#sexto sol

Day 2

By Mike Gutierrez for SATX Music

Sexto Sol at Sam's Burger Joint on May 31, 2014

Although the doors to the music hall at Sam's opened in the middle of a closeout game that would send the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals, about 275 people turned out for 70s Latin soul group Sexto Sol’s first show of 2014. Greg Goodman, bass guitarist for the San Antonio band, said he was satisfied with the number.

"It was a really good line-up and a good show," Goodman said, “even with the Spurs game going on. We were really impressed that so many people made it. We were a little worried about that [game], but it was a great show."

The bill also featured San Antonio-based groups Los De Esta Noche and Rio Jordan. The former is a young, up-and-coming Latin rock band that has garnered a significant following since its inception. Incorporating genres including Mariachi, conjunto and cumbia, Los De Esta Noche’s diverse sound and energy got the crowd going. The momentum never died down as DJ JJ Lopez kept the crowd entertained during intermissions.

Los De Esta Noche at Sam's on May 31, 2014

The second act to perform was Tex Mex outfit Rio Jordan, comprised of sons of Esteban "Steve" Jordan—arguably the greatest conjunto accordion player to ever live, and one of Sexto Sol's greatest influences. Rio Jordan is led by Juanito Castillo, a child prodigy who learned how to play the accordion from Steve Jordan himself.

"A lot of young people who never got to see Esteban Jordan play are kind of getting a revived version of Steve through Juanito," Goodman said.

Juanito Castillo and company performed a terrific set that engaged the crowd and had couples dancing. This was the perfect group to prep the crowd for the main act, Sexto Sol, set to play at midnight. Mixing genres such as conjunto, cumbia, salsa, blues, funk, jazz, Mariachi and more, Rio Jordan was a sight to see. They received a huge round of applause from the crowd before leaving the stage.

Sexto Sol, originally formed in the late 90s, ended the night with a terrific performance that had the entire music hall locked in and entertained. Led by vocalist and keyboardist Samuel Villela, the group gave the crowd its money's worth. Sexto Sol also features lead guitarist Eduardo “DJ Plata” Hernandez, bassist Greg Goodman, drummer Juan Ramos and percussionist James Moody.

During the set, Sexto Sol announced their campaign to release a third studio album. Previous albums consist of “Let There Be Fire” (2006) and their self-titled debut, “Sexto Sol” (2003).

ALTERNATIVE/LATIN/70s/TEX-MEX/CONJUNTO/CUMBIA/SALSA/BLUES/FUNK/JAZZ/MARIACHI/PROGRESSIVE/ROCK/PUNK/DJ

DOORS AT 8 P.M., MUSIC AT 9 P.M., ALL AGES

$9-$45 PRESALE TICKETS (+FEES)

FACEBOOK EVENT

DJ JJ Lopez: Website, Facebook, MixCloud

Los De Esta Noche: Facebook, on WOAI’s “The Garage”, in the Current

Juanito Castillo: on mySA, on YouTube

Rio Jordan: Facebook, on YouTube