¡Chao Bella!

Holy Crap. I am hung over. But it was well worth it.

I got a call from my friend Jessica yesterday, inviting me to go see Manu Chao at The Fillmore. Can I just say, What a FUN show! I’ve heard a few of their songs from miscellaneous mix CDs (I wrote ‘tapes’ and then realized that wasn’t the case anymore) mainly from Amber. I was pleasantly surprised at their show, and the diverse crowd it attracted! Latinos, Hipsters, Baby Boomers and of course – The Hippies. I haven’t been to such a large gathering of Hippies since I went to Madeski Martin and Wood!

But OH! Such joy! Such fun! Such free drinks because Jessica’s old boss was one of the bartenders!

I highly recommend Manu Chao if you’re interested in latin music! Here’s a brief description of what he sounds like, from Wikipedia! Or listen HERE

Manu Chao sings in French, Spanish, Arabic, Galician, Portuguese, English, and Wolof, often mixing them in the same song. His music has many influences: rock, French chanson, Iberoamerican salsa, reggae, and ska, and Algerian raï. These influences were obtained from immigrants in France, his Iberian relations, and foremost his travels in Mesoamerica as a wandering nomad following the disbanding of Mano Negra.

Though Manu Chao is one of the world's best selling artists, he is less well-known in the English-speaking world. Tours in the United States with Mano Negra never led to much success in that country, and Chao seems inclined to focus his efforts in Europe and Latin America, where his musical style finds its roots and his left-wing populism is more widely greeted. Though his live performances in the US are exceedingly rare, Chao is scheduled to play a handful of dates in that country in 2006, including a headlining spot for Lollapalooza 2006.