Monte Negro

Monte Negro, a bilingual ensemble from Los Angeles, fuses alternative rock with rock en español in balanced proportions. Mexican-American siblings Kinski Gallo on vocals and Rodax on bass first assembled as the punk group Anima, which L.A. press outlets branded “the Latino Red Hot Chili Peppers.” Following Anima’s dissolution, the brothers enlisted guitarist Jason Li Shing and drummer Xavier Lopez to launch Madrepore in 2003. As the project matured, the pair’s Mexican heritage assumed greater weight, necessitating a new moniker to signal the evolving direction. Monte Negro took shape and issued several EPs, among them Amor Finito, whose track “Give Me Love (No Llores)” secured airplay on L.A. alt-rock station KROQ. In summer 2007 the band delivered its debut album Cicatrix through the Adrenaline imprint. Early the next year Epic announced the group’s signing to the major label, after which the digital EP Who Told You appeared and a full-length Epic release was slated for that spring.