SB: When you talk about Latin Alternative Music, what do you mean?
AM: We mean fusion, coming from rock roots but including music from all over the world in one melting pot. It is kind of world music too.

SB: In LA, who is the audience for Latin Alternative Music?
AM: Well LA is really particular we have a local scene of over 100 bands that play all over the city from small places in South-Central where the kids come together in a saloon or old forgotten places because they are not allowed into clubs, it's a matter of age. But also you can come to House of Blues and see a well known artist like Enrique Bunbury (Argentina) or Maldita Vencindad (Mexico) or Café Tacuba (Mexico) playing there, or at the Greek theater you can spot Ozomatli playing alone with Santana, and all coming from this scene. It's a really active scene it's also the major market consuming in Latin Alternative Music. Maná, for instance, is one of the biggest bands in this movement and in LA alone they have sold 100,000 copies.

SB: So they are based in LA?
AM: No, they are based in Guadalajara, Mexico. Even though these bands are not all from LA, LA is called "la capital", the capital of rock en Español because everybody gathers there, or goes there to record. If you can make it in LA you can make it anywhere.
SB: We say that about New York (laughs) . .

AM: (laughs) Yeah but for Latin music, it's LA. The demographics are very important on that because most Mexicans that live in LA come from places where they used to listen to that kind of music, so they come with that and they try to do the same in LA. It comes from 3 generations ago. When the rock en Español started in Mexico . . .

SB: When was that?
AM: It was in the 60's these parents now have grown kids and now they have grandkids. It has been happening for a long time but a lot of people they didn't notice that.

SB: Sure, do you have examples in LA who have grown up in this environment and are now the leaders in Latin Alternative Music?
AM: Well many of the artists have been also in Anglo bands so this is something that has been developing over the decades. It started with Richie Vallens, he was the first one that broke the silence and started playing rock with La Bamba and Los Lobos did their part and then in the early 90's, it was different because they wanted to play in Spanish. They didn't want to sing in English anymore. So they started to get together in like Seminole bands from the local movement in LA. There are some bands that are still active like los Ovidados, Maria Fatal, Pastilla (that in that time was called Juana la Loca) and they started this movement over the 90's that developed into something bigger.

SB: Back to the audience question, who is the audience in LA and around the country?
AM: It varies. You can see people who have just arrived and speak no English whatsoever. But most of the audiences are bilingual. They have grown up here, 1st, 2d, or 3d generation and some do not speak Spanish at all and they want to get together around this sound that is exciting even for Anglo listeners. Because there is something interesting about fusion, about Latin music that is not our mama's music, not Ricky Martin, not Shakira. It's something different; it's really edgy, using our own roots, the roots of rock. So the audience, you cannot put a tag on that audience because the level of acculturation is really different.

SB: What makes you pay attention to a new artist? What are some of the qualities that you appreciate?
AM: For me it's creativity, something that brings me something new and opens my eyes to a new level of creation- for me that is interesting in an artist. We have to respect all styles, all genres. As a publication that's really grassroots we try to respect all artists, all forms of creation and just try to let everyone know what the artist is expressing in their music.

SB: Is there anyone here at this conference that you are particularly excited about?
AM: It's always exciting to see new artists coming and also to see great names that have influenced them coming back...We as Latinos come from very different backgrounds. If you go to Latin America you will see that we are also courtiers of many immigrants. As a collective we carry a lot of roots from all over the world. You can see that in our music. You can see that in our website that's www.alborde.com . So you can get something in your computer that can open your eyes and ears to this music.

SB: Who do you think are some of the leaders in Latin Alternative Music?
AM: When we talk about Latin Alternative, we talk about a vast genre. We can have an artist from ska to lounge, from electronic to hardcore from hip-hop to really acoustic and organic music. I don't see it as a leadership. Of course there are producers who have been recognized at the Grammy level, like Gustavo Santolaya who has been nominated several times or Juanez from Colombia who last year was the most nominated artist in the Latin Grammies. I don't see it as a leadership but a community of artists that are bringing something different to the table; coming from different countries, different backgrounds who all have something exciting to give us.

SB: I hear a lot of frustration about radio from people here (at the Conference) that basically it's not being played on Spanish radio here in America, it's not being heard on Latin radio back home . . . but it is being played in LA. Is that true?
AM: There are stations like KPFK that has a program that is called "Travel Tips to Aztlan (a mythical place of Aztecs) on Saturday nights. In that program they play some Latin Alternative also in KCRW they also have some kind of our music included in their morning programs but there is not exposure for us on the commercial level we have no way to get on the air. LA is awful, they say they are playing rock en Español but they are only playing pop or old songs from the 80's. They only play the same and the same song.

SB: That's depressing. You'd thing in LA there is a big enough market to support a radio station . . .
AM: Well the market is there I know because with the paper that we put out every two weeks we have no returns. Wherever we put in the street, it goes. We are now 32,000 copies. All in LA and Orange County. We know that we have a lot to cover still; we know we can have 100,000 copies and we will have no returns. The market is there but still the broadcasting business, they are not aware of the potential of that market. They don't know them and also they are afraid of them.

SB: Afraid, why?
AM They are afraid because they don't know how to sell to them, they don't know how to tag them because they are a really diverse audience.

SB: You could have Al Borde Radio, for a few million dollars, buy a radio station . . .
AM: Yeah, we don't have a good daddy waiting for us to buy a radio station.

SB: Some angel out there. AM: Yeah an angel.

SB: Thank you very much and congratulations.

For more information on Latin Alternative music, visit these web sites:
www.alborde.com
www.latinalternative.com

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