#16. Maneja Beto
From: Austin, Texas
I think I'll stay with the Latin flavor for a little bit, and talk about this five-piece from Austin. The bio provided on ACLFest's website says that Maneja Beto "do for Latin music what the late-1970s, post-punk British 2-Tone groups like the Specials, the Selector, the English Beat and madness did for ska music: crank it up and open the style to modern rock and pop influences." The Austin Chronicle has said "Don't spend too much time trying to classify Maneja Beto... Forget the labels, shut up, and dance." Sounds good to me.
I like the description the band offers on their website as well - "Beto now happily exists in that moment between music and people - a sonic conversation in and of itself. Like Son, a genre of traditional Mexican folk music, Beto's music aims for the heart and the head."
Maneja Beto has been together since 2002; they started playing regular local gigs in Austin and now they tour all over the state. Their album is called Para Que Las Paredes No Se Aburran, and here are a few mp3s from the CD:
"Son De Amor"
"Ciudadano"
"Por La San José"
"Corazón"
I love the fact that their website offers narrative stories that explain what the songs are about, for those who are wondering but don't speak/read spanish. You can find the explanations after the lyrics on their music page.
Maneja Beto will be playing the Capital Metro Gospel/World Music Stage at from 1-2 p.m. on Sunday the 25th. (they were nice enough to release this info on their website!)
*ps - thanks to Alba Pena, Maneja Beto's manager, for setting me (and my quotes) straight!
