The B-Side Players are a San Diego based band that incorporate the sounds of Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 and Brazil with the funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop rhythms of their homeland. The band also drops a bit of Cumbia

Cumbia

Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...

, gritty street Samba

Samba

Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...

, Son Montuno

Son montuno

The son montuno is a style of the Cuban son, but exactly what it means is not an easy question to answer. The son itself is the most important genre of Cuban popular music. In addition, it is perhaps the most flexible of all forms of Latin-American music...

 and Jarocho

Jarocho

A jarocho is a person, item or style of music from Veracruz, Mexico.One explanation of the origin of the term jarocho is that it evolved from an old Spanish word meaning brusque or disordered. There are many other theories....

 into the mix. Described as War meets Lenny Kravitz by way of Ben Harper, the players have expanded their sound by playing with the likes of Harper, Ozomatli, The Wailers, James Brown, War and some of Cuba's best bands. Formed in 1994, they are signed to Jazz label Concord Music Group.

Karlos "Solrak" Paez, the man behind the B-Side Players, grew up in a musical family. His father Ezequiel Paez is a trombone player and musical arranger who spent 17 years in Los Moonlights from Tijuana and 10 years in La Banda Del Recodo.

Discography

• Renacimiento
  Renacimiento
  Renacimiento is a Sector in the city of Santo Domingo in the Distrito Nacional of the Dominican Republic....
  
  (1997)
• Culture of Resistance (1999)
• Movement
  Movement
  -In society and the arts:* Social movement, a coordinated group action focused on a political or social issue* Political movement, a coordinated group action focused on a political issue* Art movement, a tendency or style in art followed by a group of artists...
  
  (2001)
• Maiz (2002)
• Fire In The Youth (2007)
• Radio Afro Mexica (2009)

Fire In The Youth was produced by the band with the help of Quetzal Flores, leader of the Los Angeles band Quetzal

Quetzal (band)

Quetzal is a bilingual Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California.-Biography:The band was founded by Quetzal Flores, with the intention of pushing the boundaries of chicano music and is currently one of Los Angeles' most important and successful groups...

, another group with a wide-ranging style based in the Latin American continuum. The entire record was recorded in 10 days, live in the studio, then added the vocals, percussion and horns.

Current and Former Members

• Karlos "Solrak" Paez - vocals, guitar
• Damian DeRobbio - bass
• Luis “The General” Cuenca - cymbals, drums, percussion and vocals
• Victor Tapia - Congas and Percussion
• Reagan Branch - Sax
• Emmanuel Alarcon - lead guitar, cuatro puertorriqueño, vocals
• Aldo Perretta - charango, tres cubano, jarana veracruzana, ronrroco, cuatro venezolano, kena, zampoña
• Russ Gonzales - tenor sax
• Mike Benge - Trombone
• Michael Cannon - drums
• Camilo Moreno - congas and percussion
• Jamal Siurano - alto sax
• Kevin Nolan - trombone, trumpet
• Andy Krier - keyboards
• Omar Lopez - bass