I came up with the topic/presentation when I was first asked to speak at a luncheon on marketing that was geared at non-profits. The first step In researching my audience, was to go to their websites. What I found inspired me to put this list together.

All the web applications or software I mention in this post are free or low-cost and can greatly improve a company’s website and online presence.

In this post I will touch on the following topics:

• Keep Your Site Up To Date: Joomla!
• Use A Blog To Run Your Entire Website: WordPress

In Next Week’s Post, I will talk about:

• Know Your Website’s Stats: Google Analytics
• Manage your Email Relationships: Contant Contact
• Get Great Photos at a Great Price

Continue reading this post…

Whoa, lots of r’s in the title.

Anyways, get ready to Rock y Roll as the Triple R will record their next weekly radio show at the Mambo!

If you haven’t heard of Rock y Roll Radio, then where have you been?  They had over 80,000 hits as of last week!

On a personal note, this show introduced me to Vatosaurus, the most awesome Chicano dinosaur from East L.A.

One awesome aspect that Paul and the crew put together is the awesome playlist lineup that regularly features rising stars in the US Latin Alternative world!

And, where better, of course, to find some of the most awesome US-based Latin alternative, than here in sunny, Austin, Texas.

Better yet, that isn’t the only genre of music that they focus on.  They can kick it old school.  Their first show had the one and only Grupo Mazz playing one of their oldies!

OK.  I’ll step off of my Tejano soap box…

¡Que viva Tejano!

My dad’s side of the family is Mexican; my great grandmother came from Coahuila. My maternal great grandfather came over on a boat from Lithuania.

I’m the only one in my dad’s family that attempts to honor any sort of cultura mexicana. I’ve celebrated Dia de los Muertos for several years, complete with homemade sugar skulls, pan de muerto y un ofrenda. I had to learn about this tradition from a project I did in a college Spanish class - not my family. After the death of mi abuela last summer, I brought my Dia de los Muertos supplies home and set up my altar there; it was then that I felt like my family really understood what I was doing and why.

Some of my cousins on my dad’s side dismiss their Hispanic heritage; instead, they claim their mom’s Irish roots. They celebrate all things Irish, and I respect that completely. But a part of me cringes every time I hear them say our last name: they pronounce it “VAIR-uh” instead of “VAWR-uh”.

Okay. I get that a lot by people who don’t know me. I’ve even come to expect that I’ll have to correct people. And as soon as I do, the next sentence out of their mouth is always, “Oh, so you’re Hispanic?” I also get that same comment when I mention my hometown is San Antonio.

But my cousins, who are just as biologically Hispanic as I am, are the ones doing the butchering. So just what is it that makes someone Hispanic?

Clearly more than just un nombre.

Ruta Maya may just be another Austin coffee house during the day, but every Wednesday evening, it becomes a popular dance spot for salsa as it lends its stage to the local band, Cienfuegos.

Their specialty in Cuban son, bolero, and other styles of Latin music has become a local favorite, as one could tell from the large crowd at Ruta Maya this past Wednesday.

The vibrant live music brings out dancers ranging from beginners to experts onto the large dance floor. There were also those that go to just enjoy the music as they sit inside on a couch or on the patio while they enjoyed a Cuban cigar or a beer. This type of music is no longer popular solely among those of Latin descent, but people of all backgrounds.

Last year Cienfuegoes took home the Best Salsa/Merengue award at Univision’s Premios de Texas Music Awards show. They have two records available, in which on its first recording includes the playing of Shango Dely, who is percussionist of Santana and Carlos Vives.

In communication with Daniel Nelson, the lead vocalist and guitarist, he was able to provide me with interesting information about the band.

Full interview available after the jump.

Continue reading this post…

If you haven’t heard of this group, you’ve been living under a rock!

Grupo Fantasma, a group with members from all around Texas (Laredo, El Valle, Houston, Eagle Pass) and whose lead singer is from Nicaragua, has been around for a few years now here in Austin.

They most recently went on a mini-tour with Prince, with the highlight coming in the form of Prince’s band at Super Bowl XLI during the halftime show.

OK. So now to the music. What does it sound like, you ask???

GF would probably tell you that it’s in a genre of its own! They blend all sorts of music together: cumbia, rumba, salsa, and FUNK…pretty much anything that will make you get up and dance!

They recently performed and headlined at Austin’s semi-annual Pecan Street Festival. The cool thing is that their crowds are not just Latino. Maybe it’s just Austin, but I think virtually every shade of human being supports GF!

We were having friends over for dinner, so I recently went to Spec’s to pick up some wine. When I walked in there was a big display (not the fancy kind, the kind the store would put up by stacking a bunch of boxes of wine and posting a small write-up with the price). They were featuring an Argentinian vinyard called Finca El Retiro.

While reading through all the write-ups, one of the Spec’s people came by and started telling me about the wines. He was a huge fan, raving about how there was no better wine at the price-point, going through their various taste profiles, etc.

On his recommendation, I ended up picking up several bottles of malbec, tempranillo and merlot. Some were the regular bottles (in the $8 a bottle range) and some were the reserves (in the $12 per bottle range).

Turns out, the Spec’s guy was right. These wines were amazing. The non-reserves were respectable, but the reserves, especially the tempranillo, were fantastic.

I’m no wine expert. I know what I like and I love to try new bottles. If you’d like to know the specific flavors and smells of these wines, pull up a few of the review sites on The Triple W.

After you do that, if the wine sounds like something you’d like, go buy a few bottles, you won’t regret it.

Hola todos,

I’m a new intern at the Mambo; I like to write about random musings that translate into bigger cultural ideas.

The blistering heat that swept across Austin yesterday got me thinking about what I used to do as a kid to combat those hot Texas summers.

When that magical mix of leather and sweat begins to paralyze you to your car seat, you know there’s nothing powerful enough to break that superhuman bond like a snow cone. With a sparkle in his eye, my dad would sing, “Who wants a raspa?!” before veering off the road to our local snow cone stand. Leche canela always trumped other flavors.

Mi abuela had her own concoction to ward off the heat: vanilla ice cream and crushed fresh strawberries topped with sweetened condensed milk. One styrofoam cup of that and it was off to the backyard once again.

My great grandmother didn’t have air conditioning in her lime green house, so she created her own: lo ultimo homemade iced tea. Sorry if you’re drooling.

We’d sit in her tiny kitchen, eat Nacho Cheese Doritos and play a round (or two) of dominoes.

This summer, seek out the cositas that help you beat the heat. Chances are, when you think back, it’ll be the memories that stick out in the forefront. And the heat, just a distant detail in the background.

The Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo are a group of “grandmas” dedicated to making a positive and meaningful impact on their community. This group of non governmental human rights activists have been dedicated to fighting for the promotion of human rights for the past 30 years.

Since 1977, their ultimate goal has been to find the children kidnapped because of the political repression that took place in the Argentine republic during the last military dictatorship.

They fight to return these children to their legitimate families and create conditions to insure that this terrible violation of children’s rights never happens again, seeking punishment all those responsible.When they celebrated their 20th anniversary in 1997, 59 children had recovered their identities and their families.

The abuelas have been recently recognized for their hard work and nominated for the Nobel peace price. You can show your support to their nomination by writing to nobelabuelas@gmail.com and also by sharing their story with friends and family. Visit their website for more on their amazing story story and view their nomination letter.

http://www.abuelas.org.ar/english/history.htm

Grupo Mambo went out to Club Deville to listen to Nortec Collective’s new album “Tijuana Sound Machine - Bostich+Fussible“.

How do we describe it? Hmmm…

Let’s say Taco Stand meets Ultra-Lounge.

Better yet, instead of having the Taco Stand outside of the Ultra-Lounge, Nortec has managed to pull that 2-ton piece of steel (carnitas and all) up the stairs and right into the middle of the dance floor.

It’s great to hear their new album. Crown Royal partnered with Nacional Records last year and highlighted Nortec Collective as part of a 3-city Texas Tour.

You can take a listen to the new album here.

Grupo Mambo went to Cuba Libre last night to watch the vibrant and rhythmic Latin band Cadaques. Having residency at Cuba Libre every Wednesday at 9pm, they put on an outstanding, full of energy show. The gypsy kings-esque sounding grupo entertains the bar frequenters and some even get up to dance (as the night and alcohol intake progresses). All their songs are written by front-man Hector Vasquez, who also plays Flamenco guitar. The other enthusiastic members include: Jayme Munoz on Flamenco Guitar, Steve Metz on Drums/Cajon, and Dan Mowery on Bass who are all dressed in their casual best.

The band was very friendly and was more than happy to grant us an interview. Interesting tidbits were uncovered.

Cadaques has been together for ten years , they formed when “they became tired of their other bands.” Hector and Jayme have had a long term relationship since they were both in college, adding the rest of the band was a team effort. They pride themselves on “never playing the same song twice”, as they play everything by ear and do not believe in set lists.

The band’s big influence is Flamenco music and Spanish guitarists like Vicente Amigos. Hector’s lyrical inspiration comes from Mexican poetry and that of La nina pastori. Since the Austin Latino music venues are few they have plans to reach a wider audience by singing in English. Their dream is

to tour all over the U.S. and would like that to be the next step after the release of their album. The release date for their next album is September 2008 (no pressure guys) which may include guest appearances by friends from other bands, like Jose from Grupo Fantasma. The album will also feature a more complete instrumental repertoire with horns and a keyboard.

Check them out at www.cadaques.us or at their Myspace page.