We finally had had time to catch up on our sleep, go through our 1,000 photos and get our voice back (almost!). Here’s our list of best and worst of the Latin Alternative Music Conference 2007, and be sure to check our photo gallery and videos for more exclusive footage of the week.
Best Remezcla interview: Quique from Cafeta, Toy Hernandez, the kids waiting in line for Calle 13 concert (they didn’t know who Café Tacvba was, had no problem paying $50 to see Calle 13).
Biggest Remezcla fans: Toy Hernandez, and that dude from Esto es Eso (Ecuadorian hip hop group)
Major lesbian crush: Mala Rodriguez
Band revelation: Dapuntobeat (Thursday at The Delancey, Monoluna show)
Coolest act: Austin TV being the geeks and freaks that they are.
Hardest partying band: Circo (in a good way); Zoe (in a scary way)
Hottest unofficial event: Calle 13 show
Dude, you’re not THAT famous moments: Zoe not getting into Café Tacvba…or Saturday’s Nacotheque; Volumen Cero trying not to pay Nacotheque cover at Don Hills on Friday.
The Real VIPs: Claudia’s parents who came in from Guadalajara to see La Prohibida at Nacotheque, and cut the line and were name dropping Marcelo….and nope, they didn’t pay, because they said so!
Concert highlights: Zoé lead singer León telling crowd to take over VIP section at Celebrate Brooklyn (and they did, the fans jumped over fence and swarmed to the front), the mosh de muchachas during Cafeta’s set; the crowd at Mala’s midnight show on Wednesday at SOBs; Circo going crazy during Dapuntobeat show…..
Concert lowpoints: horrible sound system during acoustic showcase; Chetes cancelling; the sound issues during Silverio’s set at Nacotheque
Best, real, acoustic: Nova and Maya from Pacha Massive jamming at the Remezcla booth
Best Makeover: Joselo (dare we say it…he looks hot!)
Can someone tell us…how to spell Rubén’s new nahuatl name?
Coolest managers: Gonzo for being Gonzo, Balbi for his always fashionable beard, José Luis Colón for being an honorary hard-core partysero New Yorker who likes chalupas.
Scariest manager: the Venezuelan guy with the beach blond mop hair, George Hamilton-tan and scary voice (manager to some girl named “Bea”). And for the record, no we don’t need any advice on meditation.
Los desaparecidos: Camilo Lara, Chetes
Best Bloggers: Monica, Dita and Franziska from Latina.com, already pissing off some record label for saying certain group lip-synched during a showcase.
Best drunken moment: crews from MTV Tr3s, Mun2 and LATV hanging out at 2am on Delancey looking for munchies…and running into XoXa along the way and having a photo session with everyone’s favorite doll, right there on the street. Documented here in our gallery.
Coolest nerd: the dunkin donuts guy handing out the green “culata.” Awww shit, we didn’t introduce him to the Austin TV guys.
Super Traveler award: Cultura Londres (latin hip hop band from the UK) AND Neil in Poland with the podcast Ritmo Latino.
Coolest LAMC bag schwag: mini survival kit with aspirin. And secretly: Myspace wristbands to wipe off sweat during concerts.
LAMC bag WTF?: the MTV Tr3s wallet chain. Do they think we’re 14 years old?
Más frenéticas and schizophrenic (because of work): claire y nuria….(but note to Bea’s manager: we don’t need no meditation!!)
The only person who went to all the panels: Renzo Ortega…and Josh Norek (but it’s his job)
Coolest freebie: fancy export guide of independent record labels from Spain
Blast from the past (and Chile): Nicole and Sergio Lagos (now a star, and now dating each other)
Whatever happened to….:? La Banda Elástica (answer: in Monte Negro)
Mucho Esneaky Remezcla moment: stealing internet instead of paying $175+ per day…hey that’s what you get for getting your booth stuck in a corner.
Biggest surprise of week: that all those industry folks went to Oveja Negra in Queens …to see Volumen Cero!
Biggest Fashion Statement: Grey pinstriped vests (inspired by Austin TV maybe?)
Que Poco Original Award: Nacional’s t shirts spoofing the California flag (nothing “nacional” about it)
Stole the show: Panda at MTV Batanga showcase at Bowery
Sexiest Screamer: Rix from Panda
Lookalikes: some of the Panda guys look like the Austria guys…cool for Austria, sucks for Panda
Best booth: Zune because they kept the Hennessy flowing
Cutest couple: Zoé’s Rodrigo Guardiola and wife Nini
Sketchiest musician: Orlando de Circo
Others who should’ve been at class of 97 reunion panel: Kike Posada, Mariluz Gonzalez, Fernando Fazzari, Yvonne Gomez
Only panelists who actually had something to say: Rulo de Reactor and Flavio de Mun2
Hookups: Hummersqueal dude and Batanga gal, XoXa and Hugo Chavez doll from Cuarto Poder, (let us know of more!)
Hookup that never happened: Leon and La Sista.
Best party: Nacotheque on Friday at Don Hills (Batanga’s staffers face during La Prohibida was priceless)
Nicest: The Pinker Tones, Federico Aubele, and the B-side Players of San Diego
Worst attitude: the Summerstage security were an absolute nightmare.
Funniest: watching all the chubby short indie rock guys trying to kick it to the Batanga hoochies; discovering there is a Latino band from Tennessee.