DePedro

DePedro played Austin's SXSW Festival in 2009, and it's not hard to understand why. The project of longtime Spanish musician Jairo Zavala (3000 Hombres, La Vacazul), DePedro have more in common with American border bands like Calexico than Spanish rockers. The group's 2008 self-titled debut was mixed by Craig Schumaker (Giant Sand, Neko Case, Calexico) and shares those bands' wistful, wide-open sensibility. Zavala sings mostly in Spanish, but he's equally charming in English, and these songs have an immediate, visceral impact that transcends language.