1	Books Author Isabel Allende reveals the forces that inspire her, journalist Silvana Paternostro discusses her roots, and we look at some volumes you may want on your bookshelf. read more...
2	Music Señor Flavio Cianciarulo discusses his philosophy on creating Latin alternative music. read more...
3	Film & TV Funnyman Eugenio Derbez stretches beyond his comic roots in La Misma Luna. read more...
4	Calendar Our monthly list of premier events throughout the U.S. read more...

Latin Forum

MUSIC

Sonic Phonics

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs founder Señor Flavio brings his special house blend of rhythms to his solo effort, Supersaund 2012.

By Mark Holston

For a guy who has adopted as his alter ego the persona of a fearsome, masked luchador, Flavio Cianciarulo is remarkably relaxed and approachable. The pioneering Argentine rock musician better known as Señor Flavio is so laid back on his new release that Billboard, the world’s music industry bible, described one folksy track as sounding as though he had “recorded it while playing guitar on his couch.”
A founding member of the seminal group Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Señor Flavio has hit a high note with his latest solo effort, Supersaund 2012 (Nacional Records). It is a godsend for fans of the eclectic LFC style who have waited patiently for a fix of the group’s trademark sound since it issued its final album seven years ago. And although Señor Flavio has aggressively pursued a solo career, producing six compelling albums between 1997 and 2007, most did not have wide distribution internationally and largely served to enhance his reputation as a cult hero to fans of Latin alternative music.
With Supersaund 2012, the guitarist, singer and composer delivers an overview of the many influences that have shaped his stylistic identity. Prominent in the mix are ska, a Jamaican style of the 1960s incorporating jazz, R&B and calypso, and the more contemporary reggae—two elemental references that formed the artistic DNA of the Cadillacs. With additional echoes of ‘50s-rooted surf guitar, garage rock, punk and more, it all adds up to a sonic portrait of an artist in transition who is still on very friendly terms with his past.
“Less is more,” he states philosophically about his overall approach to creating new music. “It’s an evolution, but with my own feeling. Sure, it’s an extension of that earlier mode. You have to remember that I was responsible for a high percentage of what LFC did. But today I’m searching, always searching. In the end, it‘s always about the song.”
When Flavio and singer Gabriel Fernández Capello, known as Vicentico, formed the LFC in 1985, what surprised many observers was where the two looked for their initial stylistic inspiration. Somewhat curiously, it was not the music traditions of their own country or the rest of Latin America that sparked their creative energy but the ska of the distant, English-speaking Caribbean. Or, at least as that funky, tropical idiom had been translated by a leading British punk rock band of the era.
“It’s true,” says Señor Flavio, who makes his home in Buenos Aires. “I learned music in the artistic academy of the street and through exposure to The Clash. They taught me to listen to everything, to be eclectic and to love rock, Latin folkloric music, African and Jamaican sounds, and much more. And, importantly, they taught me to not have prejudices.”
As a musician, Señor Flavio has become proficient, if not virtuosic, on a number of instruments. He began as a bassist, initially infatuated by the sound of the hallowed Fender jazz bass of the 1960s. Unable to find one of the much in-demand instruments, he discovered the exquisitely crafted Sadowsky five-string bass, which he has played now for many years. He also performs on guitar, piano and percussion.
“I play from the heart,” he says. “I’m a minimalist. I really don’t enjoy guitarists whose playing is very rapid and busy. I‘m really an ‘old school‘ kind of musician. And, as a singer, I just try to find my own voice. I know that I‘m not a virtuoso, but it‘s not important. I just want to sing honestly, from what is closest to me.”
What is closest to Señor Flavio today is his growing realization of the universality of art in its many forms and how disparate sources can feed and revitalize popular culture. “I am a Latin American—a mixture of many things from throughout our continent,” he says. “Our folklore, our pride, our obsessions. Today, we process Rubén Blades at the same time as Jello Biafra (the lead singer and songwriter for the ‘80s punk band Dead Kennedys). We process Kurt Vonnegut at the same time as Jorge Luis Borges.”
What he shies away from is acknowledging the existence of a pan-American pop music movement. “No, I don’t believe in such a ‘movement,’ ” Señor Flavio says. “What I see are different bands with their own respective universes, their own distinctive matrices, their own colors.”
Life off the bandstand has its artistic rewards for Señor Flavio. He has already published one book. Rocanrol is an anthology of fictitious stories about rock artists. A soon-to-be-published book, The Dead Latinos, is a novel about a rock band comprised of Mexicans, Argentines and one Venezuelan—a work he maintains is fictitious, although the storyline bears striking similarities to the life and times of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. “It’s what I call ‘rock fiction,’ ” the author asserts. “Maybe I’ve invented a new genre of literature!”
Finally, there’s the story behind his fascination with Mexico’s luchadores. “I am a total fanatic—I love the lucha libre tradition,” he admits. He dons a mask when he airs his underground radio program as El DJ Enmascarado.
“I like the connection between music and masks,” he says. “I am a species of a conceptual, multi-media rocker—216 pounds of existence.”

Soundbites: On Tour in April

Aventura
Bachata boy band Aventura perform their trademark romantic songs as they sweep through Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Santo Domingo. Fans in the U.S. should be sure to catch their performance on the Billboard Awards April 10.

Juanes
With 14 dates scheduled this month, the Colombian rocker follows the success of his album La Vida Es un Ratico with a tour of the same name. Juanes blows the doors off stadiums in Florida, Texas, Colorado, New York, Arizona, California and more.

RBD
The Mexican pop supergroup that started out as a group from a telenovela and has taken Latin America and the U.S. by storm rips through California on their way to Bolivia in April.

Listen In

Remember napster? Love pandora? A cool new website offers a similar music capability for the facebook age.

CYLOOP.COM
Personal radio websites are all the rage and networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have become part of the cultural landscape. At only 31, Demian Bellumio has figured out how to combine the best both in an ingenious new website called Cyloop.com. Visitors log on, create a profile and immediately have access to music from the website’s ever-growing stash. Through partnerships with music labels, Cyloop presents artists represented by labels such as EMI, Warner and The Orchard.
Selected songs and playlists are saved to the user’s profile so that they’re available every time they log on, but songs can’t be downloaded to a hard drive or saved outside the site. Its something of a brilliant plan for music companies trying to recoup the millions lost to illegal downloads and for people who want a little more music with their online friendship-making. Social animals can search for other people with similar musical interests and other criteria. Plus, fans have access to artist updates and tours. And in true Internet style, it’s all free. The website is now working on developing live-action Latin music shows and webisodes of a new Cyloop web show.