Gustavo Santaolalla to Receive Lifetime Achievement Trustees Award During Latin Grammys

Gustavo Santaolalla is set to receive a special honor…

The 71-year-old Argentine musician and composer will receive the Lifetime Achievement Trustees Award in November.

Gustavo SantaolallaThe award honors his music legacy and is conferred on individuals who have made significant contributions to Latin music during their careers in ways other than performance.

Santaolalla has received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA awards, two Grammys, 19 Latin Grammys, and is an Emmy nominee for his work on HBO’s “The Last of Us.”

All of the hardware is even more amazing when you consider Santaolalla can’t read or write music.

He will receive the honor during a private event as part of Latin GRAMMy Week on Sunday, November 12, 2023, in the Teatro Lope de Vega in Sevilla, Spain.

In addition, Santaolalla will perform at Eric Clapton’s 2023 Crossroads Festival in Los Angeles.

The event is being held September 24 at the Crypto Arena. Clapton gathers past, present and the future of guitar music onto the stage to benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent persons.

Santaolalla scored the original video game for “The Last of Us” and its 2020 sequel, as well as the HBO series.

In addition to his video game and television work, he has collaborated with high profile filmmakers like Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros21 GramsBabel), Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, On The Road) and Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain).

Juanes Renews Recording Contract with Longtime Music Partner Universal Music Latino

Juanes isn’t going anywhere…

The 50-year-old Colombian Grammy-winning superstar has renewed his recording contract with Universal Music Latino.

JuanesWith this deal, Juanes extends a 23-year-old partnership with the label.

The news comes just days after the release of Vida Cotidiana, his first album with original music in four years.

“Throughout the years Universal Music Latino has become a second home and I am excited to continue working with such a respected label,” Juanes said in a press release. “I believe that my musical career will continue to thrive and grow within this new creative cycle. I am eager to see and share what the future holds.”

Jesús López, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula, added that the label “will continue to support and grow with Juanes,” whose “talent and professionalism have made him one of the most sought out acts for so many decades.”

No additional details of the deal renewal were announced. As for publishing, Juanes remains with Warner Chappell Music.

Juanes made his solo debut in 2000 with the Gustavo Santaolalla-produced Fíjate Bien, and rose to fame soon after with hits like “A Dios Le Pido” from his sophomore album Un Día Normal, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, and “La Camisa Negra” from Mi Sangre (2004), which spent eight weeks at No. 1. “Me Enamora”, “Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor” and “La Fotografía,” with Nelly Furtado, are some of his other chart-topping hits.

Among other achievements, Juanes has won three Grammy Awards and 24 Latin Grammys, and was named the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year of 2019 not only for his work as a musician, but also as an activist with his Fundación Mi Sangre.

In a recent interview with Billboard Español, the superstar spoke in depth about his most recent production, Vida Cotidiana, in which he reflects on his relationship with his wife and children and the problems that afflict his country. Juanes is currently preparing to announce his Vida Cotidiana Tour, with expected dates in Latin America, the U.S. and Europe.

Carlos Santana to Perform at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival

Carlos Santana has reached a crossroads

The 75-year-old Mexican legendary guitarist and his band, Santana, will perform at Eric Clapton’s 2023 Crossroads Guitar festival.

Carlos SantanaThis year’s event will take place over two nights (September 23-24) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where Clapton will again gather some of the best guitar players in the world for headlining sets and impromptu collabs.

Though not everyone on the roster will repeat over the weekend, Clapton will perform both nights, joined by Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Santana, Jakob Dylan, Albert Lee, Los Lobos, Stephen Stills, Taj Mahal, ZZ Top, the John Mayer Trio, Robert Randolph, H.E.R., Marcus King and many more.

Tickets for the festival will go on sale on Friday, April 21, at 10:00 am

local time via Ticketmaster; there are no two-day passes, only single-day tickets.

Also slated to perform at the event are: Joe Bonamassa, Doyal Bramhall II, James Bullard, Jerry Douglas, Andy Fairweather Low, Samantha Fish, Sonny Landreth, Pedro Martins, John McLaughlin, Del McCoury Band, Roger McGuinn, Keb’ Mo’, Ariel Posen, Eric Gales, Vince Gill, Buddy Guy, Ben Haggard, Sierra Hull, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, The Bros. Landreth, Robbie Robertson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gustavo Santaolalla, Daniel Santiago, Molly Tuttle, Jimmie Vaughan, Breadley Walker and The War on Drugs.

Longtime co-sponsor Guitar Center will again host the Guitar Center Festival Village at the adjacent Xbox Plaza and Chick Hearn Court at L.A. Live, where some of the world’s best guitar and gear manufacturers will host interactive exhibits where fans can try out new products and instruments.

In addition to some multi-million-dollar historical guitars on display at the Legends Collection area, there will also be an unveiling of the 25th anniversary Crossroads Guitar Collection, a rare series of limited-edition guitars based on some of Clapton’s vintage gear; a significant portion of profits from the sale of the guitars will go to aid Clapton’s Crossroads Centre at Antigua treatment and education facility.

Lindsey Olivares Claims Two Annie Awards for Netflix’s “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”

Lindsey Olivares is celebrating a big night…

The Latina production designer, character designer and caricature artist claimed two awards at the 49th annual Annie Awards, which honor the year’s best in animated fare across movies, television and video games.

Lindsey OlivaresOlivares, the production designer and lead character designer on Netflix’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines, took home the award for Character Design, Feature for her work on the acclaimed animated film, which was named Best Feature.

Olivares also was along the design team winning the Production Design, Feature award for The Mitchells vs. The Machines.

The Annies are presented by ASIFA-Hollywood.

The The Mitchells vs. The Machines victory in the Best Feature race gives it front-runner status leading up to the Oscars next month. Last year, eventual Animated Feature Oscar winner Soul from Pixar won the top Annie Awards prize, the 14th time in 20 years the society and the Academy have matched their top picks.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Germaine Franco won in the Music, Feature category for their score/soundtrack work on Walt Disney Animation StudiosEncanto.

Evan Monteiro won the award for Character Design, TV for his work on Arcane, while Sebastian Trujillo among the animation team on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that claimed the Character Animation, Live Action prize.

Gustavo Santaolalla won alongside Tim Davies in the Music, TV category for their work on Netflix’s Maya and the Three.

Hugo Covarrubias won in the Short Subject category for Bestia, which he co-wrote with Martín Erazo.

Here’s the full list of winners:

Best Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix

Independent Feature
Flee
Neon, Final Cut For Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi !, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left Hand Films, Participant

Directing, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Directors: Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

Directing, TV
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Directors: Pascal Charue, Arnaud Delord, Barthelemy Maunoury

Storyboarding, Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Storyboard Artist: Jason Hand

Storyboarding, TV
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Storyboard Artist: Simon Andriveau

General TV Production
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix

Children’s TV Production
Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
A Netflix Series

Preschool TV Production
Ada Twist, Scientist
Episode: Twelve Angry Birds
Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Wonder Worldwide, Netflix

Writing, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Writers: Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

Writing, TV
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Writers: Christian Linke, Alex Yee

Voice Acting, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
As ‘Katie Mitchell’: Abbi Jacobson

Voice Acting, TV
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
As ‘Jinx’: Ella Purnell

Editing, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Editorial Team: Greg Levitan, Collin Wightman, T.J. Young, Tony Ferdinand, Bret Allen

Editing, TV
What If…?
Episode: What If…Ultron Won?
Marvel Studios
Editorial Team: Joel Fisher, Graham Fisher, Sharia Davis, Basuki Juwono, Adam Spieckermann

Animated Effects, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
FX Team: Christopher Logan, Man-Louk Chin, Devdatta Nerurkar, Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari

Animated Effects, TV
Arcane
Episode: Oil and Water
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
FX Team: Guillaume Degroote, Aurélien Ressencourt, Martin Touzé, Frédéric Macé, Jérôme Dupré

Character Animation, Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Animator: Dave Hardin

Character Animation, TV
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Animator: Léa Chervet

Character Animation, Live Action
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment, Weta Digital
Animation Team: Karl Rapley, Sebastian Trujillo, Richard John Moore, Merlin Bela Wassilij Maertz, Pascal Raimbault

Character Animation, Video Game
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Insomniac Games
Animation Team: Insomniac Games Animation Team

Character Design, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Designer: Lindsey Olivares

Character Design, TV
Arcane
Episode: Some Mysteries Better Left Unsolved
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Designer: Evan Monteiro

Music, Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Score: Germaine Franco, Lin-Manuel Miranda

Music, TV
Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
A Netflix Series
Score: Tim Davies, Gustavo Santaolalla

Sponsored Production
A Future Begins
Nexus Studios

Special Production
Namoo
Baobab Studios

Production Design, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Design Team: Lindsey Olivares, Toby Wilson, Dave Bleich

Production Design, TV
Arcane
Episode: Happy Progress Day!
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Design Team: Julien Georgel, Aymeric Kevin, Arnaud Baudry

Short Subject
Bestia
by Hugo Covarrubias and co-written with Martín Erazo.
Trebol 3 Producciones, MALEZA Estudio

Student Film
Night of the Living Dread
Student director: Ida Melum
Student producer: Danielle Goff
School: National Film and Television School, UK

Winsor McCay Award
Ruben Aquino
Lillian Schwartz
Toshio Suzuki

Special Achievement Award
Glen Vilppu

Ub Iwerks Award
Python Foundation

June Foray Award
Renzo & Sayoko Kinoshita

Soda Stereo’s COVID-19-Postponed “Gracias Totales” Tour Getting an Early 2022 Reboot

Soda Stereo is preparing for a restart…

The Argentine rock band’s long-awaited Gracias Totales tour — which launched on February 29, 2020, in Colombia but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak – is set to resume with new U.S. dates.

Soda Stereo

Part tribute to the rock band’s late frontman Gustavo Cerati and part reunion of the band’s surviving members Zeta Bosio and Charly Alberti, the tour will resume on February 27, 2022, at Miami’s FTX Arena (formerly American Airlines Arena) and on March 3 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The Miami show will be presented by Move Concerts and Loud And Live and Live Nation will present the LA area show.

The Gracias Totales tour will feature special performances and state-of-the-art technology that will make it possible for fans to enjoy the voice and image of Cerati.

“It is exciting to hear the whole process of how the band is doing,” the tour’s production manager and the band’s first manager and sound engineer said in a statement. “I think that people are going to be moved, not only because of the technical aspects but also the spirit and energy are impressive.”

Fourteen invited artists were set to appear during the previous U.S. dates including Gustavo Santaolalla, Draco Rosa, Julieta Venegas, Richard Coleman and AterciopeladosAndrea Echeverri, to name a few. No word yet on the final guest lineup.

The previously announced shows in New York and Houston will not be rescheduled according to a “lack of availability of adequate venues because of the post-COVID concert schedule.” However, promoters will fully refund those who purchased their tickets.

Tickets for the Miami and LA shows are already on sale via ticketmaster.com.

Gustavo Santaolalla Teams Up with CORE for COVID-19 Vaccine PSA

Gustavo Santaolalla is encouraging people in Los Angeles to get the COVID-19 vaccine…

The 69-year-old Argentine Oscar-winning musician, composer, and record producer has teamed up with Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) to create a multilingual PSA in hopes of motivating L.A.’s hardest to reach communities to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Gustavo Santaolalla

Titled “It’s Time Los Angeles,” the 30-second video, which includes original music by Santaolalla, was recorded in English, SpanishKoreanMandarin and Vietnamese.

Jhené Aiko to Host the Grammy Awards’ Premiere Ceremony

Jhené Aiko is makin’ a little Grammy history…

The 32-year-old part-Spanish and part-Dominican American singer will host the Grammy AwardsPremiere Ceremony, taking place at noon PT on March 14, where the vast majority of the Grammys are awarded.

Jhené Aiko

At 5:00 pm, Aiko will shift her attention to the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, where her Chilombo is nominated for album of the year.

This is the first time the host of the Premiere Ceremony has been an album of the year nominee.

Chilombo is also nominated for best progressive R&B album. Aiko has a third nomination this year, best R&B performance for “Lightning & Thunder.”

Aiko will be compensated for her efforts, as will all seven performers at the Premiere Ceremony, who are all current Grammy nominees.

The performers (and the categories in which they are nominated) are Burna Boy (best global music album for Twice As Tall), Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science (best jazz instrumental album for The Waiting Game), Jimmy “Duck” Holmes (best traditional blues album for Cypress Grove), pianist Igor Levit (best classical instrumental solo for Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas), Lido Pimienta (best Latin rock or alternative album for Miss Colombia), Poppy (best metal performance for “Bloodmoney”) and Rufus Wainwright (best traditional pop vocal album for Unfollow the Rules).

Kicking off the event will be a performance celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Marvin Gaye classic “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology).”

The artists who will perform the song are Grammy nominees], including Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra, Thana Alexa, John Beasley, Camilo, Regina Carter, Alexandre Desplat, Bebel Gilberto, Lupita Infante, Sarah Jarosz, Mykal Kilgore, Ledisi, Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez, PJ Morton, Gregory Porter, Grace Potter, säje, Gustavo Santaolalla (Bajofondo), Anoushka Shankar, and Kamasi Washington.

“Mercy Mercy Me” was one of the standout tracks on Gaye’s landmark album, What’s Going On. The album was severely under-recognized at the Grammys for 1971. Gaye’s only nomination that year was for another track on the album, “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),” which was nominated for best R&B vocal performance, male.

Bill Burr, Chika, Infante and Jimmy Jam, former Recording Academy chair, will present the first Grammy Awards of the day.

Imogen Heap hosted last year’s Premiere Ceremony. Shaggy hosted the event two years ago.

The Premiere Ceremony will stream live internationally on Grammy.com. The Grammy telecast will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+ from 8:00–11:30 p.m. ET and 5:00–8:30 p.m. PT.

Julieta Venegas to Take Part in Soda Stereo’s Gracias Totales Tour

Julieta Venegasis helping Soda Stereogive Gracias.

The 49-year-old Mexican American singer and Grammy winner will serve as a special guest on Soda Stereo bassist Zeta Bosio and drummer Charly Alberti’s Gracias Totales tour, which will be making stops in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Houston. 

Julieta Venegas

Soda Stereo and their guests will take the stage to sing some of the band’s greatest hits and honor the legacy of late frontman Gustavo Cerati.

In addition to Venegas, other special guests include Soda Stereo’s first vocalist and the Cerati’s great friend Richard ColemanAterciopeladosAndrea EcheverriDraco Rosa; and Gustavo Santaolalla

More than 10 years after Cerati last hit the stage at Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena in 2007, Soda Stereo’s members – joined by their special guests via in-person or audiovisual format – will perform some of their timeless hits, like “De Musica Ligera,” “Persiana Americana,” “Tratame Suavemente” and more.

Coleman, Draco, Santaolalla and Venegas will join Zeta and Charly at their shows in New York and Miami. Echeverri will then take over Venegas’ spot at the Los Angeles and Houston shows.

Joining via video are Rubén Albarránfrom Café Tacvba; Cerati’s son BenitoBabasonicos’ Adrián DárgelosLos Tresand Pettinellis’ Álvaro HenríquezJuanesMon LaferteLeón LarreguiFernando Ruiz Díazfrom Catupecu Machu; and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin

The tour, presented by Loud and Live and Move Concerts, will honor the late Argentine frontman and guitarist Gustavo Cerati, who died on September 4, 2014, after suffering a stroke. According to an official statement, technology will allow Cerati’s voice and image to be part of the show.

The Gracias Totales tour marks Soda Stereo’s farewell trek. Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.

Here are the dates:

April 14 — New York @ Barclays Center
April 17 — Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
April 22 — Houston, TX @ Smart Financial
April 25 — Los Angeles, CA @ Forum

Café Tacvba Releases Brand New Single “Futuro”

The futuro looks bright for Café Tacvba

The Mexican band has released a brand new single titled “Futuro,” just in time for the new year.

Café Tacvba

The track features deep lyrics about a fresh new start and enjoying the here and now.

“The relationship between life and death and the perception of time are two themes that ‘Futuro’ explores without solemnity or optimism,” says band member and vocalist on the track Quique Rangel. “But it also points to a brighter promise if we allow ourselves to recognize the here and now (without the desire to be a self-help song).”

Emmanuel Del Real (aka Meme), who developed the electronic programming in the song, adds: “It was Quique’s turn and he brought us ‘Futuro.’ This is one of those songs that, when it arrived to the group, gave us the opportunity to be who we really are: a group who is always trying to reinvent ourselves and take risks. This is a song that has a lot of qualities: it’s primitive yet sophisticated, it has a great sense of humor yet the lyrics are deep. It has elements that allow us, in a fun way, to shape this piece that represents the freedom of creativity that exists within Café Tacvba.”

The folk song with electronica beats and vocals by Rangel and lead singer Rubén Albarrán was produced by the legendary Gustavo Santaolalla, who’s been a longtime collaborator of the band.

“Futuro” follows the chilanga banda‘s single “Un par de lugares,” which premiered back in September.

Both tracks will part of Café Tacvba’s forthcoming album due in spring.

Sanchez Earns Two World Soundtrack Awards for Composing the Music for “Birdman”

Antonio Sanchez is flying high

The 43-year-old Mexican jazz drummer and composer took home two awards on Saturday at the 15th World Soundtrack Awards which served as the finale to the 42nd Film Fest Ghent in Belgium.

Screen Shot 2015-10-26 at 6.22.51 AM

Sanchez, a Critics Choice Movie Award winner earlier this year, was named Discovery of the Year 2015 for composing the music for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar-winning film Birdman.

He also picked up the award for Best Original Film Score of the Year for Birdman.

Sanchez’s work also earned him the nomination for 2014 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, a nomination for the 2015 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), and other nominations.

Meanwhile, the honor for the year’s Best Original Song written directly for a movie went to “The Apology Song” from The Book of Life, with music by Gustavo Santaolalla, lyrics by Paul Williams and performed by Diego Luna.

Here’s a look at all the big winners:

Composer of the Year
Michael Giacchino

Original Film Score of the Year
Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) by Antonio Sanchez

 Best Original Song Written for a Film
“The Apology Song” from The Book of Life
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla, lyrics by Paul Williams, performed by Diego Luna 

Discovery of the Year
Antonio Sanchez for ‘Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ 

Sabam Award for Best Young Composer
Peer Kleinschmidt 

Public Choice Award
The Maze Runner by John Paesano 

Lifetime Achievement Award
Patrick Doyle