Those looking for a spicy substitute to papi's salsa this summer will find relief in the Latin Alternative Music Conference. The festival, which will take place from July 6th through the 9th in NYC, is the only major North American conference devoted to the promotion of Alternative Latin music. The concert will offer numerous chances to see not only some of the best modern Latin music this side of the hemisphere, but also to find and discuss opportunities for the expansion of modern Latin music in the narrow music market of today. From Latin Rock, to Hip Hop to Latin Techno along with panel discussions about the business aspects of the industry, the festival offers diverse fare.

Grammy nominees Los Amigos Invisibles, will open up the festival in the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn on July 6th along with Julieta Venegas. The Conference will also offer chances to see performances of Latin Electronica, such as Fussible, and DJ Zen as well as hip-hop artists like Delinquent Habits.

The LAMC will also feature a concert at Central Park Summerstage. Featuring French/Spanish musical nomad Manu Chao, who has sold more than one million copies worldwide of his acclaimed 1998 release "Clandestino" but has not performed in New York in over 10 years. Terrestre, one of the hottest DJs from the Nortec Collective in Tijuana, will be spinning at the park prior to the show.

Aside from the numerous live events that will be taking place all over the city during the dates, there will also be several relevant panel discussions that will feature discussions of ways to take advantage of marketing resources and to make Alternative Latin music available to wider audiences.

With its first conference a big success last year, drawing thousands of rockers from all across the globe, founders Tomas Cookman and Josh Norek, see the LAMC as more than a good time. It also is a way to make sure that Alternative Latin music continues to grow in a way that is commercially viable, allowing those with experience to share their knowledge with those just starting out. The founders believe that the Conference is the only way to appeal to wider demographics as well as to create forums and audiences for those artists and fans limited by traditional media.

"We wanted to let the media see what is going on and let them see that there is a demand for this type of music. We also wanted to educate the industry; that's what the panels are for. There has never been a forum for everyone who works in the part of the industry that deals with Alternative music for a Latin Audience," says Josh Norek.

According to the founders, the conference will prove to be a means of combating the ignorance and ethnocentricity that characterizes American media, and even more than that, it no doubt will prove to be one hell of a good time for all who attend.

More information about the festival can be found at http://www.latinalternative.com/

by Adam Wasserman