KCRW’s Raul Campos spun a set at the Vive Latino festival in Mexico last weekend. We hear about some event highlights from KCRW volunteer Jose Alejandro Castillo:
Oh man! After a bumpy 4 hours (ish) flight we got to the great Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico City for the Anglo-Saxons). Weather wasn’t definitely the greatest, specially at 5am, but we are way to stoked too care. …

SXSW has come and gone and just like a sailor’s trip on the high seas – I’ve got a few stories to tell.
In total, I managed upwards 40 artists across the 4 day span but below are a few of ‘em that cut through the noise of it all and capitalized at the capitol.
Music

Hanni El Khatib totally scorched the scene with some rippin’ licks …

Dear Austin,
Let me start by saying, I love your guts. The music, food, bars, people, weather, Jo’s coffee. It’s some of the best out there…so in anticipation of SXSW – I’m writing to tell ya a few acts I hope you’ll let me see.
Lines, busted feet, a couple extra Shiner’s and, even one year, an arctic blast of cold – have prevented me from …

From Blog Contributor Nassir Nassirzadeh:
There’s a reason they call it the CMJ music marathon. I was close to cramping several times, covering over 26 miles and 50 live shows, walking/running/biking between boroughs from venue to venue all over NY. I felt privileged but also extremely fatigued. Here’s my own little wrap-up of the best showcased from all over the world.

Best Rising Star – Nai …

From KCRW blog contributor Nassir Nassirzadeh:
The great thing about music conferences like CMJ is that you start to notice the competing geographic music scenes on a national (and even international) level. There’s no doubt that Brooklyn, Austin, and the Seattle/Portland constituencies have always had great indie success. But there’s always been something unique about the diverse musical landscape of Los Angeles and it seems to …

From KCRW Blog Contributor Kevin Ponthier:
I remember being in school and wishing The Jam – the band led by the King of the Mods Paul Weller — would take a swing through the Southern US…but it was not to be.
It wasn’t until moving to California in the early 90′s that I had my first chance to see Weller. He did a 5-night stand at …

From blog contributor Laryl Garcia:
The xx recently visited Morning Becomes Eclectic with a sampling from their sophomore effort, “Coexist”.
Giving us more of the minimalist, sultry, R&B-influenced sound that fans embraced on their 2009 self-titled debut, the trio continues to delve into the personal and subtle lyric. Yet as Romy Madley Croft tells Jason Bentley, their ways of working had changed. They take inspiration from …

Playing on Prefix is a feature on KCRW’s Music Blog in which writers from the eclectic music site Prefix hip you to what’s coming out of their computer speakers each week.
By Mike Burr
From adolescence to young adulthood, music is one of the primary cultural currencies for self-definition. Teenagers create a space between themselves and the square, adult world on one end and a safe, …

Playing on Prefix is a feature on KCRW’s Music Blog in which writers from the eclectic music site Prefix hip you to what’s coming out of their computer speakers each week
Beach Fossils guitarist Zachary Cole Smith named his new band Dive because liked the Nirvana song “Dive”; plus, everyone in the band is a water sign and it seemed to make sense.
Then he changed …

From KCRW’s Promotions Coordinator Mary Chellamy:
Sometimes you just have to let an EP breathe a bit before you unleash an official debut album. For Saint Motel fans that wait came to an end after the band released their debut album “Voyeur” this past week. To celebrate, AJ, Dak, Aaron and Greg hosted a party for all their friends at the El Rey Saturday night.
Between …