive fashion.

He repeatedly rocked Rueda in the first round with left hooks to the head and then destroyed him in the second round.

Valdez (20-0, 18 KOs), Mexico’s only two-time Olympic boxer (2008 and 2012), began the round by rocking Rueda with a right hand to the head. Then he landed a left hook to the body that forced Rueda to take a knee.

Rueda (26-1, 23 KOs), 28, of Argentina, beat the count, but it was only a matter of time. Valdez went on the immediate attack and lashed him with punches. He put together a five-punch combination, four clean head shots followed by another powerful left hook to the body that dropped him again. As soon as Rueda went down referee Russell Mora waved off the fight at 2 minutes, 18 seconds.

“He caught me with a real good body shot and that was it,” Rueda said through an interpreter. “I could never recover. He really hurt me with that [first] body shot.”

Although Valdez was born in Mexico and still lives there, he spent most of his childhood living in Tucson, Arizona, where he went to school. A delegation of city officials were in Las Vegas for the fight to meet with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum about scheduling Valdez’s first defense in the city on November 26 pending a victory.

Carrie Underwood Frocks Out in Diaz’s Cage Bodice at ACM Awards

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Manuel Diaz knows why the caged American Idol sings…

During this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM Awards), country superstar and former AI winner Carrie Underwood performed her latest single “Church Bells” in one of the Mexican designers fashion-forward dresses.

Underwood sparkled in the silver cage bodice by Diaz over a Sanyae Semure dress, as well as gladiator-style heels, Graziela Gems earrings, and a Mariana Harutunian bracelet and rings.

The ACM Awards were held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday (April 3) in Las Vegas.

Click here to see Diaz’s website.

Lizárraga Mentors Las Vegas Students as part of Latin Grammy in the Schools Program

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Poncho Lizárraga is helping the next generation of musicians…

The 44-year-old Mexican musician and member of Banda El Recodo recently visited Rancho High School in Las Vegas to mentor aspiring musicians.

Lizárraga’s visit was part of the Latin Grammy in the Schools program — an educational initiative from the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation that offers music students the opportunity to learn about the world that surrounds the Latin music business from A-list musicians and music professionals — and included anecdotes and advice from the esteemed Banda el Recodo member.

During the same visit, Lizárraga helped present a donation from the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation with the assistance of Ford Motor Company of $20,000 that will go towards procuring instruments for the school’s music program.

The night before, Lizárraga spoke about the importance of giving back, “We’ve always looked at music as something that’s meant to be shared,” he told reporters from the press room at the MGM Grand Garden Arena after Banda el Recodo’s double win at Latin Grammys for best banda album (Mi Vicio Más Grande) and best regional Mexican song (“Todo Tuyo”).

Lafourcade Leads the Pack of Latin Grammy Winners

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Natalia Lafourcade is this year’s Latin Grammys darling…

The 31-year-old Mexican pop-rock singer-songwriter proved to be the big winner at this year’s awards show.

Lafourcade made good on four of her five nominations for her album Hasta la Raiz.

But she lost out on the top prize, Album of the Year, which went to Dominican bachata artist Juan Luis Guerra for Todo Tiene su Hora.

Lafourcade still walked away with two of the night’s most prestigious awards, Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the title track of “Hasta la Raiz.”

“My friend, how amazing that we made this disc together,” Lafourcade said to her friend and collaborator Leonel Garcia, with whom she shared three nominations as cowriters of the album’s title track.

Lafourcade, who more than doubled her career Latin Grammy haul in one night, now has seven Latin Grammys.

Meanwhile, Guerra picked up three awards. Along with Album of the Year, the Dominican musician took home the Latin Grammys for Best Contemporary Tropical Album and Best Tropical Song.

Meanwhile, J Balvin and Nicky Jam become first time Latin Grammy winners.

The biggest night in Latin music was presented in Spanish and English and featured a mix of rhythms, from alternative to mariachi.

The Latin Grammy Awards were broadcast live on Univision from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Actresses Jacqueline Bracamontes and Roselyn Sanchez hosted the three-hour ceremony.

Here’s a look at this year’s Latin Grammy winners:

RECORD OF THE YEAR
Hasta La Raíz – Natalia Lafourcade

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Todo Tiene Su Hora – Juan Luis Guerra 4.40

SONG OF THE YEAR
Hasta La Raíz – Leonel Garcia & Natalia Lafourcade

BEST NEW ARTIST
Monsieur Periné

BEST CONTEMPORARY POP VOCAL ALBUM
Sirope – Alejandro Sanz

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
Necesito Un Bolero – Gilberto Santa Rosa

BEST URBAN PERFORMANCE
El Perdón – Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias

BEST URBAN MUSIC ALBUM
El Que Sabe, Sabe – Tego Calderón

BEST URBAN SONG
Ay Vamos – J Balvin, Rene Cano, Alejandro “Mosty” Patiño & Alejandro “Sky” Ramírez

BEST ROCK ALBUM
B – Diamante Eléctrico

BEST POP/ROCK ALBUM
Cama Incendiada – Maná

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Hasta La Raíz – Natalia Lafourcade

BEST ALTERNATIVE SONG
Hasta La Raíz – Leonel García & Natalia Lafourcade

BEST SALSA ALBUM
Son De Panamá – Rubén Blades Con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta

BEST CUMBIA/VALLENATO ALBUM
Sencillamente – Jorge Celedón & Gustavo García

BEST CONTEMPORARY TROPICAL ALBUM
Todo Tiene Su Hora – Juan Luis Guerra 4.40

BEST TRADITIONAL TROPICAL ALBUM
Tributo A Los Compadres No Quiero Llanto – José Alberto “El Canario” & Septeto Santiaguero

BEST TROPICAL FUSION ALBUM
El Mismo – ChocQuibTown

BEST TROPICAL SONG
Tus Besos – Juan Luis Guerra

BEST SINGER-SONGWRITER ALBUM
Healer – Alex Cuba

BEST RANCHERO ALBUM
Acaríciame El Corazón – Pedro Fernández

BEST BANDA ALBUM
Mi Vicio Más Grande – Banda El Recodo De Don Cruz Lizárraga

BEST TEJANO ALBUM
Sentimientos – Sólido

BEST REGIONAL SONG
Todo Tuyo – Mauricio Arriaga, Edgar Barrera & Eduardo Murguía, Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga

BEST INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Dr. Ed Calle Presents Mamblue – Ed Calle & Mamblue

BEST FOLK ALBUM
Balas y Chocolate – Lila Downs

BEST TANGO ALBUM
Homenaje A Astor Piazzolla – Orquesta Del Tango De Buenos Aires

BEST FLAMENCO ALBUM
Entre 20 Aguas: A La Música De Paco De Lucía – Varios Artistas

BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM
Jazz Meets The Classics – Paquito D’Rivera

BEST CHRISTIAN ALBUM (SPANISH LANGUAGE)
Derroche De Amor – Alex Campos

BEST CHRISTIAN ALBUM (PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE)
Da Eternidade – Fernanda Brum

BEST BRAZILIAN CONTEMPORARY POP ALBUM
Dancê – Tulipa Ruiz

BEST BRAZILIAN ROCK ALBUM
Sol-Te – Suricato

BEST SAMBA/PAGODE ALBUM
Só Felicidade – Fundo de Quintal

BEST SERTANEJA MUSIC ALBUM
Amizade Sincera II – Renato Teixeira & Sérgio Reis

BEST BRAZILIAN SONG
Bossa Negra – Hamilton de Holanda, Diogo Nogueira & Marcos Portinari, songwriters Diogo Nogueira & Hamilton de Holanda

BEST LATIN CHILDREN’S ALBUM
Los Animales – Mister G BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM: Alma Brasileira – Débora Halász, Franz Halász & Radamés Gnattali; Marcelo Amaral, Debora Halász & Johannes Müller, producers (Tie)

Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18 – Montero: Ex Patria, Op. 1 & Improvisations – Gabriela Montero; Jonathan Allen, album producer (Tie)

BEST CLASSICAL CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION
Capriccio – Carlos Franzetti, composer (Allison Brewster Franzetti)

BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
Este Instante – Natalia Ayala, Carlos Dussan Gómez & Juliana Jaramillo, art directors (Marta Gómez)

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM
Hasta La Raíz – Andrés Borda, Eduardo Del Águila, Demián Nava, Alan Ortiz Grande, Alan Saucedo & Sebastián Schunt, engineers; Eduardo Del Águila & Cesar Sogbe, mixers; José Blanco, mastering engineer (Natalia Lafourcade)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Sebastian Krys

BEST SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO
Ojos Color Sol – Calle 13 Featuring Silvio Rodríguez

BEST LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO
Loco De Amor “La Historia” – Juanes

Maná & Los Tigres del Norte Hold Up “Don’t Vote for Racists” Sign

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Maná and Los Tigres del Norte join forces to speak out against presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

At this year’s Latin Grammy Awards, the iconic Mexican bands used music as a means to convey an important political message at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Maná, the most beloved pop/rock band in the Spanish speaking world, and Los Tigres del Norte, the voice of the immigrant community – came together on Thursday night to make a statement about the unprecedented power of the Latino vote in the upcoming 2016 election.

Performing Los Tigres’ norteño anthem “Somos Más Americanos,” Maná and the band from San Jose, Calif. reaffirmed the fact that the Latino vote matters.

Beyond that, the message seemed to be one about using one’s vote wisely and the audience, standing throughout the entire performance, seemed to agree.

At the end of the song, Maná unveiled a sign that read “Latinos unidos no voten por los racistas,” which can be taken as a not-so-subtle reference to presidential hopeful Trump.

It’s not the first time the band has spoken out on Trump. During its most recent tour run, Maná frontman Fher compared the GOP candidate to Adolf Hitler.

On the red carpet, Fher reaffirmed the band’s message. “We love playing the Latin Grammys but we’re using this opportunity to express the power that Latinos have in this country,” he told Billboard. “There are more than 50 million Latinos — the US has the second highest number of Spanish-speaking people in the world, after Mexico. Imagine that. That means that Latinos have garnered a lot of power and it’s time to demand respect. So we’re asking people to register to vote and vote for candidates who are offering the best for every hard-working Latino in this country. That’s our message: Use your vote to change things. Vote for a human being who doesn’t discriminate; who is not racist, to put it bluntly.”

The website somosmas2016.com, powered by Voto Latino voter mobilization org, went live simultaneously during the live performance. People can register to vote or pledge to vote directly on the site.

Boneta to Serve as a Presenter at the Latin Grammys

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Diego Boneta is heading to the Latin Grammys…

The 24-year-old Mexican singer/actor will join Zoe Saldaña, Rita Moreno, Miguel Bose, Yandel, Julieta Venegas, Leslie Grace, Victor Manuelle, current nominees including René Camacho, Pedro Capó and Aída Cuevas and over a dozen other Latin personalities in presenting awards at the Latin Grammys on Thursday night.

A total of 22 well-known presenters will cross the stage at the 16th annual Latin Grammy Awards, joining 32 performers, including Fifth Harmony, Latin chart-topping artists Nicky Jam and J Balvin, OMI of “Cheerleader” fame, Ricky Martin, regional Mexican star Espinoza Paz, urban sensation Maluma and six-time Grammy winners Banda el Recodo. Will Smith is set to appear with Colombian duo Bomba Estereo, and Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Roberto Carlos will also perform.

The show will be broadcast live on the Univision Network Thursday night (Nov. 19) at 8 p.m. ET/PT from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Actress Roselyn Sanchez and model and Univison presenter Jacqueline Bracamontes will host the awards.

Lafourcade to Perform at This Year’s Latin Grammy Awards Show

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Natalia Lafourcade is certain to take the stage at this year’s Latin Grammys.

The 31-year-old Mexican pop-rock singer-songwriter, a five-time nominee for this year’s awards show, including nods for Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, has joined the list of performers at the Latin Grammys on November 19.

Lafourcade, a three-time Latin Grammy winner and two-time Grammy nominee, will take the stage of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. There’s no word on what song she’ll perform.

She joins a growing roster of performers that includes Julión Álvarez, Silvestre Dangond and Nicky Jam, along with a special performance by this year’s Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Roberto Carlos.

Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda and Silvestre Dangond each received one nomination. In the best banda album category, Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda are nominated for El Aferrado. Dangond is nominated with Lucas Dangond in the best cumbia/vallenato album category for Sigo Invicto.

Nicky Jam has two nominations for best urban performance: “Una Cita (Remix)” with Alkilados featuring J Alvarez & El Roockie, and “El Perdón” with Enrique Iglesias.

Previously announced performers include current nominees ChocQuibTown, J Balvin, Natalia Jiménez, Juan Luis Guerra, Matisse and Raquel Sofía.

The show, co-hosted by Devious Maids star Roselyn Sanchez and Mexican model and actress Jacqueline Bracamontes, will air live November 19 on Univision.

Sanchez to Co-Host This Year’s Latin Grammy Awards Show

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Roselyn Sanchez will have a big night at this year’s Latin Grammys…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actress/singer and Devious Maids star will co-host the upcoming 16th annual edition of the awards show together with Mexican actress and model Jacqueline Bracamontes, according to the Latin Recording Academy and Univision.

Sanchez, who plays aspiring singer Carmen Luna on Lifetime’s Devious Maids, is no stranger to music.

She released her debut album, Borinqueña, in September 2003. The first single from the album, “Amor Amor,” was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Music Video.

Sanchez recently made headlines when she bowed out as co-host of the Miss USA pageant, citing Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant remarks as the reason. She has since spoken out about immigration reform.

On November 19, Sanchez will join Bracamontes, a former beauty queen and actress well-known to Univision audiences, on the stage of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for the awards show, to be broadcast live on the Spanish-language network.

Last year, Bracamontes hosted the show with Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez.

Sofia to Perform at This Year’s Latin Grammys

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Raquel Sofia is ready to make a big splash at the Latin Grammys…

The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has been added to the roster of artists scheduled to perform at the annual awards show.

Sofia, who is nominated for Best New Artist at this year’s Latin Grammys, joins a list of performers that includes Juan Luis Guerra, J Balvin, Cho Quib Town, Natalia Jimenez, Will Smith and Bomba Estereo, and fellow best new artist nominees Matisse.

Sofia’s debut album, Te Quiero los Domingos, was released in July.

Sofia, who recently received a Vevo Lift nomination, previously performed backing vocals for Juanes, Shakira and Jean Carlos Canela, before making a name for herself.

Smith and Bomba Estereo will perform their version of “Fiesta,” which is nominated for record of the year in its original version. Balvin is nominated for best urban performance and best urban son for his hit “Ay Vamos” while Guerra is up for four awards, including album and record of the year.

The 16th annual Latin Grammys will air live on Univision on November 19 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

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