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By Michael Lopez

What are you doing this Saturday at 12 midnight PST (or 3 am for all you east coast night owls)? If you're a fan of Latin alternative music, you best be turning on Tr3s for our new series, La Hora Nacional! Curated by Nacional Records founder Tomas Cookman, it promises to showcase the hottest alternative jams of the week!

Bomba Estero, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, and "Spot" headliners Los Rakas are just a few of the alternative genre-hoppers you can expect to hear on the series. And seeing how Cookman also helped create the LAMC, you can bet there will be performances culled from that catalog as well.

"We are excited about a new focused program that will highlight rising stars as well as iconic acts across various genres," Tomas said in his La Hora announcement. "As the U.S. Latino demographic continues to evolve, it's essential to recognize the tremendous amount of groundbreaking talent which often do not receive as much attention from the mainstream Latin media."

And judging from episode one's playlist, you can tell Cookman is living up to his word. Expect jams from Ana Tijoux, Mano Negra, and MTV Iggy's newest darlings La Vida Bohéme. Plus with all the CARmaggedon drama going on, it makes a perfect late night escape!

Catch the premiere of La Hora Nacional this Saturday at 12am PST on Tr3s!

Who's your favorite alternative Latin artist? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Hot Stuff, La Hora Nacional, LAMC, Música, Television, Tomas Cookman, Tr3s shows

In honor of the recent Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC), we're going "Alternative" esta semana, by offering you two free downloads by legendary South American alternative rock grupos, Los Amigos Invisibles y Aterciopelados!

Both grupos recently played at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY, as part of the LAMC festitividades.  If you missed the show, we're bringing you a small taste of it ahora.  Los Amigos Invisibles de Venezuela are a funky, acid jazz-influenced fusion banda who describe their own sonido as "Jamiroquai meets Santana."  Their nuevo album, "Commercial," is a unique blend of música bailable with traditional Latin music sounds and disco thrown in.  Groovy!  Download "Mentiras" by Los Amigos Invisibles gratis on the MTV Tr3s Downloads page ahora!

As for Aterciopelados, you might remember them from their punkier "Bolero Falaz" and "Florecita Rockera" days, pero Andrea Echeverri y compañía are all grown up now!  Their nuevo album, "Río," is a socially-conscious effort by el grupo alternativo Colombiano, that continues to blend multi-cultural sounds with puro rock.  Get a free download of their nueva canción, "Hijos De Tigre," on MTV Tr3s now!

Stay tuned for more free latin music downloads from MTV Tr3s!

Photo of Los Amigos Invisibles via Fran Beaufrand

Tags 2009, Aterciopelados, Free Download, Free Latin Music, LAMC, Los Amigos Invisibles, MTV Tr3s Downloads, Musica Latina

Tired of overdone lyrics saturated with messages of bumpin' and grindin' or should we say 'birthday sex'?

Niña Dioz has the artistic remedy for people that want more from a hip-hop track than horny love confessions. The Mexican rapera hailing from Monterrey has been adding a woman's touch to the underground scene since her 2007 debut album "Marcapasos." Handing out free copies in las calles featuring Dioz's sharp verses about social injustice and drug abuse eventually paid off and established Dioz as a national voice in the Mexican hip-hop movement. The 23-year-old is set to drop her sophormore LP “Nueva Escuela” this fall.

We caught up with Niña Dioz at the 2009 LAMC to find out more about the new album and get her advice on getting your rightful shine as a woman in hip-hop. Read it right below the hood!

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Tags LAMC, Latin Music, MTV, Musica Latina, Nina Dioz, Tr3s, Tres

Yeah, yeah yeah...Everyone's hot on Julieta now, but we've been hooked on Ms. Venegas since her darker De Mis Pasos days. Finally, Julieta's well-deserved praise has translated from Latin America to los Estados Unidos. With a successful unplugged album keeping her in the top five spots of the Latin Billboard pop chart, and a new single out, the Mexicana is taking the Northeast by storm.

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Tags Central Park Summerstage, Julieta Venegas, LAMC

Ready to rock out (but oh-so-hipsterly) at this year's LAMC? The 9th Annual Latin Alternative Music Conference returns to the Big Apple on July 12th. As in past years, LAMC shows off the whos-who in Latin alternative, indie and rock music with panels and exhibitions, concerts and fiestas (of course -- what Latino doesn't know that adding a party to the mix makes the music even more enjoyable?).

This year LAMC and MTV Tr3s are giving you access to see artistas diversos perform at Central Park's Summer Stage. You'll be able to watch some of your favorite artists en vivo, including our chica del momento Julieta Venegas, the Mexican alternative rock band Plastilina Mosh and Chile's most promising export DJ Bitman. Based on what went down last year, this is not a weekend to miss. If you recall, LAMC 2007 went so well that we convinced VJ Carlos to ditch his preppy pop threads for a day and walk in the shoes (Converse of course) of card-carrying LAMC hipster.

Catch performer photos and more details after the jump...

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Tags Carlos Santos, Central Park Summer Stage, Dj Bitman, hipster, Julieta Venegas, l-train t-shirt, l-train tee shirt, LAMC, MTV Tr3s, Plastilina Mosh, rumsey playfield