Michael Stuart, born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, received his musical education from his uncle Israel Timbalero Stuart, who helped him secure background vocal gigs for Johnny Rivera and Marc Antony. Since 1996, Stuart has released nine records, his latest a salsa album entitled Sentimiento de un Rumbero released on Machete Records in 2007.

We skip backstage once again to get some final thoughts from La Gusana Ciega, learning a bit more about their career and personnel changes. Like many of Mexico’s popular bands today, they got their start at a Mexico City club called Cocotitlán, which is also the name of a municipality well known for its corn festival.

Cuban born Gloria Estefan’s album 90 Millas is a collection of songs inspired by her native country and recorded with many Latin American collaborators including Jose Feliciano, Carlos Santana, Arturo Sandoval, Andy Garcia, and a who’s who of prominent Cuban musicians.

We asked Carli Muñoz if he’d play a few bars of his latest compositions, and, luckily for us, he obliged. One of the tunes, “Portrait of Mia,” was written for his brand-new hija, Mia. We’re wondering if he’ll ever address her as mi’ja.

Division Minuscula hails from Matamoros, a Mexican border town just to the south of Brownsville, Texas. Despite having disbanded for five years while members finished their degrees and helped out with family businesses, the group is back and not yet forgotten, with this hit song, Sismo (Earthquake), shaking the airwaves.

A little spot to build, to create, to listen to the sea, what more do any of us really need? Francisco takes a beautiful public space and makes it his own through conservation, beautification, and an open invitation to all to come, enjoy and treat nature’s work with care and respect.

As it turns out the young Arturo Vega, Mexican emigré actor and artist in New York, lived below a girl who was seeing a young man named Douglas Glenn Colvin (who would come to be known as “Dee Dee Ramone”). The two visionaries got to talking…

“Rock en español” is what we refer to the relatively new movement of musicians from Spanish speaking countries singing in their native language. Back in the sixties and seventies, these musicians were taken up with rock like much of the rest of the world, but they sang in English. Puerto Rican Carli Muñoz explains while looking back over his career.

Dhira brings a heavy Hindu and Indian influence to the European club scene’s take on American hip-hop and club music. These late night party animals are said to be vegetarians who enjoy cheese sandwiches when they are not busy rapping.

It’s quite possible that El Día de Los Locos, as celebrated in La Vela de Coro, has its roots as far back as the Roman Empire, which celebrated Saturnalia at the same time of year. Both festivals, historically, involve turning the social order on its head, with slaves dressing like their masters.

"Me Puedes" is the first sencillo (single) to be released by the phenomenal La Gusana Ciega in over five years. (And it’s great!) It’s from an album called La Rueda del Diablo (The Devil’s Wheel), which was recorded in Los Angeles under the direction of eight-time grammy winner Benny Faccone, who has worked his magic with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Ricky Martin and Santana.

Deep in the heart of Old San Juan you can hear live salsa music playing most any night at the Nuyorican Cafe. We stepped into the alley for a breather and had a little chat with two lovely salseras to get an insider view of what brings them back to the dance floor night after night.

Vamos al grano, Babasónicos might just be one of the most popular bands on the planet, as popular in Distrito Federal (Mexico City) as they are in Capital Federal (Buenos Aires). "Risa" is un tema pegajoso, which is to say “a catchy tune,” that for sure te gustará mucho (you’ll like a lot)!

Puerto Rican by birth, Luis Fonsi moved at an early age to Orlando, Florida. Despite having participated in a number of minor “boy bands,” it wasn’t until he was discovered by the president of the music school at the University of Florida, where he was a student, that he was offered a sizable recording contract. Success came quickly as his reputation spread throughout Latin America.

We are all familiar with ¿Cómo se dice…?, “How do you say…”—it’s a very useful phrase when inquiring about the right words to use. Denisse Guererro repeatedly uses a similar phrase, asking the audience ¿Cóme dice?, which also sounds like it might be something like “How does one say?” but in fact this is Spanish for “How does it go?”—she wants the crowd to sing along!