You’ve heard it a million times: La Rúa — the best Latin rock band in town, the band that brought rock en español to Anglo clubs, the combo with that cool new song and video, “El Chanchito.” Tony Arreaza is the guy who whips out La Rúa’s Slash-meets-Santana guitar solos. When he isn’t doing stuff like getting La Rúa onto bills with Los Lonely Boys and Los Amigos Invisibles, or planning the regional rock en español festival Carlotan Rock (Aug. 19 at Skándalo’s; Aug. 20 at the Orange Peel in Asheville), Arreaza is contemplating algunas de sus cosas favoritas. Here’s five of those cosas:
1. Bahiano, BH(+)Bahiano. “The debut album of ex-lead singer of the Argentinean reggae band Los Pericos is a godsend. In it, I have found the best of both worlds — the tropical catchy rhythms of the original band as well as an innovative electronic funky swing.” (www.bahiano.com; www.pericos.com)
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. “My girlfriend has banned this film from our home. She thinks I have an ‘unhealthy obsession’ with it simply because I’ve seen it over 30 times in the past year. Yes, I constantly rave about Jim Carrey’s performance and I can pretty much recite the entire dialogue. But are those really grounds to call me obsessed?”
3. The King of Havana by Pedro Juan Gutierrez. “From the moment I began to read this book I was captivated by the writer’s incredible ability to describe the direst of circumstances in the most impartial manner. The poverty and hardships of the Cuban people have never been this vivid.” (www.cubaheritage.com)
4. The Movimiento Fabrika web site. “Finally, a web page infused with information on the rock en español movement in the United States and the world! With all sorts of concert, album and video news in both English and Spanish, it is the perfect tool for musicians and fans alike.” (www.movimientofabrika.com)
5. Spanish Tapas. “We all know it’s bad to drink on an empty stomach, but eating a big meal before a night on the town can be just as dangerous. The solution? Spanish Tapas — perfect small portions of food that can complement any alcoholic beverage. Some of my favorite spots for tapas around town are Arpa, Don Quijote, Solé and Miró.”
This article appears in Aug 3-9, 2005.
