By Joslyn Keenan
Feb. 15, 2018

Latino Lives is a benefit that will showcase local Latino musicians and artists of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds this Saturday from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. at The Bay, 2005 Y St.

According to organizers, empowering Latinos and providing a platform for artists to showcase their talents is the benefit’s main goal. It has been a great way to gain support from the community.

This benefit will be raising money in order to further promote the Latino Lives show in the future. The money raised will go partially go toward buying merchandise, stickers, pins and the like. The majority of the remaining money will be going to an organization that benefits the Latino community, which is yet to be decided.

Latino Lives was started by 18-year-old Aramara Quintos Tapia, whose band, Histrionic, is a punk rock group that she fronts. They started playing shows monthly since May and have recently been starting to book shows by themselves.

“My objective for Latino Lives is to embrace the Latino community within the DIY scene, DIY referring to the ethic of self-sufficiency, and to give Latino artists and musicians a platform to showcase their work and to hopefully inspire other young Latino kids to start working on their projects, whatever those may be,” Quintos Tapia said.

She has hopes of making Latino Lives an annual festival and making it as successful and enjoyable as possible. For such a young age, she has had much support from the community, and expressed how grateful she is for it.

There will be a variety of local musicians and bands playing at the benefit, including Nyaleiny, Maia Ramsay, Threesome Egos, Histrionic, Verse and the Vices, HAKIM, Conny Franko and Loud Minority.

“There are other musicians of color performing at this show as well to show inclusivity and that all people of color should stick together and support one another in whatever community projects are going on,” Quintos Tapia said.

The next Latino Lives show she will be holding is on June 2nd.

As for the bands and artists performing, the list is quite long, with a lot of fresh talent. In 2017, Maia Ramsay was selected for the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts’ Nebraska Young Artist Awards. High school juniors are annually recognized in Nebraska that are talented in art, music, dance, theater or film and new media.

Threesome Egos is a punk rock band from Lincoln. The band members are Pierce Bower on guitar, Colten Welch on guitar, Heladio Perez on drums and Bray Welch on bass. They are inspired by artists such as Tame Impala, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arctic Monkeys, Nirvana, Strokes and Pink Floyd.

Histrionic is an alternative band, one of the members being Quintos Tapia, on bass and vocals.. The other members are Seth Beem on drums and Caleb Baugous on guitar.  The word Histrionic is defined as, “overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style.” The band is unique and seems to set itself apart from the traditional alternative band, at times even leaning toward punk.

Verse and the Vices is an Indie Rock group fused with Lo-Fi Indie. Emilio Meza does vocals for the group in addition to playing the guitar. Manny Martinez plays bass guitar. Otilio Meza is on the drums, while Sophia Meza does vocals. Formerly known as My Brother, this family indie rock group has had an album out along with a few singles.

HAKIM is a successful up-and-coming hip-hop artist from Lincoln, rapping since 2014. Self-described as “one of the hottest rising artists out of the Corn Coast”, his witty verses and smooth beats are well-known by locals. He is also gaining a popular fan base outside of Nebraska and booking shows in California, as well as attending this years SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. HAKIM has a record label and movement called “Our Society”, including fashionable merchandise and a strong following and support system. He has claimed his passion is to represent music, but also express himself through fashion.

Conny Franko is also a rapper, hailing from Omaha. With a label named Make Believe Records, he has also built a reputation and local fan base. The band members are listed as, “Conchance, Uncle Conny, Conny, Brenton Gomez” on their Facebook page. Dedicated to family and skateboarding, Franko has a true passion for his craft. Artists that he looks up to are Rakim, Nas and 13 floor elevators. Another Omaha artist included in the lineup is Loud Minority, a punk rock band with Latino background.

More information can be found on the Latino Lives Facebook page.

Joslyn Keenan is an editorial intern with KZUM.