Airbourne is in Las Vegas writing with Kevin Churko for the band's new album.  The Aussie rockers are looking to build on their success from their last album, "No Guts. No Glory."  Writing sessions are at Churko's Hideout studio.

Rapper MattyB's video, "That's the Way" explodes on youtube

Kevin and Kane Churko (Five Finger Death Punch) are working with eight-year-old rapper, Matty B. The Georgia rapper has a growing fan-base that has only swelled with the young man's new video and song, "That's the Way." With over 1.2 million youtube views - and counting - it's starting to look like MattyB is the real deal.

Is There a Latin Alternative? - Answer: Yes

I won't be attending SXSW this year, so I will not know what transpired, first-hand. Now that I've put that out there, I want to say a few things about a panel that will be taking place there. The panel is called, "Is There a Latin Alternative?" For those not in the know, the answer is yes. Here is the full description of the panel:

A Spanish-language band can gain instant access to the growing Hispanic audience and sponsors targeting that demographic by marketing themselves as "Latin". But how limiting is being marketed as a "Latin" band — even Latin alternative? Can bands and labels eliminate the need to "crossover" by avoiding the term altogether?

In absentia, I would like to respond:

Question #1 - But how limiting is being marketed as a "Latin" band — even Latin alternative? Answer: It's not limiting; it's liberating. This is a new genre with plenty of growth ahead. There isn't even a commercial radio format for it (yet) in the U.S. As mentioned in an earlier post, in certain demographics, Hispanics (and some non-Hispanics) love this music. Ximena Sariñana, Zoé, Café Tacuba, and so on, is just the beginning. When artists like these perform in the U.S., the people show up - in droves. Wait until owners of radio stations finally get smart and switch to an Alternativo format. The word "limiting" will no longer be associated with the genre.

Question #2 - Can bands and labels eliminate the need to "crossover" by avoiding the term altogether? Answer: Not initially. You need the label, "Latin Alternative" or "Alternativo" or some variation in order to a) Alert music fans that there's a new genre of Latin out there and point them in the right direction and b) To identify the music. Once the genre has been established, then maybe the term will be dropped.

Now that I have answered the questions, I have a few questions and comments of my own. First, why would you want to eliminate the need to crossover? Wouldn't artists and record companies want to reach a larger audience? Wouldn't you want to include a guidepost like, "Latin Alternative," in order to lead audiences to the music? Lastly (and this probably opens another can of worms), from my experiences in speaking with major labels about groups like Austria, the Latin divisions have claimed that Alternativo is not mainstream enough, and that there isn't a large enough audience in order to support these kinds of acts. The English-speaking divisions of labels "don't do Spanish." The answer to this dilemma? When the majors sense that Alternativo is a moneymaker, they will create divisions within their labels in order to properly market and promote these acts. When the genre is well established, it's possible these departments will dissolve into the Latin division.

But for now, Alternativo just needs to keep growing.

By the way, if anyone does attend the panel, feel free to report how it went, especially if my comments were way off base (I'm not ashamed of being wrong).

Lorenzo Recording Follow-Up to "Love Shape Bruise"

In between live shows and lending band members out for other projects, Lorenzo has finally found time to begin recording their follow-up to "Love Shape Bruise." Recording in an apartment in South Carolina (the band members live in various parts of the Southeast), what is emerging is a tougher and very meaty Lorenzo, but still keeping the Lorenzo sound. Once tracks have been laid down, Kane Churko (Kevin Churko's son) will be called in to mix at least part of the record for a second or third quarter release.

Let's Call It "Alternativo," Instead of "Latin Alternative"

The emerging genre, "Latin Alternative," is a label to more or less separate some of the newer artists that have arrived on the scene over the last few years that don't exactly fit in some of the various Latin styles that many of us have come to know. Artists such as Ximena Sariñana, Café Tacuba and Zoé have been tagged with the Latin Alternative name, but the name isn't quite right.

In an interview with Jasmine Garsd and Felix Contreras, who host NPR's "Alt.Latino," for About.com, Contreras brings up a good point: "Latin Alternative" is only used among those in the music industry. From my observation, fans of this genre simply call it "Alternative." Think about it: Why would a native of Mexico call this music "Latin Alternative"? Do we in the U.S. label music as "American Modern Rock"? No. So let's be more inclusive and simply call the genre "Alternativo"; it speaks to the style of music and the language it is in. For those who immediately disagree, consider the term "Rock en Español" - it is understood in the U.S. to describe rock music in Spanish, so why not continue the trend? I think Latino music fans will appreciate it, as well.

In speaking with Rosario, Argentina's Austria and writer/producer, Cisco DeLuna, I am sometimes corrected by them when describing this genre. "Alternative" says it all, but "Alternativo" is more accurate.

iTunes Store Now Available in Latin America - Finally

iTunes announced this week that the iTunes Store has opened in several countries in Latin America. Why it took so long, who knows? The good news is that it's here and consumers from that continent can finally purchase music and more, just like many countries around the world.

It's good news for Latin Alternative group, Austria, as well, as several people have reached out to the band and the label asking where they can download the music because iTunes wasn't an option in their native country.

This latest move by Apple will certainly help bring Latin American music listeners and music from around the world, much closer together. For more details on the announcement, check out this article.

The Power of an Austria Song Shines Through

Many people overlook the value of a great song. When your favorite (and most likely world famous) artist's song is being covered by someone you don't know, you don't make a big deal of it; people do this quite frequently. But when an act that isn't quite a household name has its songs recorded and shared on youtube, it's a testament to the power of the the songwriter's craft.

I'm not a youtube expert, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are thousands of youtube performances by people that very few of us know, who play hit songs (that we do know) and share them with the world. In fact, it's been said that a great way to increase the popularity and/or awareness of a musical act is to cover a song that is currently riding the pop charts. The purpose of the cover song is partly to gain an audience that might not initially be interested in the artist. Take the Talking Heads' version of Al Green's "Take Me to the River," for example. "River" was the the Heads' first single and the band's main introduction to the world before their original songs were promoted at radio.

For Latin Alternative act Austria, "Adormecida" (on their current album, "Nada,") - which means "numb" in Spanish - is not getting played on the radio (that I know of) and hasn't, as yet, been included in a popular TV series or motion picture, yet a young man in Argentina not only admires "Adormecida," but decided to perform it and share it with the world.

Is this unique? Maybe not. But if there are people covering songs from artists that aren't quite as popular as, say, Taylor Swift, I doubt the songs they're performing are as powerful as "Adormecida," which was written by Martin Rougier (pictured above).

Make no mistake - when a song from a band on a small independent label is being covered, it's a powerful statement - and I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't the last time we hear an Austria song sung by someone other than the band.