Sunday, September 18, 2016

Rock En Español Fest With Pastilla, Radio Viejo, Vim Furor, Alma De Jade & More

    On September 17, 2016, Rock Sin Fronteras AKA DJ HandsomeDevil curated a night full of Rock en Español at Los Globos nightclub. The night not only had local Rock en Español bands like headliner Pastilla and Vim Furor, but it ranged from Mexico to Guatemala with fan favorite Radio Viejo.

DJ HandsomeDevil has been part of the LA Rock en Español underground scene since the early 90s. Beginning as a fan, going to shows all over LA to see bands like Caifanes, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Heroes Del Silencio, Tijuana No, Juana La Loca; and now as a DJ playing those bands and promoting his own shows via Rock Sin Fronteras. DJ HandsomeDevil is sharing his love for 80s and 90s new wave hits with the best Rock en Español has to offer all over California, bringing the music and the bands on tour. Between bands, a good mix of such songs was heard, keeping the night alive and going.

Bipolarte, a local act by the way of Guadalajara, Mexico, opened the night. Bipolarte's show is something to be experienced, the presentation, which included a lot of pop culture references, was as much of the show as its music, granted, his act may not be for everybody but you be the judge! Personally, I enjoy live music with a full band, rocking throughout. In this case only get one person at the forefront, but Bipolarte more than makes up for the lack of bandmates as his show engages the audience and has a performance art side to it as well. I enjoyed his set and was pleasantly surprised with his performance. You can see the whole set below:




Next up was Elektric Lucie from Mexicali, Mexico, whose 90s alternative sound wouldn't be out of place at your local college radio station, and their bilingual repertoire can help for that much desired crossover to the dark side. Their exploration of bilingual songs goes all the way to having their single "muerdeme" released in both English and Spanish, letting the audience make the language choice. I liked their set and they won me over with the aforementioned 90s sound, to me the 90s was the best era for music but that's just me. Below is their full set, enjoy:




Alma De Jade is one of the local L.A. bands that played the night, their sound also within the alternative side of rock en español, with a dash of psychedelic and urban influences. The trio played a diverse set, showcasing their musical dexterity and prowess. Their opening ritual and following rocking song were an indication that their songs weren't in that boring same song sounding style trend alternative bands nowadays seem to fall under. As long as your sound keeps me interested, I will listen. Check them out:




Vim Furor is a duo of bilingual hard metal alternative psychedelic rock, and they really rocked the night for just being two men onstage. I always give the bands extra props when they have a heavy, rocking sound and it's three members or less, you see metal bands where they have 3 guitars and a bass to get that sound, but when you can handle with less, my hat's off! Vim furor plays fast and hard, as you will see:




Guatemala's Radio Viejo (now an official LA band) always has their rabid fanbase make their shows more fun with their sing-alongs and exchanges with the band, and tonite was no exception. Front man Lui Donis, the man behind Radio Viejo, loves to please the fans, playing as long as time permits and singing all the hits, giving always 100% in his performance (At least all the ones that I've seen) below is their set that even included a Soda Stereo song (R.I.P. Gustavo Cerati)




The headliners were next, Pastilla taking the stage and singing all the classic hits from their early days, playing a literal 90s alternative set(!) for the delight of the fans. This was a trip down memory lane with one of the OG Rock en Español acts in Los Angeles. I saw them back in the day and was glad to see them once again, I had lost track of them but the kids are (still) alright. Alternative power pop at its finest!



All girl band Stars At Night closed the night and kept the audience going with their aggressive, in-your-face bilingual metal songs, the perfect band to keep those souls past midnight moshing.I had never heard of them but their L7-like sounds were what was needed. It's interesting to realize that, if it wasn't for Stars, the night would have been all male bands, hopefully next installments of the Festival will include more women, but, all in all, Rock en Español delivered what it promised!  





For more info on the bands:
Bipolarte:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/BipolArteMusic/
Elektric Lucie:
https://www.facebook.com/Elektricluciemx
Alma De Jade:
https://www.facebook.com/almadejademusica/
Vim Furor:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/VIMFUROR
Radio Viejo:
https://www.facebook.com/bandaradioviejo/
Pastilla:
https://www.facebook.com/mypastilla/
Stars At Night:
https://www.facebook.com/STARSATNIGHTBAND1
DJ HandsomeDevil:
https://www.facebook.com/Rocksinfronterasone/

Follow our Facebook page for Live Q&As and more:
https://www.facebook.com/DAEMediaNews

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Paleyfest Fall TV Previews - El Rey Network's Lucha Underground

El Rey Network's night at the Paleyfest Tenth Annual Fall TV Previews ended on September 9, 2016, ended with Lucha Underground, featuring the talent that has made Lucha one of the most watched shows of the network. Lucha Underground is a mix of telenovela and lucha libre, Mexican wrestling taken to the next level, and the fans seem to love it. Not only do the tapings sell out in record time, the night was full of them, chanting throughout the episode as if they were at the live show, whether it was cheering the surprises or booing the bad guys, the screening was full of energy.

Be in the lookout for our interviews coming soon, special thanks to our wrestling expert Edwin Santos for contributing his wrestling knowledge!
Ring Announcer Melissa Santos

Fenix

Martin Rubalcaba "Marty Elias"

Kira Foster "Taya"



Add caption


Melissa Santos

Karlee Perez "Catrina"


Ian Hodkinson "Vampiro"









Don't forget to watch the new season of Lucha Underground on El Rey Network!


Paleyfest Fall TV Preview: El Rey Network - From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series

The Paley Center for the Media showcased El Rey Network's From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series for its Tenth Annual Paleyfest Fall TV Previews on September 9, 2016. The series, now in its third season, it's one of the original series by Robert Rodriguez El Rey Network, and the cast and crew came for a Q&A after one of the new episodes of the season.
Danny Trejo made an appearance since his character "The Regulator" is back to give the Gecko brothers more trouble. Madison Davenport was excited to see her character grow and become a "badass", with the biggest challenge being that now she plays not one, but TWO characters, and, as her character Kate said at the end of season 2, she's back to raise some hell! Jesse Garcia was the funniest of the bunch, making his interviewers laugh throughout. With promises of more gore and action by Executive Producer Diego Gutierrez and newcomers Sarah Minnich and Marko Zaror, fans will have to tune in to see for themselves!

Sarah Minnich "Florinda"

Marko Zaror "Zolo"

Jesse Garcia "Freddie Gonzalez"

Marko Zaror & Jesse Garcia Messing Around

Cast & Crew Photo

Danny Trejo & Sarah Minnich Getting Personal

Executive Producer/Writer Diego Gutierrez

Danny Trejo "The Regulator"

Madison Davenport "Kate Fuller" & Danny Trejo "The Enforcer" Prom Photo
More Prom Photos!

Madison & Danny Prom Photo

The Vessel Premiere

The Vessel, or El Navio, its original title in Spanish (which is relevant, since there are two versions of the film -or four, if we're technical) had its world premiere at the American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theatre on Wednesday, September 7, 2016. The main cast attended the premiere, with a very notable absence, its main supporting character (and poster boy) Martin Sheen, who along with producers Terence Malick & Sarah Green were missing. Granted, Sheen isn't the lead, but his support would've made the night complete. The rest of the cast posed for photos and stayed for a Q&A after the film.

The Vessel is a film by first time director Julio Quintana, starring his brother Lucas Quintana, Jacqueline Duprey, Aris Mejias, Marise Alvarez and Martin Sheen. The Vessel is the story of a small town in Puerto Rico which had all of its children killed by a tsunami that destroyed their school. A decade has passed and the town's school remain in shambles, the residents still suffering after their loss. Leo (Lucas Quintana) is planning on leaving the town, but an accident drowns him and his best friend, only to have Leo wake up three hours later and start rumors amongst the townspeople about him. Father Douglas (Martin Sheen) quickly sees this as an opportunity to reinvigorate his position in town by using Leo's if-you-build-it-they-will-come contraction in his backyard (the title's vessel) and make this so-call miracle and act of God's will. The movie itself it's well shot and keeps you interested, but there is nothing that you haven't seen before, its motifs and situations have all been done before, but the cinematography by Santiago Benet Mari and the acting saves the film from mediocrity. The most interesting aspect of the film is that there are two versions that were shot at the same time, an Spanish version which is the one screened, and an English version. One of the troubles Quintana had was to make his Cuban accent sound more Puerto Rican, as he told us in the Q&A following the film.

The Vessel is now playing at The Laemmle's Music Hall in Berverly Hills.
Director Julio Quintana, Actress Jacqueline Duprey, & Producer Marla Quintana

Director Julio Quintana, Actress Marise Alvarez, & Producer Marla Quintana

Actors Aris Mejias, Ismael Criz Cordova, 

Mario Lopez





Director/Actress Yareli Arizmendi, Director Sergio Arau











The Vessel Premiere was presented by Outsider Pictures, The American Cinematheque & Apertura with support from Mucho Mas Media