La Excelencia
9th Annual Latin Song Nominee
9th Annual Latin Album Nominee
Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!
Genre: Latin
Handle With Care Productions, Inc.
www.laexcelencia.net
onclick=”document.getElementById(‘light’).style.display=’none’;document.getElementById(‘fade’).style.display=’none’”
href=”javascript:void(0)”>
HOMEBASE/COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: We are based in New York City, New York , USA
ALBUM NOMINATED SONG: The song “American Sueño” is off our sophomore album, Mi Tumbao Social.
ARTISTS ON THIS TRACK: The song was written and arranged by Julian Silva. The Musicians that recorded this track, as well as the entire album, are :
Vocalist: Edwin Perez
Vocalist: Gilberto Velazquez
Chorus: Junior Beltran
Contra-bass: Jorgito Bringas
Piano: Willy Rodriguez
Bongo: Charles Dilone
Congas: Jose Vazquez-Cofresi
Timbales: Julian Silva
Trombone: Ronald Prokopez
Trombone: Tokunori “Kaji” Kajiwara
Trombone: Jack Davis
Trumpet: Sam Hoyt
Trumpet: Willie Olineck
Trumpet: Miki Hirose
Trumpet: Jonathan Powell
WHERE WAS SONG RECORDED? The song and the entire album was recorded and mixed at Soundworks Recording Studio in Astoria, Queens, NY.
WHERE IS YOUR MUSIC AVAILABLE? Our music is available at our Web site and online at CDbaby.com, iTunes, Rhapsody and other online digital music sites, fnac in france, Virgen Music Stores in the UK, and available at all local music stores in the USA by special order distributed by G.B. Records in New York City or Reyes Records in Miami. Some stores may already have them in stock.
WHICH GENRES BEST DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC? Our music in a broad sense can be considered SALSA DURA, but we incorporate a lot of Afro and traditional Latin American rhythms within our music. We are SALSA DURA because we don’t follow the mold of other salsa bands that sing about nonsense. We pride ourselves in touching upon issues of social justice and about life in the Barrio.
WHAT’S THIS SONG ABOUT? This song is about an immigrant that is tired of suffering in his country and decides to come to America in search of the “American Dream.” He risks his life and leaves behind everything, including his loves ones in order search for a better life. Only to find that this “dream” is more like a nightmare, full of discrimination and injustice based on his appearance and place or origin.
WHY DID YOU SELECT THIS TRACK TO SUBMIT TO THE IMAs? “American Sueño” was submitted to the IMA’s because it was one of our favorite tracks. It has a lot of meaning to us and we felt that it was a topic that needs attention. This song is also one of the most popular with our fans. We have seen people all over the world affected by this song.
WHAT UNUSUAL INSTRUMENTS OR TECHNIQUES DID YOU USE ON THIS ALBUM? The only thing unusual we do is not over produce our tracks. We try to stay as natural as possible. We don’t want people to buy the album and get a completely different sound than what they will get live. If you listen carefully to the tracks of the album, you still might even hear mistakes. Those are left there on purpose so that the songs get a more realistic sound.
DID FANS HELP FUND THIS PROJECT? I guess you can say they did, because the second album was made possible by those that purchased the first album. The truth is, all the success that we have had is mainly due to the great fans we have. We don’t have a funding source that helps with promotion or production, all of this is done by word of mouth. Because our fans have helped spread the word, we have been lucky enough to have played in packed venues across Europe and hopefully with their help we can start production on the third album soon.
WHO IS SITTING IN YOUR AUDIENCE? Our audience is about as diverse as you can get. We have been lucky enough to have traveled extensively throughout Europe and the USA, and I am constantly amazed by the response we get from our audiences. It is amazing to see people that don’t speak the language we sing in, singing our song! Music truly is the universal language.
WHAT MAKES YOUR FANS UNIQUE? Our fans are open-minded and follow their heart in regards to what they like. They don’t let the mainstream dictate their choices. Our fans are part of an underground movement to reclaim Salsa’s true identity, and are determined not to let our music die.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES TO PLAY? In the New York area, we would have to say SOB’s and Lincoln Center. In Europe, the list is fairly long but some that come to mind are; Afro-Latino Festival in Belgium, Glastonbury Festival in England, Harmonie in Germany, and many others.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BAND’S MOST MEMORABLE ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE? I think we would have to lump this entire year together as the most memorable achievement. We started 2009 with the release of our second album, played over 80 shows, performed in over 12 countries and are finishing the year with an IMA nomination in the Song and Album categories……can’t complain!
WHAT’S IN THE WORKS FOR 2010? Next year is already shaping up to be a busy year for us. We have already booked dates as far as October 2010, including the filming of a live show for the BBC in London for the series Latin Music USA and are also in the process of working on our third production.
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS… Enjoyable, stressful and competitive, yet also awarding in many ways.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS? Success is living your dream.
WHAT’S ON YOUR IPOD THAT WOULD SURPRISE YOUR FANS? I think they would be surprised that it’s not just salsa. Everyone in the band has different taste in music ranging from Hip-Hop, Classical, African, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Colombian, Jazz, Salsa, and Metal.
ALSO CHECK US OUT AT…..
WEBSITE – www.laexcelencia.net
MYSPACE – www.myspace.com/laexcelenianyc
FACEBOOK – http://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Excelencia/9016301383
TWITTER – http://twitter.com/LaExcelencia