LATIN BAND CAMP ALTERNATIVE SHOWCASE ARRIVES IN L.A.

Byline: Sandra Barrera Music Writer

Last week Mexico's Plastilina Mosh was playing a hip little club in Toronto.

Come tonight, the duo that specializes in ``sleazy-listening'' appears at a free showcase here in Los Angeles.

Both performances in these hotbeds for Spanish-language fare are part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference, which has opened its doors to industry movers and shakers for a long weekend of panels and free shows.

Running through Saturday, the shows feature a grab bag of artists versed in everything from hip-hop to punk but who rarely get heard on commercial radio.

However, film and TV seem very receptive to the talent being spotlighted by the LAMC.

It was after one such event in New York - this is where the LAMC, now in its fourth year, was founded before making its debut in L.A. - that Kinky, the Monterrey, Mexico-based dance band, was thrust into the national spotlight.

The band's song ``Mas'' has since been used as the theme to the TV miniseries ``Kingpin'' and most recently appears in a commercial for Nissan. Next month, the group shares the bill at the Hollywood Bowl with Los Lobos and Cafe Tacuba.

Tomas Cookman, co-founder of LAMC, says watching Kinky catch on has been exciting.

``Bands like Kinky have shone because they're fantastic,'' Cookman says. ``It's great because, as opposed to the U.S. general market - let's say there's a buzz band. The new buzz band comes to L.A. ... and the place is packed with A&R guys. You don't have that in the Latin world,'' he adds.

At least, not in the United States. In Mexico and in other Spanish-speaking countries, buzz bands draw their fair share of industry types.

``Our band has been through the whole commercial thing and had big success in Mexico,'' says Alejandro Rosso, keyboardist in the Monterrey- based Plastilina Mosh, which is also performing Saturday at Grand Performances at the California Plaza, Watercourt. ``I'm not trying to cross over, I just want to express our music the way we want it to be expressed.''

How so?

``If you're eager to see fireworks or men in tights dancing around stage, it's probably not going to be the most interesting show you're going to see,'' Rosso continues. ``We're two guys, we don't play off a set list, we just go up there and play off the vibe of the people. Sometimes it's risky, but it keeps us on the edge.''

Like Plastilina Mosh, many of the bands performing as part of the free showcases are well-known in their countries.

``LAMC is a great starting point,'' says Robert Mendoza, founder of Northern Mexico's Nortec Collective, a group that pairs nortena and dance music. It performs tonight at the California Plaza.

``Not only do they put out the most well-known acts of the moment, they put out great up-and-comers that have gone far, like Kinky. Even Julieta Venegas did one of her first shows with LAMC before she blew up.''

Although LAMC predominantly takes place in North America, organizers are planning events next year in Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Madrid.

``We're growing tremendously, just like the market itself,'' Cookman says. ``And luckily, we have all this great music to use as our soundtrack.''

Sandra Barrera, [phone]

sandra.barrera(at)dailynews.com

ACOUSTIC WRITERS SHOWCASE

Who: Plastilina Mosh and Cecilia Toussaint, Amaral, Erica Garcia, Los Amigos Invisibles, Volumen Cero, Moxi and Postdata featuring Ivan Benavides from Sidestepper.

Where: Highland Grounds, 742 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 6 tonight.

Tickets: Free.

GRAND PERFORMANCES

Who: Nortec Collective and Kronos Quartet at 8 tonight; Plastilina Mosh, Jumbo and Volumen Cero at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Where: California Plaza, Watercourt, 350 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

Tickets: Free.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2) Nortec Collective, top, and Ivan Benavides from the band Sidestepper, right, are performing this weekend in conjunction with the Latin Alternative Music Conference.