Author: Ivan Fernandez

Afroxander is the nom de guerre for writer/photographer Ivan Fernandez, based in Southern California.

Latin Alternative Music Club Mucho Wednesdays at La Cita to Close, Promoter to Launch Monthly Concert Series at The Echoplex

Latin alternative music fans were dealt a heavy blow days ago when club promoter Ricky Garay announced the end of his much-loved club night Mucho Wednesdays at La Cita. The weekly, bilingual dance party was the only place in town where people could dance to equal doses of Depeche Mode and Plastilina Mosh. This is the second party to announce it’s departure from the downtown club in recent weeks. As Nightranger Lina Lecaro reported,Mustache Mondays just moved to The Belasco.

The news proved to be bittersweet as, days later, Garay announced Mucho’s move to the Echoplex this July June where he will host a monthly concert series featuring Latin alternative acts. “We have something extra special scheduled for July,” said Garay of his upcoming partnership with the Echoplex. “It’s going to be a celebration of us doing Latin alternative events in Los Angeles as an independent group of people.”

Read more at LA Weekly.

Bidding Adieu to a Non-Professional Experiment: RIP LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem - Nancy Whang and James Murphy Photo credit: Todd Fixler

The year was 2002. It may have been 2003. I was in college and trading CD-R’s filled with MP3’s of every genre imaginable with a girl from a university in Pennsylvania who spent one night a week behind the DJ booth in the university’s radio station.

The first mix she sent me kicked off with a little ditty called “Losing My Edge” credited to James Murphy. I laughed, I made note of every group named, I bobbed my head and tapped my feet along to the now infamous beat. I then lost track of Mr. Murphy until 2005 when I recognized his voice in a song about Daft Punk playing a show in the basement of his house.

Thus began a love affair with one of the best bands of the new millennium whose career will come to an end this Saturday at Madison Square Garden where Murphy & co., a.k.a. LCD Soundsystem, will play their last show ever.

In memoriam, I present to you my favorite LCDS songs:

Continue reading “Bidding Adieu to a Non-Professional Experiment: RIP LCD Soundsystem” →

Five Minutes with Spain’s Hottest Indie/Rock Band: Polock

One of the highlight’s from this year’s SXSW festival was the Sounds From Spain showcase at Red Eyed Fly on 4th/Red River. The showcase featured a number of artists from Spain including current Indie darlings Polock who opened the festivities.

I spent a few minutes with the quintet from Valencia to talk about their first tour in the US in support of their debut album Getting Down From The Trees.

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Continue reading “Five Minutes with Spain’s Hottest Indie/Rock Band: Polock” →

Q: When is The Mars Volta NOT The Mars Volta?

A: When it’s the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group feat. Cedric Bixler-Zavala OR when Omar says it isn’t.

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The backstory: The Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group headlined the Sargent House Showcase last Saturday at SXSW at Emo’s Annex, an impromptu stage and concert area built in a small lot on the corner of 6th/Red River. Fans lined up as early as 2 p.m. for a show whose doors/gates opened at 7 p.m. Zavala appeared on stage about 10 minutes before opening time to soundcheck with ORLG. Predictably, Twitter, Facebook and many a carrier-pigeon were sent into the skies of Austin to carry the news prompting the line to stretch out like an intestine up the street and behind the “venue.” The group (Rodriguez-Lopez, Bixler-Zavala, Deantoni Parks, Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, Juan Alderete and Lars Stalfors) took the stage at 12:50 a.m. to a capacity crowd that included fans who filled up the alley behind the stage and down the sidewalk.

Here’s a clip of the madness and the music by Refused TV:

Continue reading “Q: When is The Mars Volta NOT The Mars Volta?” →

How I Came to Love the Lone Star State: SXSW 2011 in Pictures

I made my first trip to Austin, TX last week to attend the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival and though I only spent 48 sleepless hours there, I’m already making plans to return next year. Coachella, I love you and we had great times but I’m now in love with another music festival.

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I saw a lot of great bands, made some new friends, bumped into some old friends and drank some great local beers (hello 512 Porter). The only bad memory I have of the trip is of the non-existent taxi service at night. Hooray for (almost) being left stranded in Austin at four in the morning!

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Head over to my Flickr for photos of The Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group feat. Cedric Bixler-Zavala (sort of The Mars Volta but not technically The Mars Volta), Adebisi Shank, Polock (interview with Polock coming soon), Fang Island, Little Red Radio and many more.

Teri of Le Butcherettes Spills her Guts on her New Album, New Band and New Home

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Le Butcherettes opened for living legend Mike Watt (Minutemen, dos, fIREHOUSE, The Stooges) this past Friday for a night filled with many “firsts”: it was the band’s first gig at The Echo (photos here), the first time playing mostly (all?!) songs off their upcoming debut album Sin Sin Sin, and the first time the new lineup featuring Gabe Serbian of The Locust and Jonathan Hischke of Hella performed together.

I spoke with Teri before the show about the many changes and obstacles she’s faced since Le Butcherettes’ performance at The Troubadour last September, how she met her new bandmates, her new home in Echo Park and life as a musician in Mexico and the USA.

Below is the trailer to the movie mentioned in the last clip, Los Ojos de un Omiso Destino: