VELORIO performs their style of bilingual music up and down the west coast, quickly building a buzz, and creating a loyal fan base. With their genre defying sound, VELORIO blurs the lines between Latin, Soul, and Rock. They are riding the new wave of dance heavy, head banging, feel good music that your soul can't disagree with. Blending the Latin world with the spirit and attitude of Rock music, VELORIO delivers an explosive live performance with a bilingual sound that has been long awaited.

     Formed in January of 2007, VELORIO is made up of musicians who demonstrate that same passion and ideology for their distinct sound. Explosive Latin percussion rhythms along with meticulously placed motifs, and melodies has thus far sparked interest in a wide audience demographic.VELORIO is an eclectic amalgamate of lives, manifested through musical styles, cultures, and tastes. Each song is an aspect of its members' collective life, not merely written and composed...every melody is a memory.

     Hearts longing to be broken, impossible love, unjust romance and that forbidden affair with the one you adore. Those are the images invoked while listening to Velorio's newest, self-titled musical prophecy. Idealistic words written by bassist Ben Gomez and vocalized by front-man Alvaro Caceres are dressed up in everything from old-school, rock-en-español influenced latin-jazz to classic, ambient lounge rock and Andean psychedelic cumbias. The musical expertise comes at the hands of the entire band, including Jason Blakely, Eric Powers and Adrian Nevarez.

     Velorio, the album, is perhaps most appealing because it translates Latin Alternative to the ears of a universal audience. You will discover that this album is almost entirely in Spanish and English. However, it is 'spoken' a bilingualism and not 'translative'. Bilingual in the way many Latinos in the US speak in an educated "Spanglish" (pardon the irony of terms).

     You don't need to be a native speaker of any language to understand the emotion behind the lyrics. The melodies of the music and resonance of the vocals speak for themselves and it is an album that both old school "Spanish Rock" and modern day "Latin Alternative" music fans will equally enjoy.

     As these two generations find more distinction from one another, Velorio presents a mesh of both eras. And in "Velorio" you will find that time-tested appeal that drew listeners many years ago to the likes of Caifanes and Soda Stereo: the choruses, lyrics, strings and unforgettable arrangements; married to the modern-day zest that fuses the twists of tropical rhythms and the ingredients of post-alternative rock.

     Velorio is a band that is not easily summarized in a single sentence and, once you think you've heard enough to define them, you see them live and discover you have more musical prowess to digest.

     This is perhaps one of the best Lat Alt/Bilingual Rock bands coming out of California today. Velorio has a lot to offer the crossover scene and the Lat Alt mixture of genres. It is no surprise that they are becoming vastly popular amongst native Californians and building a fan base nationwide.

     For more info and listening enjoyment, download Velorio's track "Shoot at the Shadows" on their MySpace page. And, if you have the chance, catch them live!