What's the Deal: Chances are slim to none at the moment if you are in the United States and you want to see this odd rock and roll force that's catchy, boisterous and riddled with pop culture references. Bonaparte is the name taken by the project’s mastermind and frontman who is from unknown international origins. His MySpace says he hails from Berlin, but it also claims St. Helena as well as saying it’s a secret. One thing we do know about this eccentric minstrel is that he performs with different lineups. The first is what he calls the 'circus show', which is him with a band, dancers, ‘the firegirl’ and ‘the animals’. Hell yeah! One can only hope that ‘animals’ means there are live creatures, like maybe a tiger, writhing in cages behind the band. The other incarnations of Bonaparte’s music are a little less-adventurous and include just the band and solo performances with his computer and guitar.
“Anti Anti” is one of Bonaparte’s stand-out tracks off a 2008-scheduled release titled Too Much. A snappy hard rock chorus and synthetic beats make it a great song for dancing your brains out after hours in a dive bar or just rocking out in your car.
Something Interesting: He’s apparently a big Quentin Tarantino fan and played an after party for the opening of Death Proof, as well as referencing Kill Bill in a song. Evidence from their tour journal on the website shows they’ve only been playing shows for a little over a year, and that their live performances must be quite the spectacle.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Too Much” & “Gigolo Vagabundo”
What's the Deal: Blending Spanish vocals and Mexican instruments with indie rock, the group has come up with a sound that blurs genre lines and creates some rich, powerful entertainment. They music they refer to as “indie en español”, a spot-on description, could only have come from Austin. Maneja Beto- Nelson Valente, Alex Chavez, Patrick Estrada, Alec Padron and Bobby Garza- bring their integrated sound with instruments in hand like the jarana and the huapanguera along with the more typical rock elements of guitar-bass-drums-keys. They’ve been swirling the sounds of the Americas into an intriguing and infectious mix since 2002, and their latest release is 2006's Accidentes de Longitud y Latitude. You can expect a 5-song EP out early next year.
“Los Cerros” is one of the tracks off Accidentes rich in Mexican folk and guitar jangles. It starts with some hand claps and moves into a poppy, dance-inducing chorus. “Entrudo” also starts out clapping, but quickly moves into shimmering acoustic strings and soothing vocals.
Something Interesting: The group began with four guys in a kitchen in Austin. For some reason, an image of four Boyz II Men-esque guys standing around in a circle with their fingers plugging their ears while they harmonize comes to mind. Even though they sound nothing like B2M.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Cumbia De Las Bombas”
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Manejo Beto is pretty good live, plus they cover Joy Division occasionally :)