Anita Benner of LOS BAD APPLES

Visit the Los Bad Apples website for additional photos & blog updates: www.losbadapples.com
Band Description:
"Los Bad Apples are going to be to Latin Hip Hop what Selena was to Tejano music." - HighSpeed Magazine
Named 2008’s “South by Southwest buzz band” by the Austin Chronicle, Los Bad Apples is a Latin Hip-Hop group that fuses the sultry rhythms and vocal stylings of Latin music with the raw beats and rhymes of Hip-Hop. Their high-energy performances and unique sound earned them a spot opening for Grammy-winners Ludacris and Duffy at a private SXSW showcase, and it was at that show that recruiters from Armed Forces Entertainment invited them to take that energy overseas on their Middle East Tour for the Troops which concluded in February 2009.
This diverse group has also opened for Grammy-winners Ozomatli, Oscar D’Leon and Me’Shell Ndegeocello, and they’ve appeared on various radio and television programs including NPR, FOX, Univision and ME Television. They unveiled their debut music video, Don't Stop – Muevelo on the 4th of July and in its first 3 months it ranked in the Top 5 Latin videos (next to Daddy Yankee) on Blastro.com. It has since ranked in the Top 5 Hip-Hop and Top 5 Latin videos on Famecast.com.
“Los Bad Apples really has something cookin’ and a brewin’. Anita has a beautiful voice that’s impeccably in tune, plus I love that she sings in three languages…Chali 2na really digs Zeale’s flow and he never says stuff like that about other MC’s!” -- Three-time Grammy Award-winner, Asdru Sierra of Ozomatli
Band members include polyglot singer/songwriter, Anita Benner, critically acclaimed MC Zeale who was a finalist in the World Rap Championships of 2007, as well as former members of Kumbia Kings, Menudo & Grupo Fantasma whose original works and productions have been licensed for use by MTV and various film & television programs.
Recordings:
CD: Los Bad Apples
Music Video: Don’t Stop – Muevelo!
Opened For:
Ludacris
Duffy
British Sea Power
Back Door Slam
Oscar D’Leon
Me’Shell Ndegeocello
Ozomatli
Festivals:
SXSW
Pachanga Fest
Pride Fest
Xemumba Fest
Radio & Television Interviews:
Rock y Roll Radio
Univision
KOOP Radio: OutCast
NPR: KUT - Horizontes
FOX News
Additional Media Appearances:
KXAN nightly news
Austin American Statesman
Austin360.com
Latinitas
Please check out my electronica tracks:
MOONLIGHT EXPRESS and MEMORIES.
Melody & Lyrics by Anita Benner.
Track created by Carl Michael.
Recorded by Chris Sweet.
Previous musical projects include:
AQUARELA - bossa nova band. CD: 'Sol e Lua' (1998).
REVIEW OF CD: I first heard Aquarela perform as a duo on the deck of a lakefront Austin coffee house on a lovely, lethargic September evening, and the impression they made was both immediate and lasting. They managed the capricious harmonies and syncopated rhythms of the bossa nova style with ease and assurance, and their intimate guitar-and-voice texture had all the delicacy and coloristic shadings that their name ("Watercolor") would imply. It was simply magical. In this recording, Aquarela's sound is augmented by a cast of talented local musicians, yet it retains all of the intimacy and directness I remember from that first encounter. In particular, the beauty of Anita Benner's voice is almost beyond description, with its unwavering golden tone, remarkable agility, and utterly unpretentious honesty. At the same time, Michael Greer's mellow and whispery vocal timbre both contrasts with and complements that of his partner, while his guitar playing provides an elegant, sure-footed accompaniment. Although it has been nearly forty years since bossa nova first emerged in Brazilian popular music, the classic songs of Jobim sound as fresh as ever, and Aquarela's fine original offerings show clearly that the bossa nova style is not only still viable, but also fruitful and inspiring for contemporary composers. This is a superb debut recording.
- Jonathan Kulp, Musicologist, The University of Texas at Austin School of Music
MORENA FLOR (1999-2002) - lead singer of 12-piece salsa band