Four years ago, Latin at Heart was a vague concept in the mind of suburban family man, Billy Wilson. Through countless night time outings, he recruited some of Austin's finest musicians, gradually forming what is, pound for pound, one of Austin’s best bands. Latin at Heart has shared the stage with Grupo Fantasma and Los Amigos Invisibles, and now has regular shows at Momo’s. The band's upcoming schedule includes major festivals like ROT Bike Rally, Batfest, Pecan Street Festival, Xemumba Festival, and Bastrop Music Fest at The Oaks.
Where does "Latin at Heart" come from? Well, when the band plays, usually every player on the stage is Anglo. Yet the music is flamenco and latin jazz inspired, and it's all in Spanish! When YOU go out on a Saturday night wearing a Mexican sundress or Cuban shirt, and you have fajitas and margaritas, and then you view Mexican sculptures at Mexic Arte, and then take in a Del Castillo or Latin at Heart show, and then finish the night with salsa dancing till 2:00 am, you are, for that night, "Latin at Heart"!
Latin at Heart's music can be called "bolero rockâ€, a fusion of boleros (flamenco-oriented melodies) with rock. Some of the band's repertoire borders on latin jazz, but with a Latin at Heart twist. The songs have a distinctive structure with mid-song rhythm changes. With few exceptions, the lyrics are Spanish and focus on the search for love, meaning, and validation. Raised in Central America, Wilson grew up listening to Latin crooners like Raphael and Armando Manzanero. At home his mother always had a vinyl record spinning with the symphonies of Russian composers. Upon his return to the States at the age of 13, it was Beatles, Moody Blues, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Fogelberg, and Steely Dan. It can be argued that Latin at Heart's "bolero rock" is the combination of these areas of influence.
The band features Wilson’s passionate lead vocals and the musicianship of some of the most accomplished players in Austin, namely Stephen Zirkel, Jake Owen, Jacinta, Ulrich Ellison, Joe Zito, Jeff Botta, and Marty Mack. With this lineup of talented musicians, Latin at Heart is winning over music fans. Latin at Heart's unique sound and make-up, its fresh twist of rock fused with flamenco-inspired musical progressions, its return to music with a melody and words about human emotions, are all features that are making this band a major player in the Austin music scene.
