Sí Señor!
Pachanga 3
By Raoul Hernandez, Fri., May 21, 2010
Vitera
1:40pm, Pavilion StageDon't call Vitera "crossover." That's too soft a word for the tough, bilingual rock this local quintet makes. Brothers Haydn and David Vitera prefer "rock alterLatino," particularly given the former's electric and electrifying fiddle and golden (brown) voice. The group's debut is forthcoming. – Margaret Moser
Brian Lopez
2pm, Patio StageTuscon's Jeff Buckley, guitarist Brian Lopez steps out from Arizona's Grupo Fantasma – Pachanga juggernaut Y la Orkesta – but not too far: Orkesta leader Sergio Mendoza holds down the piano and accordion under the sextet's violins and cellos, while Salvador Duran provides guest vocals. That leaves Lopez on shred and emote duties, his specialties. – Raoul Hernandez
Amplified Heat
2:40pm, Hierba StageEver wonder what Amplified Heat's skuzzy Texas blues would taste like bottled and distilled? The local power trio has its own Big Daddy's Hot Sauce (Mean Smokin' Green Hot Sauce), whose smoked jalapeño flavor perfectly complements the Ortiz brothers' classic Red River shuffle on 2007's How Do You Like the Sound of That (Arclight). – Austin Powell
Tortilla Factory
3pm, Pavilion StageTortilla Factory was way ahead of the game as a mixed-race 1970s Chicano soul outfit performing across the country. Four decades later, they're essentially a family band, still led by the legendary Tony "Ham" Guerrero and still pumping out exuberant, nonstop pop, rock, and soul. Guerrero and original vocalist Bobby Butler reunited in 2008 for All That Jazz, nominated in 2009 for Best Tejano Album in the Latin Grammys. – Margaret Moser
Brownout
3:20pm, Patio StageLike the J.B.'s to James Brown or Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll, Brownout is the mostly instrumental alter ego of Grupo Fantasma. Once regarded as either warm-up or an after-hours wind-down to the main attraction, the eightpiece ensemble has gained near-equal footing thanks to last year's sophomore stunner, Aguilas and Cobras (Six Degrees), a surreal collection of Latin funk jams that features contributions from members of White Denim and Hacienda. – Austin Powell
Y la Orkesta
4:30pm, Pavilion StageSergio Mendoza's Pérez Prado covers night has ballooned into Tucson, Ariz.'s 10-piece cumbia and salsa rock big band Y la Orkesta, starring the Calexico cell member's Willie Nelson, Calexico guest vocalist Salvador Duran, and Pachanga showcaser in his own right, guitarist Brian Lopez. "Indie mambo" grooved by sixpiece horns and two drummers. – Raoul Hernandez
Pilar Díaz
5pm, Patio StageJetting in from Madrid two days before her Pachanga debut, Chilean-born L.A. multitasker Pilar Díaz imports her snappy Bangles en Español-like video "Ilegal en Estyle" just in time for immigration legislation making its way through the Southwest. Formerly of Neil Young's Vapor Records' rockers Los Abandoned, Danny Elfman collaborator, and onetime Bulgarian choirista, Díaz remains her own cottage industry of multicultural/-dimensional voz. – Raoul Hernandez
Mariachi las Alteñas
6pm, Pavilion StageGood mariachi music strikes you in the chest. Such is the case with San Anotnio's ninepiece Mariachi las Alteñas. Awing last year's Pachanga gathering, the musically astute ensemble not only delivers instrumentally, its all-female vocals are as rich and robust as any of its male counterparts, with the added pleasure of razor-sharp harmonies. ¡Sí, señora! – Belinda Acosta
David Garza
6:40pm, Patio StageLast year's unofficial Pachanga emcee, David Garza returns for another festival match of Six Degrees from Dah-veed. In addition to last year's Twang Twang Shock-a-Boom reunion, Shed Light, Garza's free best-of from his new millennial digital archives, just hit MP3, and he's begun recording a follow-up to 2008 mainstream comeback Dream Delay. Bets on who Garza's guesting with this year will be taken at the Pachanga box office. – Raoul Hernandez
DJ Dus
8:45pm, Chicano Soul CafeDusty Oliveira's collection of mixtapes and mash-ups knows no borders. The Corpus Christi DJ's adept at mixing cumbia with dance and hip-hop, finding that sweet percussive spot, and mining something he calls "the science of the vibe." A walking sample sale. – Audra Schroeder

Bomba Estéreo
9:30pm, Hierba Stage"Suddenly, the phone rings with a call from Colombia. Juan Carlos Losada, a very good friend of mine, is screaming and very excited about this crazy music festival in Austin, Texas, a place I had no reference for." So wrote Bomba bassist/looper Simón Mejía in March for a "My SXSW" diary about his Colombian quintet's 2009 voyage here. Seductress Li Saumet out front of the group's electro/acoustic bilingual slink (think early Manu Chao) guarantees more chapters in this tale. – Raoul Hernandez