Featured Artist: Gardenia

Photo Credit: Walter Giordani

Rock en Espanol is nothing new to anyone that has been a huge fan since the creation of Latin Rock by Carlos Santana in the late 60s. Since then, pioneer bands like East Los Angeles’ own Los Lobos, Tierra, El Chicano, and Malo opened the stage for new Latin Rock bands to come from both sides of the border. Gardenia, a band from the San Fernando Valley, is hoping to create a name for themselves in this very competitive and growing genre.

Gardenia's original name, Arepa, came from a type of food common throughout Central and South America. The name stands as a testament to their aspirations toward mass appeal and camaraderie through the universality of music. When talking about the band's name, guitarist and UCLA alumnus David Villafaña said, "It's like a word analogy. The idea was that music is kind of what feeds the soul."

Gardenia, the band, is made up of three musicians: Villafaña on guitar; Pollyanna Salas-Uruea, on vocals and Josué Arias, a California State University, Northridge alumnus on percussion.

Now two years old, Gardenia's considerable talents have allowed them open for fiery Mexican rocker Ely Guerra at the Knitting Factory last summer. Gardenia has also played The Greek Theatre, the Joint, Hollywood Park and "every venue possible at UCLA," said Villafaña with proud enthusiasm.

Coming from El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico, the members of Gardenia strive to incorporate the varied styles of their respective nationalities into music they make. Gardenia's songs run the range from intense emotional ballads about love and loss to socially conscious statements on immigration.

Buenos Aires-born, Grammy award-winning Latin rock producer, songwriter and performer Gustavo Santaolalla is one if the most influential and respected music producers in Latin America. He has contributed to the success of different artists and the making of some of the best rock albums in Spanish. From alternative groups like Cafe Tacuba, which won a Latino Grammy for the Reves/Yo soy album, to the pop and radio-friendly style of Juanes, He also produced the soundtrack for the hit film that stormed the world's movie theaters, Amores Perros. In an interview, Santaolalla compares producing to drawing: "It you know how to draw, you can make Cubism, but first you have to know how to draw".

Nowadays with the help of Satellite Radio and networks like MTV Tr3s, people all over the world are able to find out about up and coming bands. In Latin America, Latin Rock is blowing up with groups from Mexico like Jaguares, Maná, and Caifanes. America is also producing some of the most popular Latin bands in the world. Independent record labels like California's Aztlan Records and New York's Grita Records, have devoted themselves to signing the best Latin Rock Bands; Riverside's own Voodoo Glow Skulls playing a Latin version of punk, Orange County's Manic Hispanic and East Los Angeles's Union 13 representing Latins in the hardcore punk scene.

Gardenia is putting on the finishing touches to release their first album by the end of the year. You can check out Gardenia's Myspace profile and listen to their new single "No Vuelvas Mas" here.
You can also check out photos from their show at The Joint here.