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Pachanga Fest
May 23, 2011
Pachanga draws 4,000 on a steamy Saturday
(David Weaver FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
- Photos: Pachanga Latino Music Festival
“We look at our music as a kind of Chicano awakening,” the lead singer of Los Angeles band Chicano/Son said during the band’s set on a humid Saturday afternoon at Fiesta Gardens, the site of the Pachanga Latino Music Festival, now in its fourth year. The group, which uses traditional folk instruments to create a sound that blends old and new, offered just one of many versions of Latino music across four stages at the fest, which also included rock, rap, DJ sets and Ninos Rock Pachanga, a set of programming designed specially for children.
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April 20, 2011
Bands added to the Pachanga lineup
Celso Piña, Toy Selectah, Rian C (Austin), Mariachi Las Alteñas (San Antonio), Dahebegebees (Austin) and Conjunto Romo (Kyle) have been added to the 2011 Pachanga Festival, which takes place May 21 at Fiesta Gardens.
Tickets are on sale at pachangafest.com, Waterloo Records and all Front Gate Tickets outlets, including frontgatetickets.com. A portion of all proceeds will benefit the FuturoFund Austin.
Full lineup after the jump.
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May 23, 2010
Scene report: Pachanga Latino Music Festival
When Pachanga Latino Music Festival MVP Brian Lopez —at least the guitarist for Y La Orkestra, also performing at the festival, ought to be in contention for the title for pulling double duty in two wildly different acts — took a break from his solo set of classically inspired folk pop, he had one question for the audience.
“Why is everybody so far away? I know we’re from Arizona, but you can get closer,” quipped the Tucson musician. “We won’t bite.”
The answer, of course, had nothing to do with Lopez’s politically controversial home state and everything to do with the scorching early afternoon heat. Roasting temperatures punctuated by infrequent cloud cover meant a toasty start to Pachanga’s third year, keeping crowds thin for the first portion of the day. Lopez thoughtfully serenaded the criminally small early audience with a band that included Y La Orkestra leader Sergio Mendoza and a guest appearance from that band’s vocalist, Calexico collaborator Salvador Duran, whose contribution of whistling would put Andrew Bird to shame. Lopez sounded appropriately vulnerable and melancholic during his solo set, backed by a virtuoso band as he nailed “Praying for Rain” and a cover of “Leda Atomica” on the patio, by far Pachanga’s best-sounding stage. As with preceding act Pinata Protest — too few punk bands feature accordions — it was a shame more people weren’t there to see it.
But the beauty of the East Side’s verdant Fiesta Gardens is that — unlike inaugural Pachanga venue Waterloo Park — shade is never more than a few paces away, and crowds were appreciable if not acutely impressive on the pavilion stage, where Chicano legends Tortilla Factory blew through a loose, charming set heavy on appealing covers, from an energized take on the Gipsy Kings’ “Bamboleo” to a soulful “Stand By Me.” Original vocalist Bobby Butler remains an endearing stage presence, capable of blending English and Spanish, blues and tejano, with an ease unmatched by any other performer.
Cross-park Grupo Fantasma side project Brownout demonstrated why they’re the tightest, funkiest thing currently going in Austin, tearing into “Nawlins,” off last year’s game-changing “Aguilas Y Cobras.” Adrian Quesada took a moment to plug Grupo’s later show with legendary Fania Records producer Larry Harlow, calling him “why we do what we do.”
The tide turned and crowds thickened as the worst of the mid-afternoon heat passed. Tucson’s Y La Orkestra proved the major discovery of the festival, a sort of more avant, experimental (but equally expansive) Arizonan version of Grupo Fantasma — they’ve dubbed themselves “indie mambo,” which says it about as well as anything, really — with a killer lead vocalist in Salvador Duran. By the time Pilar Diaz took to the patio at 5 p.m., spinning a distinctly Latino take on twee indie-pop, Pachanga was properly hopping. The evening brought unlikely covers — David Garza taking on ZZ Top’s “Tush,” joyous all-female mariachi band Mariachi Las Altenas using a few bars of Kelis’ “Milkshake.” You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a mariachi croon “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.”
New York’s Pacha Massive brought feel-good world fusion to the Hierba stage as the sun set, with horn player Vince Veloso an unexpected treat — with four horns strapped to his person, and brandishing a flute like a samurai sword, Veloso was captivating even before playing a single note. San Antonio’s 60’s-evoking, Sir-Douglas-Quintet-by-way-of-Beach-Boys-harmonies rockers Hacienda ripped into songs off sophomore album “Big Red and Barbacoa,” proving themselves yet again one of the most exciting rock bands to come out of Central Texas in years. Hacienda have all the easy polish you’d expect of regular tour mates of Black Key Dan Auerbach, with good-natured banter with the audience and an effortless-appearing mastery of their instruments.
The “trendy and buzzed Latino act” slot that last year served Mexican Institute of Sound went to Bomba Estereo this year, and they were an equally ideal headliner to fetch the attentions of the younger, more dance-inclined festivalgoers even as tejano legend Roberto Pulidio provided more professional, family-friendly fare on the main pavilion stage. Bomba Estereo’s cumbia-with-a-modern-twist formula makes for engaging listening, all the more so under the direction of firebrand vocalist Liliana Saumet. Saumet’s often compared to M.I.A. or Santigold, but that’s not fair — she’s significantly better live than either, and as the crowd jumped along to infectious dance tune “Fuego” it was clear that Pachanga’s meticulous good sense in sussing out which international bands to book was as on target as ever.
There remain chinks to be ironed out in the still-growing festival, but from choice of venue to booking sense Pachanga defined itself yet again one of Austin’s musical events most worthy of watching. Bring on number four.
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May 6, 2010
Pachanga's May 21 events cancelled
The Pachanga Latino Music Festival has canceled its planned slate of events for Friday, May 21, according to organizer Rich Garza. This was to be the first Pachanga Festival to feature two days of events. Friday’s performers will be moved to Saturday, May 22 — and two performers scheduled to play on Saturday, Carla Morrison and Making Movies, will be canceled to accommodate them.
Opening night events were canceled to bring the festival closer to the break-even point, said Garza, and to refocus the festival’s attentions on keeping its anchor day, Saturday, as strong as possible.
“Basically what I’ve come to realize is that we were spread a little bit too thin and we just want to focus on turning the corner on this thing and not do anything that’s going to take away from the oomph,” said Garza. “It was just getting to the point where it was so close that we wanted to focus in and make this thing sustainable. We didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize Pachanga in 2011.”
A revised schedule should be available on the Pachanga Web site by the end of the day, said Garza. Organizers are still formulating how to reimburse Friday ticket buyers, with VIP upgrades for Saturday and rebates both floated as possibilities.
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May 4, 2010
Pachanga releases schedule grid
There’s just over two weeks left before Austin’s most feel-good of festivals, the Pachanga Latino Musical Festival, commandeers Fiesta Gardens for one day and (for the first time ever) two nights of excellent music and positive vibes.
Festival organizers released the schedule for the two day-festival today, with three bands playing intimate sets at the patio stage the night of Friday, May 21 before the festival explodes onto three stages for Saturday, May 22.
One surprise: Tejano performer Bobby Pulido is off the bill, replaced by father Robert, an accomplished performer in his own right.
TICKET INFORMATION
(Tickets can be purchased at pachangafest.com and frontgatetickets.com)
GENERAL ADMISSION/SATURDAY ONLY: $20 includes Niños Rock Pachanga
GENERAL ADMISSION 4 PACK/SATURDAY ONLY: $60 for four tickets includes Niños Rock Pachanga
FRIDAY VIP: $20 includes access to air-conditioned VIP area with complimentary tastings from Austin chefs, non-alcoholic beverages and paletas.
SATURDAY VIP: $50 includes all access to air-conditioned Pachanga VIP area with complimentary snacks, non-alcoholic beverages and paletas.
TWO DAY VIP: $65 includes two days of music, and all access to the air-conditioned VIP area with complimentary food, non-alcoholic beverages, paletas and drink tickets.
2010 PACHANGA FEST LINEUP
Friday, MAY 21 (Doors at 7 p.m.)
Patio Stage
Mariachi Las Altenas (San Antonio, TX)
Pacha Massive (New York, NY)
Brownout (Austin, TX)
Saturday, MAY 22 (Doors at noon)
Pavilion Stage
24-7 (Victoria, TX)
Wille Alvarado (San Angelo, TX)
Tortilla Factory (Austin, TX)
Y La Orkestra (Tucson, AZ)
Vallejo (Austin, TX)
Grupo Fantasma w/ Larry Harlow (Austin, TX/New York, NY)
Roberto Pulido y Los Classico (Edinburg, TX)
Patio Stage
Brian Lopez (Tucson, AZ)
Making Movies (Kansas City, MO)
Carla Morrison (Tecate, Mexico)
Pilar Diaz (Los Angeles, CA)
Davíd Garza (Austin, TX)
Hacienda (San Antonio, TX)
DJ Dus (Corpus Christi, TX)
Hierba Stage
Vitera (Austin, TX)
Piñata Protest (San Antonio, TX)
Amplified Heat (Austin, TX)
Pacha Massive (New York, NY)
Girl In A Coma (San Antonio, TX)
Bomba Estéreo (Bogota, Columbia)
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April 7, 2010
Pachanga Fest lineup released
The lineup for the third annual Pachanga Latino Music Festival at Fiesta Gardens was released today, and it offers an impressive array of diverse artists that should have no problem making the fest every bit as snappy and dance-worthy as it was in 2009. Local Latino music stalwarts like Grupo Fantasma, Brownout and David Garza will put in appearances, of course, but you can also expect several more rock-influenced acts, including San Antonio rockers Girl in a Coma, Pinata Protest and Hacienda, as well as Austin’s own Amplified Heat. There’s also a nice smattering of national and international artists, including Bogota, Colombia’s Bomba Estereo, New York’s Pacha Massive and Los Angeles’s Pilar Diaz.
In fact, it’s a lineup so bursting at the seams that Pachanga will expand for the first time to Friday night, kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 21 and running all-day Saturday, May 22.
“There’s just so much music that it was hard to cram it into one day,” said organizer Rich Garza. “The pool of bands was so big, and since it made logistical sense — we’re already there, we’re already set up — it was kind of a no-brainer to expand. And we’re starting small with Friday night, so it’s not like we’re going to lose our shirts or anything.”
Friday night will feature a single stage, while Saturday’s festivities will, as with last year, take place across three stages. Kids festival Nino’s Rock Pachanga will return, featuring performances by David Garza, Alejandro Vallejo and others, crafts and a photo booth by Annie Ray.
Garza pinpointed last year’s successful festival — the first in Fiesta Gardens — as a turning point for the event. The positive reaction to its broad sampling of Latino artists encouraged him and fellow organizer Alex Vallejo to continue to expand Pachanga’s offerings this year, from the Grammy winning Tejano of the Tortilla Factory to Tucson, Arizona’s Y La Orkestra, which Garza described as “kind of like a bizarro Grupo Fantasma.”
“The first year was very alternative centric and left of the dial, by the standards of the Latin world, which is the space Alex and I live in. And what we figured out was that a lot of that stuff was just so out there that we were neglecting a large part of the community,” said Garza. “So we built in the mariachis and the tejano, and that really resonated and opened things up and made the festival more interesting. We wanted to mirror the Latino experience in Texas and the country. About the only thing Latino people have in common is the Catholic church, Spanish surnames and sometimes the language, so we wanted to demonstrate that.”
Tickets are available now for $15 ($20 after April 20) with Friday and Saturday VIP tickets available for $60 ($75 after April 20). A portion of all proceeds will benefit the FuturoFund Austin. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Check out the full lineup after the jump.
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June 2, 2009
Final thoughts on Pachanga Fest
“I’m tickled with the turnout,” Pachanga Latin Music Festival organizer Rich Garza said Monday. “So is Alex.” Alex is Alex Vallejo, Garza’s partner for the festival, which drew about 3,600 fans to Fiesta Gardens on Saturday. The festival, marking its second year, kicked off at noon, and plenty of parents with kids could be seen noshing on Brazilian barbecue or hanging out at the “Niños” tent.
Garza was especially pleased with the location’s layout — a footbridge divides the park in half and prevented sound bleed from one end to the other. This worked brilliantly for the headliners. “The fact that we had Mexican Institute of Sound and Michael Salgado at the same time and that there were so many people walking back and forth between the two was really trippy and fun,” Garza said. “… I was kind of thrilled with the way that sort of completed the circle, balancing the traditional with the alternative.”
The biggest concern was parking; no large lots were available and everyone parked on the street. Parking would have become a problem if turnout had been much higher. “There was a lot of concern about parking and quite honestly I haven’t heard complaints, from either patrons or the neighborhood,” Garza said. “It seemed to work out OK, but we will be talking to the parks department about how to do things next year.”
There are definite plans for the festival to return; Garza said he hopes to Fiesta Gardens: “If they have us, we’d love to do it. But I think we definitely turned the corner this year.”
What are YOUR thoughts? Tell us in the comments section.
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May 26, 2009
The story behind the song: 'Sinfonia Agridulce'
‘Sinfonia Agridulce,’ a mariachi cover of the Rolling Stones ‘Bittersweet Symphony.’
Camilo Lara, Mexican Institute of Sound
It’s terrible because one day I woke up and I pressed play on the recording machine and there was this song. I recorded it the night before I guess, like, totally drunk. I was at the studio recording to mariachis and these guys, mariachis, always drink tequila when they are playing. So we started really early doing some recording and after like six hours or so we end up with like six or seven bottles of tequila. So we have some time off and I start playing with the idea of doing this track. So I got all the mariachis to play the song and I recorded it in one take probably. And the next day with the hangover I was like, wow, what a mistake because it is such a difficult song because it’s not the Verve song, it’s a Rolling Stones owned song. So I was like, OK, if this is not going to happen I’m just going to keep it as a rarity. But I asked for permission from the Rolling Stones and the next day they sent me the confirmation that they were OK with me recording it. So I think it’s great. I love the song. It’s a memorable anthemic song and doing it the mariachi way it adds some serenata flavor.
MORE PACHANGA FEST
- Electronica and more from the 'Mexican Herb Alpert'
- The story behind the song: 'Sinfonia Agridulce'
- SoundCheck360: Listen to Mexican Institute of Sound
- Artist features: Gaby Moreno | Cordero
- Attending Pachanga Fest: Essential information
- Photos: 2009 Pachanga Fest lineup
- Video: Chris Perez interview
- Giveaway: Rock Pachanga Fest on us
- Full schedule | More
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Rock Pachanga Fest on us
We’re giving away two tickets to Pachanga Fest at Fiesta Gardens each day this week and on Friday we’ll be giving away two VIP passes. Follow us at Twitter.com/austin360 for your chance to win.
Pachanga Fest takes place Saturday, May 30 from 12:30 to 10 p.m. at Fiesta Gardens. Tickets are $15 and available through FrontGate Tickets. VIP passes are available for $60. For more information visit pachangafest.com
MORE PACHANGA FEST
- Electronica and more from the 'Mexican Herb Alpert'
- The story behind the song: 'Sinfonia Agridulce'
- SoundCheck360: Listen to Mexican Institute of Sound
- Artist features: Gaby Moreno | Cordero
- Attending Pachanga Fest: Essential information
- Photos: 2009 Pachanga Fest lineup
- Video: Chris Perez interview
- Giveaway: Rock Pachanga Fest on us
- Full schedule | More
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May 18, 2009
Pachanga Fest 2009 - full schedule
We’ve just received the full schedule for this year’s Pachanga Latino Music Festival. Pachanga Fest, which takes place Saturday, May 30 at Fiesta Gardens, features over 20 acts on three stages. The family-friendly event will also host NIños Rock Pachanga, an arts and crafts area for children. Tickets for Pachanga Fest are $15 advance and $20 at the gate. Children 12 and under are free with a paid adult. Pachanga Fest tickets are available at all Front Gate Tickets outlets, frontgatetickets.com, Estrada Cleaners on East 7th Street and Turntable Records on South First Street.
2009 PACHANGA SCHEDULE:
PAVILLION STAGE
- 12:30 to 1 p.m. Anthropos/niños dance party
- 1:30-2:30 El Tule/niño’s dance party
- 3:00-4:00 Pachanga All Stars
- 4:30-5:30 AJ Castillo
- 6:00-7:00 Chris Perez Band
- 7:30-8:30 Mariachi Altenas
- 9:00-10:30 Michael Salgado
PLAZA STAGE
- 12:45-1:30 Escondido Project
- 2:15-3:00 Dignan
- 3:45-4:30 Gaby Moreno
- 5:15-6:00 Cordero
- 6:45-7:30 Davíd Garza
- 8:15-9:00 Charanga Cakewalk
YERBA STAGE
- 1:30-2:15 Kalua
- 3:00-3:45 Los Bad Apples
- 4:30-5:15 Ocote Soul Sounds
- 6:00-6:45 Maneja Beto
- 7:30-8:15 Brownout
- 9:00-10:00 Mexican Institute of Sound
Niños Rock Pachanga
- noon to 4 p.m. Folk arts and crafts area with papel picados, Mexican masks, clay tamales, pinwheels, Annie Ray photo booth
- 12:30 p.m. Jake Owen from Charanga Cakewalk guitar demo, Kids Dance party at Pavillion Stage with Anthropos
- 1:30 p.m. Alex Vallejo from Vallejo drum demo, Kids dance party at Pavilion Stage with El Tule
- 2:30 p.m. Bobby Garza from Maneja Beto keyboard demo
- 3:30 p.m. David Garza will have a songwriting demo and mini concert
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May 5, 2009
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Let's go shopping!
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, tickets to the Pachanga Latin Music festival are five for $50. Today only. Check it out here.
The Quiet Company’s new album “Everyone You Love Will Be Happy Soon” is on sale for $5 today only. Buy it here.
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April 22, 2009
Pachanga line-up released
The Pachanga Latino Music Festival, Austin’s Latin-themed music, cultural arts and food festival, announced today the lineup, location and dates for the second annual event. The one-day festival, which will be held this year at Fiesta Gardens on May 30, will once again close out Austin’s Latino Music Month.
Michael Salgado (San Antonio, TX)
Plastilina Mosh (Monterrey, MX)
Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City, MX)
Brownout
Ocote Soul Sounds
Pachanga All-Stars (featuring Alex, AJ, Omar Vallejo with Willie Alvarado, Hayden Vitera, Andres Delgado)
Mariachi Las Alteñas (San Antonio, TX)
Cordero (New York, NY)
Gaby Moreno (Los Angeles, CA)
AJ Castillo
David Garza
Charanga Cakewalk
Maneja Beto
Los Bad Apples
El Tule
Dignan (McAllen, TX)
Escondido Project
Kalua
Tickets go on sale Friday at all Front Gate Tickets and frontgatetickets.com. The first 500 tickets sold online will also receive a copy of “Soy Sauce” by Mexican Institute of Sound. Tickets are $20 in advance, and children under 12 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
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March 31, 2009
Mexican Institute of Sound to play Pachanga Fest 2009
I’ve been steady banging “Soy Sauce” the latest release from Mexican Institute of Sound ever since it landed on my desk a few days ago. The album is a dizzying mix of cumbia, electro funk, hipstery indie groove and other assorted aural oddities. It jams hard.
M.I.S. has been on my radar ever since we profiled Camilo Lara, the Mexico City DJ behind the outfit a year ago. With a reputation as Mexico’s premier beatmaker, M.I.S.’s two earlier albums are sample-heavy collages of vintage Mexican sounds. On the new joint Lara worked with a full band and incorporated live vocalists. Solid stuff, club bangers layered with whimsical balladry, blended with hints of polka executed with a punk rock attitude.
And you can check it for yourself in late May when Lara brings Mexican Institute of Sound to Austin to perform at Pachanga Fest 2009. Pachanga Fest, you might remember, is a musical celebration of Latino music and culture that launched at Waterloo Park last year on a blisteringly hot Saturday in May. This year Pachanga Fest will move Eastward, relocating on the shadier riverside grounds of Fiesta Gardens. The festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 30. We’ll provide more details as they become available.
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