Grupo Fiesta Makes an Instant Party–
Just Add Rhythm

BY JESSICA HILBERMAN

New York’s Grupo Fiesta brings the party with them wherever they go. The band, whose name was derived from their ability to have such a good time together, plays a mix of music that’s been called "alt-Latin tropi-pop." It’s a designation band leader Cecilia Villar says fits them well.

Villar, who was born in Ecuador but raised in New York, says she always wanted to be in a band with Latin roots and influences. "I was working in other bands where I was the Latin flavor," she says. "I always had a vision" of being in a band where she wasn’t just flavor. "There was a point where I wanted to fulfill that vision."

Part of the way Villar fulfills that vision is by writing songs in English and Spanish that exude boundless energy and passion—characteristics that any audience can understand. "A lot of my songs come out in Spanish first, and some in English." Villar says. The special sabor she seeks to put into the music seems to come from the Spanish.

"Spanish seems much more expressive. It’s a passionate language." For example, she says the song "Cierro Mis Ojos" (I Close My Eyes) has a stronger impact on listeners when sung in Spanish. Sometimes the feeling is in "the way the words roll off your tongue."

Grupo Fiesta’s music is universal because of the wide range of influences. Led Zeppelin, rumba, the Rolling Stones and "old-school Latin" all blend to make for a compelling sound that has broad appeal.

Villar says that "more often, than not the non-Latinos are dancing." Indeed, there was a diverse crowd on the floor by the end of the first song at Santa Monica’s Temple Bar during Grupo Fiesta’s performance in January. The show, was in support of their new self-titled CD.

Of course, not all the songs are good time tracks. "Truenos Distantes (Distant Thunder)" is about how children are born innocent and brought into a dangerous world. Villar says the song, which relies heavily on descriptions of the sounds of violence, was written in part out of concern about the tumult in the Middle East.