The Story of Nosotros

Nosotros is one of the most recognizable Latin bands, in the Southwest United States. They have twice been featured on NPR’s Alt Latino, twice been named winners in the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Competition, been awarded 12 NM Music Awards and have shared the stage with some of the biggest names in music.

This 9-piece, Latin music powerhouse, seamlessly combines Latin rhythms with elements of Rock, Salsa, Jazz and Cumbia creating an original sound that is unmistakably Nosotros. But M.E. Schenck of Hyperactive Music Magazine may have interpreted their sound best by saying “Nosotros’ music is not to be explained, it is to be felt in the pit of our souls.”

Nosotros has been drawing music lovers to their music for over 20 years. What began as a guitar trio in 1994, quickly took on a life of its own and developed and grew into something that no one could have predicted.

After releasing two albums they left their hometown of Las Cruces, NM, and relocated to the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area. They continued to make a name for themselves with a near non-stop performance schedule. They teamed up with producer Chris Trujillo to release their third album self titled “Nosotros”. Chris is best known for his work with Tom Petty, The Black Crowes, Rod Stewart and Toto. The album received numerous awards from the NM Music Awards including the highly coveted “Album of the Year” and “Producer of the Year” awards. This album marked a new beginning for the band.

The band was beginning to be placed on bills with some of biggest acts in music and Latin Jazz. Most notably was an appearance at one of the world’s largest Jazz festivals, The San Jose Jazz Festival.

The band’s sound continued to evolve. They teamed up with Grammy winning engineer Doug Geist to record their 4th Album. With the release of “Llena La Alma” the band gained some national attention when their song “Hermosa” was named as a winner in the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Competition. The NM Music Awards, once again, awarded them a hand full of awards including “Best Latin Song” and “Best Arrangement”. Nosotros then made a second appearance at the San Jose Jazz Festival.

Nosotros continued to gig, tour and write material and eventually released their 5th studio album, a self-produced EP titled “Ver El Sol”. The song “Solo Un Dia” was featured on NPR’s Alt Latino and the NM Music Awards gave the song “Viboras” the “Best Latin Song” award. Soon after the release of “Ver El Sol” the band was invited to play the Telluride Jazz Festival opening for Jazz legends, Roy Hargrove and Victor Wooten.

In 2014, Nosotros celebrated 20 years as a band. To mark the milestone, Nosotros released an anthology CD simply titled, “XX”. The evolution of the band had never been more apparent than listening to this 17 track CD. The bonus song on the album was a previously unreleased song called “Aqui y Alla”, a collaboration with producer Luis Guerra.  Once again, the band found themselves on NPR’s Alt Latino when they included “Aqui Y Alla” on their show. The song also won an award for “Best Latin Song” in 2015.

2016 saw the release of their 6th studio album titled “En El Mas Alla”. The album is written and dedicated to the many people that have touched the lives of Nosotros and are no longer here on earth. The album showcased the bands complex arranging and songwriting style. The title track was named as a winner in the John Lennon songwriting contest and the album was awarded “Producer of the Year”. The merengue, rock song “Olivdarme” was also awarded “Best Latin Song”. Both awards coming from the NM Music Awards.

May 2017 marks their most recent release, a collaboration piece titled “Tumba” and was the recipient of the 2017 “Best Latin Song” award at The NM Music Awards.

Nosotros continues to perform and write music that is relevant to our ever-changing world. Through the years Nosotros has evolved, morphed and changed but one thing remains the same, their music will always be felt in the pit our souls.

Nosotros features Glenn Contreras (Lead Vocals), Carlos Fontana (Lead Vocals), Shane Derk (Guitar), Randy Sanchez (Tres, Guitar), Ziggy Garcia (Trumpet), Manuel Ramirez (Saxophone), Chadd James (Saxophone), Gilbert Uribe (Bass), Ricky Carrido (Congas), Jesse Joaquin Parker (Vibes, Percussion) and Dennis Javier Jasso (Drums).