World Music with Deirdre Saravia

Clément, the lead singer of Paris-based French band Alba Lua, still calls Bordeaux his hometown and loves to talk about life in southwest France. Though they are proudly French, the name of the band is actually a mixture of Spanish and Portugese.

"Alba is the dawn (in Spanish), and Lua is the moon in Portugese... I like the association of the two words and sometimes you can see the moon in the daylight and it has always been beautiful to me."

Iceland's Ásgeir Trausti has taken the music charts in his native country by storm since his debut album, "Dyrd I Daudathogn," came out in September of last year. The presale of his album broke records on Icelandicmusic.com, reached gold sales in six weeks and has since gone platinum.

While some of the musical backing in his songs may sound familiar, the vocal stylings in his native Icelandic make the vocal feel more like a participating instrument than a means to deliver the lyrics.

With undisputable pop leanings and an ear for a sweet vocal melody, Diego Peralta is one of the leading independent voices on the Chilean music scene in his hometown of Valparaiso.

Diego was one of only a few musicians representing Chile at this year's South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW), and this was his first time in the United States.

Lisa LeBlanc's musical idols are from the world of classic rock and metal. They're big rock stars with charisma, many of them men. Her approach to folk music is bold and confrontational, a style that she has deemed "folk trash."

Bajofondo started as a loose collective of musicians from Argentina and Uruguay, but over time formed a solid core of players that have since become a cohesive band. Their latest release, "Presente," consists of twenty one tracks and has a massive sound.

For this CD the group augmented their sound with an enormous orchestral section, giving each of their songs a full and well-rounded sound.

Each week on World Music (Saturday nights from 8-10 on KSTX 89.1 FM), I take a look at celebrations happening around the world. This weekend, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated not just in Ireland, but now around the world. 

Each week on World Music (Saturday nights from 8-10 on KSTX 89.1 FM), I take a look at festivals happening around the world along with the music of the cultures they represent. This week, we’re ridding the land of evil spirits in Japan, and celebrating St. Joseph in Spain.  

LAS FALLAS