BRYAN VARGAS & ¡YA ESTÁ!

BRYAN VARGAS & ¡YA ESTÁ! invoke the spirits with the rumble of drums and the screams of distorted guitars. Rumba, Mambo and Son get electrified into a new school Latino groove. This band creates some serious party music, all while giving props to the Orishas. Playing a unique style of music they simply call "Afro Latino Soul", you can forget the pop stars, this is the REAL Latin music revolution.

NY Newsday - "...if you believe that great music begins at a popular level, then you should listen to Bryan Vargas & Ya Esta."

Time Out New York - * Recommended - "Vargas offers a homegrown version of latino alternative music: Cuban son goes up against funk and bebop."

Un Chin Magazine - "...(Ya Esta's music) brought me back to my naked pagan roots."

BUY OUR CD RIGHT NOW FROM CDBABY.COM

Check out Ya Esta at myspace.com/yaesta.

Latest News:

* 4/11/08 - WE'RE BACK!! New shows! Come on out to Drom on April 18th!

* 11/13/07 - Hey Folks! We know we've been ignoring this site lately.... sorry! We've just been busy with other projects for a minute. But we're happy to announce our next show! Wed. Nov 21st at Joe's Pub! It's a pre-Thanksgiving Day celebration! This may be our LAST SHOW OF 2007!!! So please c'mon out and party with us!

* 8/10/07 - Hey folks, some bad news. Our concert tonight in Bay Shore Long Island has been cancelled due to poor weather. Sorry! We'll let you know if it gets rescheduled. Thanks.

* 5/3/07 - Hey folks! We're going to Germany! Our first ever European tour! Check the SHOWS page for details.

* 2/16/07 - LOTS OF NEW SHOWS ANNOUNCED!! And more are coming. Check out the SHOWS page for info, and go to our MYSPACE page for the latest updates.

* 12/21/06 - LAST TWO SHOWS OF THE YEAR! -Hey folks, it's your official last chance to see us in 2006! 1st off, this Friday, 12/15 we'll be at the amazing Park Slope theatre THE BROOKLYN LYCEUM, playing a full set. Then on Wed Dec 27th, we'll be appearing at the RAZA party at CIELO. More details to come....

* 10/26/06 - NEW NYC SHOWS ANNOUNCED!! - Lots of folks have been asking us, "when is the next local Ya Esta show?" - Well here it is folks - Nov 4th at Rose in Williamsburg and Nov 22nd at Joe's Pub. Check the SHOWS page for more info.

* 9/2/06 - Ya Esta goes international!! Yes folks our 1st ever Canadaian tour is almost here and we couldn't be more excited. We're be making just two stops - yep, it's a short one this time out. But we're expecting these concerts to be off the hook!! So if you're in Guelph on Sept 13th, come down to E-bar. And if you're in Toronto on the 14th or 15th - get yourself to Lula Lounge!! Special guests include: Sundar Vsiwanathan, High Plains Drifter & DJ Gury Gury! And if you have any friends in the Toronto/Guelph area, please forward them our information! And for christsakes - somebody invite the guys from RUSH!

* 6/3/06 - Hey folks - our Princeton show was cancelled due to the rain. BUT WE HAVE BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW AFTERNOON!!! Same details, different day. Check the SHOWS page for more details.

* 12/11/05 - HUGE SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT. Mofongo Music & Media se presenta:
The Official Ya Esta Pre-New Year's Celebration!!
Triple Bill featuring : YA ESTA (of course...) at 9:30, JAY RODRIGUEZ & THE LATIN ALL-STARS (feat. members of Groove Collective) at 10:30, A MASSIVE JAM SESSION with JAY & YA ESTA at Midnight, plus DJ JEANNIE HOPPER (of Liquid Sound Lounge) spinning inbetween sets and until the break of dawn. PLUS... more special guests to be announced. All of this at NYC's best intimate club Joe's Pub. This is a HUGE night for us, not only is it the return of the YE Pre-New Year's bash, but it's a great bill with our buddy Jay Rodriguez. We programmed the night (Bryan & Jay) - this is all stuff that WE enjoy and we're presenting it for y'all. BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE!!This show WILL sell out. Thurs Dec 29th at Joe's Pub starting at 9:30 sharp.

* 12/2/05 - Hey folks we're on My Space now. Come check us out... be our friend... everyone's doing it...

* 8/17/05 - Check out page 65 of this month's Batanga Magazine for a GREAT Ya Esta review. 4 1/2 Stars!! Reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee is on the cover.

* 8/17/05 - Big Ups & Mad Love to everyone at Floyd Fest in Floyd Virginia and to all at Bethlehem Musikfest in Pennsylvania!!! Thank you so much for welcoming us and making us feel loved. We hope to see you next year. If you liked what you hear go to the festival websites and email them demanding our return!!

*6/1/05 - Hey check out this FREE track. It's alive recording of Matt H. & Bryan playing duo on WNYU. Vamonos Pal Monte Unplugged. Thanks to Charlie Bethel at WNYU!

*6/1/05 - Two great new reviews! Check out Indie-Music.com - "...one of the most creative and well-executed independent albums I have ever heard." - & the June/July issue of Dirty Linen Magazine - "Fresh, inventive and energetic, this is recommended for anyone who wants to hear where urban sounds are headed.".

*4/15/05 - Check us out in this month's Un Chin Magazine!

*3/23/05 - Check out this great new review in Cuerpo Magazine !

*3/21/05 - AFRO LATINO SOUL now available in New Orleans, LA. Musica Latina is carrying our disc at both of their locations. Call 504/895-4227 for more info.

* 2/23/05 - AFRO LATINO SOUL now available at Tower Records, Lincoln Center.

* 2/21/05 - More tragedies... we have lost Pancho Quinto, the godfather of the tambor. Easily the most important drummer in our music of the 20th Century. Also, gonzo journalist & hero of the counter-culture Hunter S. Thompson has passed. Rest In Peace to you both.

* 2/10/05 - Rest In Peace: jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Cuban Apkwon Lazaro Ros. Two of our biggest heroes & influences. Also rest in peace to Johnny Carson & actor/civil rights leader/Guerreuo Africano-Americano Ozzie Davis.

* 2/7/05 - Another Top 10 World Music of 2004 - WNYU. Thanks guys!

* 2/7/05 - Sorry folks, had to take down the guestbook, too much spam getting on there. But thanks to all who signed it!

* 1/13/05 - Happy New Year folks! We are proud to announce that Afro Latino Soul has made a few top ten lists:

WBEZ Chicago - Top Ten World Music (Chris Heim)
WFMU Jersey City - Top Ten World Music (Rob Weisberg)
WGMC Rochester, NY - Top Ten Latin Jazz (Javier Rivera)

Thanks for the support!

Upcoming Shows/Events:

* April 18th - DROM, NYC, NY
* May 9th - CAMARADAS, NYC, NY

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