Felix Contreras

As Latino populations grow in locations far from large urban centers, local music scenes are thriving. This week, Alt.Latino showcases a few artists from places off the beaten path.

On her new album Lola, Rodriguez's bi-cultural life blossoms into a spectacular collection of stories and songs, several of which she performs in this Tiny Desk concert with guitarist Luke Jacobs.

The lure of the open road was too much to resist this week, so Alt.Latino turns the volume up on a collection that includes Central American heavy metal, Cuban guitar jazz and Brazilian DJs.

Rubinos returns fully formed, with her musical vision still finding ways to meld the unexpected, the familiar and, in songs like "Mexican Chef," the fiercely political.

Two new volumes of work by the legendary music writer Ralph J. Gleason are out this spring. Though he grew up during the Jazz Age, Gleason loved acts like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead too.

Ileana Cabra Joglar came of age onstage, performing with her older brothers in Calle 13. Now, she emerges from their shadow with her solo debut, a collection of classic sounds.

Hear re-imagined pre-Colombian music and arias from the jungles of Brazil and beyond, chosen with the help of Tom Huizenga from NPR Music's Deceptive Cadence.

The veteran jam-rock guitarist's dedication to his instrument is matched only by his imagination. There's joy in hearing Kimock play acoustically, with no filter between his ideas and his fingers.

The Cuban singer's music is fueled by surprisingly mature songwriting (she's only 24), as well as an irrepressible personality that projects warmth, fun and a million-watt smile.

Listening to Adrian Quesada's latest project is like stepping into an alternate reality — an unhurried place with time to contemplate love, loss and longtime friends.

The band's leader and original drummer explain how a group house in 1960s San Francisco produced a groundbreaking union of Afro-Carribean rhythms, rock and jazz.

Alt.Latino offers a view from inside the mixing room, featuring talents you should know.

This week on Alt.Latino, the two iconic Brazilians discuss history and music.

The original Santana made music history nearly 50 years ago. As the band reunites for a short tour this spring, the guitarist tells Alt.Latino how he and his collaborators did it.

In a fun and vibrant conversation with Alt.Latino, the Cuban singer makes it clear that her country's political isolation from the U.S. didn't apply to music.

The reunion of Carlos Santana's mid-'70s-era band captures the musicians' intense chemistry, while still updating the massively influential sound they created.

Outlaw, "Okie from Muskogee," poet of working-class values and a fixture in country music for 50 years, Merle Haggard died Wednesday, April 6, his 79th birthday.

Singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi and guitarist Derek Trucks celebrate the blues, jazz and much more.

Watch as this band from Southern California sends waves of velvet-sounding Chicano soul over the crowd at NPR Music's SXSW showcase in Austin, Texas.

The festival-within-a-festival at Austin's SXSW featured more than 200 Latin bands. Choosing just six to highlight was a challenge Alt.Latino cheerfully accepted.