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By Michael Lopez

SB 1070 — the controversial Arizona immigration law — went into effect last week, to the dismay of protesters around the world. As we reported before, Mexican photojournalist Irineo Mujica Arzate participated in a hunger strike, Zack de la Rocha DID successfully reunite Rage Against the Machine for his Sound Strike, and there was a National Day of Non Compliance set up by numerous groups to protest the bill’s passing.

SB 1070 also happened to be a very hot topic at last month’s Latin Alternative Music Conference and when we sat down with Pacha Massive, they were quick to voice their disapproval:

“The law in Arizona is pure bullsh**t.” Nova told us. “You need to respect the laws of whatever country you happen to find yourself in, but when you see a law like that coming up to the surface you need to question what are the reasons and what are the purposes.”

Whether it’s their lyrics or their politics, you’ve got to admit that Pacha Massive always speaks from the heart.

What do you think about SB 1070 and the recent first arrest under the law? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags 2010 LAMC, arizona, Immigration, latin, Pacha Massive, Politics, SB 1070

Que viva la música alternativa! We’ll be reporting on the best Latin Alternative Music Conference concerts throughout the week, so keep it locked to Blogamole for reviews on artists you may already know, and the ones you’ll want to keep an eye out for.

By Elis T. Ortiz

Cuando la música alternativa takes over NYC, all we can do is follow along and enjoy it! That’s exactly what we did last night (July 8), as we hopped around to catch some of the best performances of the Latin Alternative Music Conference.

El Muséo del Barrio

Our first stop was El Muséo del Barrio in Spanish Harlem, where the basketball courts on the building’s rooftop served as the perfect open air setting for some ska rocking performances.

Maya of Pacha Massive

Pacha Massive had the crowd bopping along to their feel-good Latin funk, with Maya jamming on her bass guitar and Nova laying out his bilingual rhymes and the occasional soulful guitar riff.

Pacha Massive

Pacha Massive

King Chango and his eight-piece band brought out the Latin Ska, soon convincing the audience to jump and dance along with their high energy performance.

King Chango

But these two acts shared more than just a venue… they shared a band member! Vicente, whom we dubbed the Philippine Samurai of Brass, was carrying at least four instruments on his body and literally pulling them out of his shirt when it was time to play them. He assisted the performance of both bands on stage, so this guy needed a special shout out. Go Vicente!

Ana Tijoux

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Tags 2010 LAMC, Afro Cuban Punk, King Chango, Mexican Institute of Sound, Money Mark, Pacha Massive, photo, Photos