Catalina Maria Johnson

We tried something new this year at the annual SXSW Music Festival. We tracked down a bunch of Latin musicians, put a microphone in front of them wherever we find them and then ask them about their music.

To do this, I needed help so I called in Alt.Latino contributors Marisa Arbona Ruiz and Catalina Maria Johnson.

I struggled to balance the conflicting emotions of enjoying the musical celebration that is the annual SXSW Festival with the pain of the devastating loss of life in Friday's terrorist attack in New Zealand. It was an emotional push and pull that I kept completely to myself.

Puerto Rican singer/songwriter iLe's debut album iLevitable took the indie Latinx musical world by storm in 2017, winning a Grammy for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative album with its mix of passionate classic boleros and vulnerable, sensual original songs.

Many of my happiest childhood memories revolve around mariachi music; the elegantly-clad ensembles were always an integral part of family celebrations in my mom's hometown of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and the raucous sing-alongs that inevitably would ensue were sure to include songs by Mexico's Jose Alfredo Jimenez, the beloved composer and singer who became emblematic of his genre.

If there ever was a perfect soundtrack for a California road-trip, Bang Data's latest album, LOCO, would totally fit the bill. Bay area singer-rapper-songwriter Deuce Eclipse and multi-instrumentalist Juan Manuel Caipo have been making music together since 2008. Their music is deeply atmospheric, so it's not surprising that it can often be heard in commercials and TV shows (they've been featured on Breaking Bad, Lucha Underground, and Criminal Minds Beyond Borders, to mention just a few).

Some events in Adan Jodorowsky's life seem almost too fantastic to be true. But indeed, the son of renowned Chilean avant-garde icon Alejandro Jodorowsky was taught to play the guitar by George Harrison. As a 7 year old, he learned a few dance steps from James Brown himself.

Despite leading such a charmed life, Jodorowsky says that he felt the need to share his earlier musical creations with the world as"Adanowsky." But he's ready to finally leave that musical persona behind.

Several years ago, Julián Salazar — at the time guitar player for internationally-renowned band Bomba Estereo — spent some time on the Pacific coast of Columbia, an experience that motivated him to capture the lush, entrancing sonic landscapes of the jungle in his compositions.

About eight years ago, in a small club in Copenhagen, a then-unknown band named Bomba Estéreo grabbed us by the musical jugular. Singer Liliana Saumet strode across the stage as the group wrapped her incendiary vocals in a startlingly fresh mix of Colombian roots, propelled by a punk-psychedelic sensibility.

These days, Bomba Estéreo occupies a privileged space in the Latinx musical universe — it composed one of the most iconic anthems of Latinx identity, "Soy Yo." (Its video now has over 23 million views.)

If you've ever wondered what the soundtrack to a film set in Detroit, Havana and Mexico City might sound like, Jessica Hernandez has an answer for you. With a dusky-to-piercing voice and Amy Winehouse's way of hang-gliding on phrases, Hernandez — along with her band, The Deltas — has been a powerhouse act on the Detroit scene for some time.

The members of Los Angeles' Las Cafeteras are experts at navigating the two culturas of immigrant children. In the band's latest video, "If I Was President," they share visions of what our land could be under a president for all people.