Emiro used to live in oil-rich Maracaibo, where his father was headmaster of the school system Shell oil ran for the children of employees. (Did you know: Venezuela is the only country in the Americas that’s a member of OPEC? And a founding member at that!)

Si*Sé brings together musical languages such as hip-hop, funk, rock, jazz and even classical violin. Singer Carol C, who grew up in a Spanish language household within an English language city, adds bilingual vocals that pull together the group’s electrifying sound.

How hard is your cáscara? Here Circo’s José Luis “Fofé” Abreu sings about a certain someone with the power to crack his. Note that cáscara is mostly used for eggs and nuts, whereas the shell of a turtle would be caparazón and that of a snail would be concha.

Café Tacuba is often compared to British rock luminary Radiohead, and the LA Times has gone so far as to proclaim this fab cuatro "The Mexican Beatles." "Eres", sung by keyboardist Emmanuel de Real, is from the album Cuatro Caminos, which critics have called one of the definitive rock albums of the decade (in any language).

In the face of blind passion and desire, it’s fairly safe to say that even P.T. Barnum himself was probably a sucker for love. Los Pericos knows first hand the pain that can follow a heart first plunge into the romantic abyss. Sure, they claim to be over it now, but we’re not sure if we altogether believe it…

Our friend, Rafael, returns this week to talk to us about his homeland and its culture. As he explains, the Mayan culture continues to thrive in Guatemala via its language, clothing, and customs.

Babasónicos have never let themselves get pigeon-holed into one style or sound since they formed in the early nineties (much to the consternation of some fans). With "Carismático" we drop into a surreal dreamscape of Dada visuals and equally fantastical lyrics, all encapsulated in a hook-laced pop tune. Dive in!

Feeling like you aren’t yourself lately? Perhaps even get the idea you are no longer of this world? Molotov knows all about this feeling and have hired a team of scientists to create a special dance to go along with it!

Chido, is Mexican for “cool” (and we don’t mean leaning towards cold). As is typical, a precise definition can vary with context. Liquits, representative of Mexico City’s young and playful, enjoy riffing and aren’t afraid to mix languages (and cultural references) with abandon.

Grammy-nominated La Secta Allstar boasts Puerto Rican roots despite having come together in Orlando, where the members attended college, and shortly after that settling in Miami. This title track from their album, Consejo, may very well make their mothers and mothers around the Spanish speaking world proud.

Medio signifies “half,” and so of course mediodía comes around at 12 o’clock noon (“half day”). Café Tacuba’s Rubén Albarrán ponders another perfect sunshine midday and wonders why he is has no one with whom to share it. Live concert video! (See Rubén’s guest appearance in Inspector’s video for the tune "Amnesia".)

Fernando Hortal, aka Bahiano, broke away from his band of 17 years, Los Pericos, in 2004 to go it alone. This video shows the rufían delivering milk and a little more. Oyelo, ¡te gustará escucharlo!

So what is it with this Latin American love of ska, a Jamaican genre from the early 60’s that’s had a second coming amongst British and American bands since the early 80’s? Lucky for us, ska is almost always sung very clearly, in short, catchy, easy to understand phrases. Liquits hails from Mexico City, but this award winning group has been hopping continents to record and play for a growing audience since 1993. The animation is ¡padrisimo!

¿Quién es Javier García? With his producer (and two-time Academy Award winner) Gustavo Santaolalla, Javier Garcia talks about his roots and influences. Also, we learn about some noted musicians who contributed to the album 13, including the great trumpet player, Arturo Sandoval.

We’ve all heard of the bolero, which has its modern roots in nineteenth century Santiago de Cuba (even though we might not be able to hum one on cue). But what about the cuartetazo? Born in Córdoba, Argentina, and derived from Spanish and Italian dances, the name is derived from the fact that the earliest players were invariably four-piece bands. The rhythm is similar to merengue.