At one of the most important musical events in the United States, not only for the Latin Alternative scene, but for the entire music industry, a true phenomenon is growing exponentially every year; the total support for the new Latin Alternative genre is a lot more evident every edition of the SXSW music festival. This year's showcase was held on Thursday, March 15, at the sold out bar, The Drink, a
2-story venue located on Austin's famous 6th street.

It was truly impressive to see how long the lines were early on before the show even started. It was even more amazing to see people standing in these lines going around the corner knowing that the wait was going to be long or that the possibility of not even entering the venue was very real. After 9 PM, no one was allowed to enter the venue that didn't have a ticket. The worse thing for those fans was that they couldn't even buy tickets at the door.

Around 9 PM, the event put on by Austin's Latino Rock Alliance, began with one of the most popular local bands, Los Skarnales, from Houston, Texas. With their characteristic ska and rockabilly sound, they made everyone dance and scream. At that exact moment on the first floor the punk sounds of East L.A.'s Union 13, began to make an impact. Although they were unknown to many of the attendants, their rebel punk sound created a wonderful and crazy atmosphere.

One of the most incredible moments of the night was when Mexican diva and singer-songwriter
Ely Guerra performed. It was an excellent set, with supreme sound and quality, not only by her but also by her band. She performed songs from her latest release, Loto Fire (Lotus Fire), along with songs from previous albums; it was evident that everyone including her band that she calls "Los Guerra" felt her energy and passion.

Another band that had a great time and put on a great show was Monterrey, Mexico's Genitallica. In their way of doing things, they created an excellent vibe full of energy that provoked a massive mosh pit, which are characteristic of their live performances. It was kicking, jumping, pushing, punching, and all those other wonderful things one experiences in the pit.

Due to reasons beyond our control, we weren't able to witness a great part of Colombian band Aterciopelados' performance. Halfway during Genitallica's set, we decided to go upstairs to see this great band. However, to our sad surprise, the place was so full that not even a needle would fit. We had

to wait a while before actually being able to get in and we could get only as close as 2/3 of the way to the front of the stage. We could feel the mass of people sway from side to side enjoying the dreamy and tropical trip-hop sounds that this veteran duo makes.

One of the most wonderful surprises and one of the night's bright spots was definitely the performance put on by Peruvian rock band, Libido. Wow! What a spectacular performance! It's not that we underestimated their talent, but it was just so electrifying to feel the explosion of energy that this band gives. It sends everything into a wonderful chaos of sound and rhythms.

They definitely proved why they are one of the most successful up-and-coming bands, from their steps of being an indie to signing with Sony Music. Besides that fact, they showed that they are excellent musicians and really friendly guys. The same goes for their management and staff.

To end the night, the tropical-flavored rock rhythms of Los Rabanes closed the evening. This Panamanian band has quickly invaded the U.S. market and making it onto various commercial Latin and Anglo stations.

As nothing is ever perfect at a rock concert, this showcase lacked something in its organization. This time it was the fact that 2 bands would play at the same time. It was nearly impossible trying to decipher when it was the right time to move from one band's set to another's set. Maybe if each set starts a half hour after the other band's set, one would be able to see the bands playing longer. That is just my suggestion.

One of the biggest reasons that this show was such a success was the fact this showcase had an incredible array of bands and especially the headliners: Libido (Peru), Aterciopelados (Colombia), Ely Guerra (México), Genitallica (México), Rabanes (Panama). Another reason for its success was the fact that this showcase was held during South by Southwest. However, we must recognize the wonderful job and effort put on by the Latino Rock Alliance, based in Texas, which in the last few years has brought some of the best bands to this part of the country.