Hudson River Rocks Same Boring Tune: Yerba Buena, Los Amigos Invisibles in NYC

The full line-up of Hudson River Rocks concert on August 9 were Jose Conde y Ola Fresca, Los Amigos Invicibles, and Yerba Buena. I missed Jose Conde so I won't be talking about them, obviously.

I didn't care much for Los Amigos Invisibles live because I guess I wasn't high enough to enjoy the so-called acid jazz vibe, but granted, this band is perfect to mellow out, chill out, or burn out to. Their upbeat and hypnotic rhythmic tempo, in addition to their singer's soothing voice, has a combination amounting to so much sensual vibe you'll want to ripe your clothes off and sway those hips. I still can't remember where I threw my underwear.

For an outdoor show with no lawn to relax on, I didn't find Pier 54 to be the best location for this band. Unless you're a fan or tripping on acid, Los Amigos Invisibles has too much of a mellow musical presence to really enjoy their talent. Listening to their songs at home, it makes me feel like I'm sitting on a flying couch with this video playing in the background. Unfortunately, their live show was nowhere near that exciting.

Never mind going to their site to sample some of their music. Getting your cursor on that auto-scroll tab is fucking annoying. Guess I have bad hand-eye coordination. Either way, listen to their tunes on their Myspace page and judge for yourself. Yay Myspace...Christ.

Yerba Buena is the Latin/Afro-Caribbean inspired band who took the stage to applauding fans. They had great energy and a donkey on stage to liven up the set. What a crazy spontaneous idea! Their lively performance was very engaging, with their synchronized dance moves, colorful lighting set, and don't forget that donkey.

Yes, Yerba Buena is a happy booty-shaking band that integrates its musical talents with the traditional Latin beats that are very familiar in salsa music. This combination can be very difficult to achieve in that they risk sounding too salsa-like, in which case they might as well be playing over a Marc Anthony or Willie Colon track.

The problem with bands like Yerba Buena is that they all sound too much the same. Ever heard of Radio Mundial? In the process of honoring their legendary predecessors, "Latin Rock" bands end up regurgitating the same beats and rhythmic sounds from the Fania All-Stars, and those songs already lived their time.

For a free performance and $5 beers, Hudson River Rocks wasn't a waste of time at all. Sure enough it was a good excuse to chill out and dance, but that's pretty much where it ends.