Our hostess at Baja Beans in Pescadero, Baja California tells us a bit about their coffee's roasting process.

Bajofondo is the fusion of different musicians from the Río de la Plata area, Uruguayans and Argentineans. In 2003, they won the Latin Grammy for “Best Pop Instrumental Album” for their new genre: Electronic Tango. We interviewed Luciano Supervielle and Martín Ferres after a show in Germany about their most recent European tour.

Bajofondo is, according to the group, a “collective of composers, singers and artists.” They started out as the Bajofondo Tango Club with a strong tango influence, but have since broadened their sound. Here they talk about the collective and begin a discussion of their sound.

Meet some of the members of Banda Pionero, a Sinaloa style band from Mazatlan, Mexico. These guys are really friendly and even sang a capella for us.

Colombian painter, Beatriz Noguera, tells us a bit about her work and its cultural and mythological inspirations.

Why is it that some musicians have such synergy together? Belanova describes the fusión that is created when each distinct musical personality comes together, and how this unique “fusion” has brought them from after-class practice to stadium-filled tours.

Edgar Huerta, keyboardist of Belanova, refers to Joselo of Cafe Tacuba as un cuate. The word comes from the indigenous Nahuatl word coatl, which means “twin.” But Joselo is not Edgar’s gemelo, cuate is known by all Mexicans to refer to a “good buddy,” a “dear friend.”

Belanova is appreciative and proud that so many of Latin America’s and Mexico’s biggest stars, such Joselo and Coti saw fit to take the time to join them on their tour. The band is humble, but not without ambition; they have set their sites beyond the habla hispana, seeing potential fans in Australia, Italy and even Japan.

These guys are partially obsessed with stardom, or at least with astronomy. Now they’re talking about “el núcleo de Belanova,” the core of their energy.

In this Electronic Press Kit (EPK), Bersuit Vergarabat’s members talk about the inspirations for and the process behind many of the songs on their album, Hijos del Culo, while talking a bit about the social commentary that runs strongly throughout their music.

In part two of the EPK, Bersuit gives background to the remaining songs on Hijos del Culo revealing more of their take on politics and society. Note the way they mix humor and seriousness in their definitions of “psicópata.”

Though Natalia Oreiro may seem to have it all—talent, beauty, brains, personality and success—she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her family suffered economically, and moved many times trying to better their situation. This was a bit unsettling for little Natalia, and perhaps contributed to her being a handful for her primary school teachers.

Natalia reflects on her first real experiences with acting and modeling. As a young girl she was drawn to the stage, performing in many of her high school’s chorus and theatrical productions. Her mature stage presence and passion for the art soon landed her a number of roles in paid advertisements. She was well on her way to becoming a star.

Natalia was quickly growing up. Like most teens, she was anxious to explore the world. At thirteen she began to go out dancing with her best friend, Rosa. Ivan, the high school hunk, was to become her first love.

Winning the Xuxa Paquita contest convinced her to move to Buenos Aires. Unfortunately for Natalia, it wasn’t easy to be sixteen and out on her own. She was lonely, and she struggled, but pride and her fierce ambition kept her from quitting.