Blogamole › Manu Chao

By Michael Lopez

Here’s a word to the wise, don’t ever get arrested in Arizona’s Maricopa County. The jail there (which houses hundreds of undocumented immigrants) is said to be one of roughest in the country, particularly because of its cruel living conditions. And now international singer Manu Chao has decided to speak up about it, with a new video for his song, "Clandestino."

Chao actually shot the footage in front of Maricopa County Jail and made a point to illustrate its intense weather conditions. Obviously being in Arizona, the summers can be brutal, especially without proper air conditioning. And the winters are not easy either, with reports of sub-freezing temperatures in the cells.

Manu got the idea for the video after a visit with reps from the National Day Laborer Network, who emphasized the prison’s heavy immigrant population. "Clandestino’s" video director, Alex Rivera, clarified the message to the press.

"The particulars were the result of the work of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network," Rivera said. "[They] met after a concert with Chao in California a year ago to talk with him about the situation being experienced by immigrants in Arizona."

You can see the video in its entirety by visiting Chao's official site.

Are you a fan of Manu Chao’s music? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alex Rivera, arizona, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Clandestino, Immigration, Manu Chao, Maricopa County Jail, Música, Politics

By Astrid Rivera

Go anywhere on a weekend in Miami and chances are you're likely to hear DJ Mr. Pauer aka Toto Gonzalez. A founding father of Miami's alternative Latin music scene, Gonzalez is no stranger to risk. Ten years ago Latin rock group Soniko found themselves not being able to afford their rehearsal space in Wynwood and Toto decided that hosting weekly parties could provide them with some much needed cash.

The problem was they couldn't find a DJ who could supply the perfect mix of alternative and Latin music that Miami's young Hispanic crowd craved. Fast Forward a decade later and Mr. Pauer's risk paid off, his first debut album Soundtrack, has been nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Album.

Gonzalez, 36, raved to the Miami Herald,

"I'm already celebrating, since the day I got nominated. That's a big, big deal for me. Do I want to win? Hell yeah. But I think it's a celebration for all the nominees."

Mr. Pauer set himself apart from the very beginning, mixing the tropical sounds of Miami with electronica beats. Even his name, Mr. Pauer, which is a play on words for the Spanish pronunciation of "power", placed him apart from the types of DJ's Miami was accustomed to having. The truth is that Mr. Pauer has worked non-stop to create the musician that he is today and he proved that to the Las Vegas crowd Wednesday night before the 2011 Latin Grammys. Unlike many other artists in this industry, Gonzalez is his own promoter, distributor, producer and the list goes on.

A Venezuelan native, he was always involved in the alternative music scene while studying graphic design in Miami. This gave him the ability to begin branding himself and even start a company called Fabrika, which promotes Latin and U.S. alternative music in Miami for Latinos who have a dual sense of culture. It is his ability to create truly unique sounds that has landed him gigs with Calle 13 and Manu Chao.

Besides promoting his music, website and company, Mr. Pauer has one thing very close to his heart and that's sharing Miami's music scene with the world. He says,

"I really want to take music from Miami and promote it outside."

Although Mr. Pauer didn't take home the gold on Thursday night, this is just one of many recognitions that are sure to come. It is great to know that the Latin Recording Academy is recognizing one of our own, let's all keep up the support and check out Mr. Pauer's Grammy nominated album Soundtrack.

Tags Astrid Rivera, Calle 13, Fabrika, Latin Grammys, Manu Chao, Música, Miami Herald, Mr. Pauer, Toto Gonzalez

By Maria Corina Marrero

Manu Chao, the incomparable Spanish-French artist who  has wowed fans and critics around the world with his contagious vibe,  amazing thought-provoking music and irreverent style has announced his highly-anticipated return to the US with a tour from Boston to a major co-headline set at the Austin City Limits Festival.

Manu Chao's 2011 "La Ventura" tour will also include his debut performances in Miami, Charlotte and Atlanta. 
 
The global star's most recent release is the double live CD/DVD set, 'Baionarena.' The DVD features the concert in its entirety as well as bonus material, including the 'La Radiolina' music videos, exclusive photos and a 30-minute behind-the-scenes video tour diary entitled "Carnet de Voyage."

The diary follows Manu Chao and Radio Bemba along their adventures across the globe, from Austin City Limits to Glastonbury and Mexico to Russia.

The live album was recorded in Bayonne, France; the concert's 33 tracks include classics like "Clandestino," "La Vida Tómbola," "Mala Vida," "La Primavera" and "Welcome to Tijuana."

The live album is the follow-up to the Latin Grammy-winning studio album, 'La Radiolina,' which has been certified Gold and hit number one on the Billboard World and Latin album charts.
  
'Baionarena' takes the spirit and success of 'La Radiolina' to an entirely new dimension as explosive energy is shared between the band and thousands of fans.

'La Radiolina' has now sold over a million copies worldwide, taking Manu Chao on a two-year world tour. In that time, Manu has performed in front of several million people, including an extensive sold-out U.S. tour and more than 100 festival headline dates from Russia to Coachella and Bonnaroo.
The official US dates not to be missed by fans are as follows:

August 31 – House of Blues - Boston, MA

September 2 – Festival Pier @ 
Penn's Landing – Philadelphia, PA

September 4 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY

September 5 - Terminal 5 – New York, NY

September 7 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC

September 9 - Bayfront Park – Miami, FL

September 11 - Masquerade Music Park – Atlanta, GA

September 13 - Congress Theater – Chicago, IL

September 18 – Austin City Limits Festival – Austin, TX

Tags CD/ DVD, Concert, Manu Chao, Maria Corina Marrero, U.S. Tour

Want a pick me up antes del fin de semana?  Nuestros amigos at Nacional Records are offering up some weekend goodies to pump up your party!

Check it out: for a limited time, you can download the Nacional Records Sampler 2009 | The New Sounds Of Latin Music for free.  The sampler features canciones by some nuestros artistas favoritos, like our current Descubre & Download artists Bomba Estereo, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Manu Chao, y Hello Seahorse!  Cool, we love getting free new music!

Photo via Amazon

Tags Bomba Estereo, Descubre & Download, Free Music, Hello Seahorse!, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Manu Chao, nacional records, sampler

Manu Chao is pist and he totally wants to kick some Spaniard ass after one of Spain’s political parties, Partido Popular, or PP (Jeje! Pee Pee, get it?), used his song, “La Trampa,” in one of their political propaganda commercials. You can read his rant for yourself on his official website.

Since this debacle, Chao is now warning other political parties to steer clear of his songs on “La Radiolina.” Damn politicians. Stop trying to be cool by having artists like Manu Chao in your propaganda commercials only to push your political agenda on kids who vote based entirely on personality and coolness. Disgusting! By the way, did anybody catch Barack last night? Damn he looks so fly. Totally voting for him. [Terra]

Photo courtesy of Getty

Tags La-Trampa, Manu Chao