Chita Rivera to Perform at the “Concert For America” Benefit

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Chita Rivera is doing her part to help families on the border…

The 85-year-old half-Puerto Rican Broadway sensation will perform in the Concert For America, which will take place on June 30.

Rivera, the first Hispanic woman and the first Latino AmericanKennedy Center Honors recipient,will join a list of participants that includesTina Fey, Idina Menzel, Audra McDonald, Mandy Gonzalez and more.

Hosted by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley of SiriusXM, the benefit consisting of music, comedy and commentary will take place in New York’s Great Hall at The Cooper Union.

Rudetsky said in a statement, “James and I have been increasingly horrified at what’s going on with these families struggling at the border.” He added that the scheduled Concert For America will coincide with the coming day of national protests, and will benefit the non-profits working with families at the southern border.

General Admission tickets are $25, and limited VIP seats are $250, with proceeds going to Al Otro Lado, Texas Civil Rights Project, ACLU Foundation of Texas and Florence Project, all groups working to protect the civil and human rights of families on the border. Tickets can be purchased here.

The event will livestream on Facebook and at ConcertsforAmerica.com, beginning at 5:00 pm, ET on Saturday, June 30.

Baez Among the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Joan Baez is celebrating a special feat…

The 75-year-old Mexican American folk singer, songwriter, musician, and activist will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Baez, a first-time nominee, will be joined by Pearl Jam, Journey, Electric Light Orchestra, Tupac Shakur and Yes as the shrine’s 2017 inductees.

Baez, whose contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest or social justice, began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2, and Joan Baez in Concert all achieved gold record status and stayed on the Billboard and other record album charts for two years.

Her songs of acclaim include “Diamonds & Rust” and covers of Phil Ochs‘ “There but for Fortune” and The Band‘s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down“. She is also known for “Farewell, Angelina“, “Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word“, “Forever Young“,”Joe Hill“, “Sweet Sir Galahad” and “We Shall Overcome.”

Baez, who performed three songs at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, has displayed a lifelong commitment to political and social activism in the fields of nonviolence, civil rights, human rights and the environment.

“I never considered myself to be a rock and roll artist,” said Baez, who received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011, in a statement. “But as part of the folk music boom which contributed to and influenced the rock revolution of the 60’s, I am proud that some of the songs I sang made their way into the rock lexicon. I very much appreciate this honor and acknowledgement by the Hall of Fame.”

The 32nd annual Rock Hall induction ceremony will take place on April 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. SiriusXM will broadcast the ceremony live and it will again be filmed for a later telecast on HBO.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum in Cleveland will open a special exhibit on March 30 to honor the 2017 inductees.

Louis C.K. Added to the Lineup for SiriusXM Comedy Greats

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Louis C.K. will be hitting the radiowaves…

The 47-year-old Mexican American comedian and actor has been added to the lineup for SiriusXM Comedy Greats, a new channel from the satellite radio company that will broadcast comedy 24/7 for the first time, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition to Louis C.K., who recently earned six Emmy nominations, Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, Amy Schumer, George Carlin, Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Hart, Bill Maher, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and Joan Rivers are also noted as some of more than a hundred notable comics of past and present that will be showcased on air.

The new channel will also feature regular countdown takeovers, hosted by guests like Bill Burr, Jim Gaffigan and Ed Helms, who will discuss their personal favorites and professional influences.

Additionally, Dan Akyroyd, Adam Carolla, Cedric the Entertainer, Bill Hader, George Lopez, Howie Mandel, Marc Maron and Russell Brand will share vignette-like stories about comedians who have changed their lives.

SiriusXM Comedy Greats will launch Aug. 13, with a special hosted by Jim Norton, in which he counts down the top 50 comedy greats of all time (selected by listeners and the SiriusXM comedy team). It’s available on channel 94, as well as online, on demand and through the SiriusXM app.

DJ Juan Magan Launching New SiriusXM Biweekly, Bilingual Show

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

DJ Juan Magan is about to mixdown…

SiriusXM is launching a new biweekly, bilingual show hosted by the 36-year-old Spanish born deejay in its bid to continue expanding its Latin programming.

MixDown with Juan Magan will premiere Friday at 9:00 pm ET. The one-hour show will air the first and third Friday of every month, with replays Wednesdays at 3:00 pm ET, on SiriusXM La Mezcla, channel 149.

Magan, who started as a deejay in his native Spain, has become one of the leading Latin music deejays in the world, with his own chart-topping hits as well as collaborations and remixes with many Latin and non-Latin stars. His show will feature both his own material as well as new tracks from emerging acts and global stars.

Magan’s deal with SiriusXM comes at a time when dance music and EDM are increasingly expanding into the Latin realm, in the U.S., Latin America and Spain.

Last December, Universal Music Latin America announced the launch of a new dance label called Aftercluv Dance Lab. Magan is signed to the label, which has offices throughout Latin America as well as the U.S.

Sirius’ La Mezcla channel, where MixDown With Juan Magan will live, is one of 10 exclusive commercial-free music channels on SiriusXM Latino, in addition to Sirius’ other Latin programming in sports, news and variety.

A new Pitbull channel is expected to launch this year.

Piolín Returning to Radio in New Mexico and California

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo is preparing to return to the airwaves…

The Mexican radio personality’s El Show de Piolín will air on American General Media’s KLVO-FM (Radio Lobo 97.7/94.7 FM) in Albuquerque, New Mexico and KBET (La Caliente, 96.9 FM) in Bakersfield, California starting in January 2015.

The Piolín show will air from 6-11 a.m. weekday mornings, Sotelo’s longtime timeslot with Univision.

Radio Lobo is the most recent stop in Sotelo’s beleaguered journey of the past two years, which has taken him from giant Univision Radio to SiriusXM, and now, to AGM.

In September, less than a year after its highly-publicized launch, Sotelo’s four-hour daily morning show on SiriusXM radio was canceled. Sirius said in a statement that they had “mutually agreed to end the relationship.”

Sotelo came to Sirius from Univision Radio, where for years he held court on a nationally syndicated morning drive show that boasted high ratings, high influence and high prestige; even President Barack Obama and wife, Michelle Obama, went on his show.

But on July of 2013, Univision abruptly canceled the morning staple, which originated daily from KSCA (101-FM in Los Angeles). Soon after, a former coworker publicly accused him of “physically, sexually and emotionally harassing” him for three years, among other claims. Sotelo promptly denied the accusations, and last year, he filed a lawsuit against six former Univision employees and their Los Angeles attorneys, alleging civil extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit claimed the defendants “attempted to extort $4.9 million” from him under the threat of publicly embarrassing the plaintiff and damaging his reputation by the disclosure of false and misleading allegations.

However, in August, Los Angeles county judge dismissed the suit and ordered Sotelo to pay back $100,000 in legal fees.

A month later, Sotelo’s Sirius show was canceled.

Now, listeners can hear him again, but certainly nowhere near the scale he once had.

For American General Media, getting so big a name — even despite the controversy — is a coup.

“I am extremely excited about the return of Piolín to our family of stations,” said AGM president Rogers Brandon in a statement. “The show was there when we launched La Caliente and was instrumental in making the station a dynamic force for our listeners and clients.”

Rising Star DJ Avila Releases “Breaking Your Fall” Remixes

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

He wouldn’t even be old enough to vote in the United States, but Danny Avila has already become one of the hottest acts in the world of electronic dance music (EDM).

The 17-year-old Spanish wunderkind, who won the Best Newcomer DJ award at the prestigious 2011 Vicious Music Awards at just 16, has just released a remix package for his propulsive single “Breaking Your Fall.” And, in support of the five new taked on his debut single, Avila has released a Mega Mix of tracks, launching exclusively on Billboard.com.

Avila, who was included on Billboard‘s 21 Under 21: Ones To Watch list of new artists last year, has played on bills led by dance superstars like David Guetta, Afrojack and Martin Solveig.

From his extraordinary 2012 Ibiza season that caught the attention of everyone including Tiësto and dance bible DJ Mag where he became the youngest ever Covermount CD artist to the announcement of his residency as the youngest ever prime-time deejay on SiriusXM, Avila has captured the world’s attention with his talent.

Following the release of “Breaking Your Fall” last year, the new remixes were helmed by Lucky Date, Mikael Weermets, dBerrie and SICK INDIVIDUALS.

The remix package precedes Avila’s involvement on the Generation Wild Tour 2013, which will run through North America beginning on January 31 in Chicago. Deniz Koyu, dBerrie and Mikael Weermets will join the teen producer on the trek.

Click here to visit Avila’s SoundCloud page.

Juanes Launches Monthly Radio Show on SiriusXM

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no doubt Juanes is Sirius about music… And now he’s part of the first artist-hosted show for bilingual listeners.

The 40-year-old Colombian singing superstar officially launched Juanes: Fijate Bien on SiriusXM‘s Caliente channel 150 and La Kueva channel 540.

On his exclusive monthly show, the Grammy and seventeen-time Latin Grammy-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter, will feature new music and showcase spontaneous, live jam sessions with special guests, as well as share personal stories and anecdotes from life on the road.

During the first broadcast, Juanes shared stories and music from one of his earliest inspirations, Colombian singer and songwriter Octavio Mesa. Juanes also welcomed his first guest, Dominican singer-songwriter, Vicente Garcia, who deliveres a special performance.

“I am excited to launch Fijate Bien on SiriusXM this Sunday,” said Juanes. “I look forward to hearing from listeners all over the country and sharing stories, inspiring live music and life experiences from the road.”

“Juanes: Fijate Bien is our first show for the bilingual listener,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “As one of the most recognizable Latin stars today, Juanes will have his own platform to share his thoughts and musical tastes with SiriusXM bilingual listeners nationwide.”

Named after the Colombian superstar’s groundbreaking first album, Juanes: Fijate Bien debuted Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 8:00 pm ET.

The special replays on SiriusXM’s Caliente channel 150 Wednesday, September 26, and on La Kueva channel 540 Friday, September 28 at 12:00 pm ET.

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