Mexican Combo Platter

Album (Photo by Jay West)

Mexican Combo Platter

Well, you knew things weren't going as expected when the opening band of the evening was a no-show. So when Hey Besala of Juarez was AWOL, Monterrey's Bam Bam stepped in with an anemic set. Good things were finally in store when Album stepped up, ritually passing a beer between them before their gospel-esque opener, "Waiting on Baby Jesus," sung over a deeply thumping, dance-techno backbeat. Unfortunately, it didn't move beyond its initial intrigue. There were moments when they brought on walls of sound, but most of the time, they sounded overwhelmed by their technology. The highlight of their set was a closing remix of the Beatles' "Taxman." That led into Guadalajara's Thermo, who tore up the stage with their fierce punk/metal rock tunes. If they were any indication, the rest of the evening, featuring Niña, la Gusana Ciega, and Panda, was going to be a wild ride.