ANNOUNCING MtyMx: ALL AGES FESTIVAL OF ART AND MUSIC – Organized by Todd P & Yo Garage

Going down in Monterrey, Mexico from March 20 – 22

JUST ADDED: Andrew W.K., Acid Mothers Temple (JAPAN), High Places, Ratas del Vaticano (MX), Telepathe, Pictureplane, Explode Into Colors, XYX (MX), TV Ghost, Teengirl Fantasy, Chikita Violenta (MX), Tanlines, Hunx and His Punx, Lucky Dragons

Buy A 3-Day Festival Pass ($30 USD) here: tinyurl.com/mtymx3dtix

**PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY PROMO, INTERVIEW OR LIST REQUESTS**

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 20th-22nd 2010 // 12pm – 12am //
Avenida Lazaro Cárdenas @ Avenida las Torres, Monterrey, Nuevo León Mexico
MAP: tinyurl.com/mtytxsite

TOURING SOUTH

For the past 4 years, Todd P and countless volunteers have organized an independent festival during SXSW at Ms. Bea’s in Austin, Texas. With over 100 bands featured and a crowd in excess of 2500 people, Ms. Bea’s has consistently provided a free, all-ages alternative to the badges and wristbands of 6th Street. This year, Todd is packing up, joining forces with Monterrey, Mexico-based Independent promoters Yo Garage, and introducing a new post SXSW tour routing direction: South!

Monterrey, Mexico is roughly the same distance as other “next stop on your tour” cities like Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, El Paso, etc.. The idea of the festival is to provide bands with another option during those 3-4 days after SXSW, where they risk playing under attended, money losing shows because a) it’s spring break, b) it’s a Sunday night in Oklahoma City and c) every other band in the world is also trying to play a show on a Sunday night in Oklahoma City!

3 DAYS + 75 BANDS + US, MEXICAN, & INTERNATIONAL BANDS TOGETHER

The MtyMx Festival will begin at noon on Saturday, March 20th (overlapping with the final day of SXSW), continuing until midnight, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Up to 25 bands a day will play staggered (no overlapping sets) on 2 stages, both featuring professional, festival quality sound. The festival will be $30 USD (roughly 390 pesos) for a 3-day pass, all-ages, and will include musical artists from all over the world, with fully one third of the bands booked hailing from within Mexico. Because of restrictive US border controls, Mexican national bands rarely get the chance to play alongside international acts or in front of international audiences.

OUTDOORS AT A DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATER ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN

The venue is spectacular: “Autocinema Las Torres” is a drive-in movie theater on the side of a mountain, overlooking Monterrey’s old city towards the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental and Monterrey’s signature mountain “La Silla.” This site is a regular location for concerts, raves, parties and other large-scale events.

The space can host 5,000+ people, features modern toilet facilities, on-site ambulance for emergencies, professional security, secure on-site parking, a vintage concession stand, local food vendor trucks (i.e. some of the finest tacos in Northern Mexico!), and a full bar.

WORLD CLASS VISUAL ART

Surrounding the perimeter of the site will be mural pieces by prominent U.S., European and Latin American artists curated by Jesse Hlebo in the spirit of our NYC arts and all ages events publication “Showpaper.” Confirmed artists include Rudy Shepherd, Stephanie Davidson, Sumi Ink Club, Jesse Spears, Dena Yago, Shalo P, Katja Mater, JD Beltran + more added daily. Further, we will utilize the site’s classic, curved drive in movie screen to show avant video works.

DISCOUNT LODGING AVAILABLE

Lodging options will include the Fundador Hotel, a three star-rated 76 room hotel available at low cost via the festival, located in Monterrey’s historic Barrio Antiguo colonial district. Lower cost on-site camping will also be available, with tents available for rent and a late night “tent city” bar with DJs and fun!

EASY BUS TRAVEL TO & FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS

The festival will also be providing a reduced cost, no-frills bus service from Austin to Monterrey and back. The first bus will be an “after bar red-eye” bus leaving at 2:30AM on Friday night/Saturday morning, through the weekend, with more to be added as interest grows. There are also several commercial companies who offer the same route every hour or so for around $48 each way. For those driving, in the last 10 years, the Mexican federal government has embarked on a freeway-building spree including highways directly from the border crossing at Laredo to Monterrey.

A SIMPLE BORDER CROSSING

Crossing the border into Mexico is very simple. All you need is a valid passport or an official passport card. Passport books & cards currently take 4-6 weeks to order and process if not expedited. Books are $100, cards are $45 (only for entry to Mexico/Canada and can only used when traveling by land). No Visas are necessary.

U.S. citizens can apply for a passport book or card here:

You can renew an existing passport here:

MONTERREY: MODERN CITY OF 4 MILLION PEOPLE, WEALTHIEST & SAFEST CITY IN MEXICO

Monterrey is a safe, clean city of 4 million people, and is by far the wealthiest and most modern city in Mexico.
Medicaltourismmag.com on Monterrey.

Monterrey has a two line subway system, a modern airport, great hospitals, and modern industry, culture, architecture, and government, as well as the most renowned university in Mexico. Monterrey was ranked as “The Most Secure City in Latin America” by América Economía magazine.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterrey

Mercer Quality of Life Survey 2008 mentions Monterrey, to say that Monterrey has lower crime index than New York City. New York is used as a baseline of 100 for the Mercer Personal Safety Index: “Elsewhere in the region, Santo Domingo has the highest ranking at 92 followed by Panama City (96) and Monterrey (99). Bogota (207) in Colombia has the lowest levels of personal safety.”
www.finfacts.ie/qualityoflife.htm

Monterrey has dramatically fewer instances of kidnappings than, as well as has much lower levels of non-international drug trade related violence than, other Latin American cities.
Osac.gov article linked here.

TOWARDS CORRECTING U.S. IGNORANCE ABOUT MEXICO

The conventional wisdom on the U.S.A. side of the border is that Mexico is a third world country, with hopeless problems of crime, chronic lack of education, and crooked government. Anyone who has traveled extensively within Mexico, or has looked at actual statistics, knows these perceptions of Mexico are deeply incorrect. Mexico is a modern, growing nation with industry, free press, modern art, world class universities, and rich culture and history. MtyMx aims to encourage U.S. citizens to travel to Mexico and see Mexico for themselves.

SPOTLIGHTING U.S. TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON MEXICANS

The U.S. has strict visa restrictions in place to curtail Mexican immigration. To obtain a tourist visa for travel to the United States, a Mexican must provide proof that they have held a job consistently for 5 years, show that they own property and have maintained a stable address for 5 years. Many creative people in the U.S. or Mexico would find these requirements hard to meet. The policy effectively locks out all but the most established Mexican bands and artists from touring or showing their work in the United States – particularly playing or attending SXSW. MtyMx seeks to reverse this disenfranchisement, by bringing the best of SXSW across the border to play with bands and in front of audiences that have been effectively shut out of the party. There is valid, informed modern art and intellectual music being made in Mexico and Mexican artists deserve their place as part of the international conversation.

ORGANIZERS

TODD P
For nine years, Todd P has been booking and promoting independent all ages shows and parties in New York and other parts of the United States. He has boosted the career of dozens of bands now considered influential, while always remaining close to new projects. Todd, with his expanding team, has developed projects such as the free bi-weekly publication Showpaper, famous for enlisting dozens of other shows and promoters around the New York area every two weeks. Since 2006, Todd has curated and organized a series of alternative events to SXSW in Austin, TX at Ms. Bea’s. The documentary “Todd P Goes to Austin” narrates what happened there in 2008. His next step is, in collaboration with Yo Garage, to move these festivals and bands to Monterrey, showcasing the participation of Mexican bands and visual artists from both countries and elsewhere.
| SITE |- toddpnyc.com

YO GARAGE: DIY PARTNERS IN MONTERREY The promoting duo, Ricardo Ramírez Franco and Leila Ibarra Castro, showcase independent bands in the city of Monterrey. They have their own space called Garage where they put on shows for local acts as well as bands from other states and countries. They collaborate with the bands on recordings, tours and shows in other spaces, also provided in the DIY spirit. This year, besides organizing MtyMx Festival, have been invited to curate a Mexican showcase during SXSW 2010 in Austin.
| SITE |- enelgarage.com

GUESTS CURATORS RHINOCEROPOLIS
The MtyMx Festival is also proud to include guest curators Rhinoceropolis, one of the purest examples of a progressively curated DIY punk space based in Denver, Colorado. Rhinoceropolis hosts local art shows and promotes them with the same fervor as it does the musical acts that pass through its doors. Whatever you’re looking for, you’re guaranteed to see — or hear — something way outside the mainstream any time you visit. Noise artists, psych folk, avant-garde rock and anything else that is just too weird to fit into the universe of more conventionally minded folk finds a home at Rhinoceropolis. They have been instrumental in booking early “before they were famous” shows as well as present day major tours for acts such as Dan Deacon, HEALTH, High Places, Pictureplane and many others.
| SITE |- myspace.com/rhinoceropolis