LOS ANGELES, CA – May 19, 2014 – (HISPANICIZE WIRE) – Bringing a taste of old school rock ‘n’ roll to Latino children and their parents – and English speaking families, too – Parents’ Choice® Award-winning kids’ musician Riff Rockit looks ahead with excitement to the June 17 release of his first all-Spanish album, Luz Verde Vamos!
“One of Riff Rockit’s goals is to inspire kids to learn to play instruments so they, too, can experience the thrill of music performance firsthand”
Riff Rockit’s alter ego, indie musician Evan Michael, is a leukemia survivor with a great desire to help those suffering from blood cancers. Consequently, he will donate all proceeds from Luz Verde Vamos! to BeTheMatch.org, an organization whose mission is to deliver cures for blood cancers.
L.A. Parent magazine enthused, “Living up to his name, Riff Rockit rocks out impressively with big Arena Rock-like riffs.” One of Riff Rockit’s goals is to inspire kids to learn to play instruments so they, too, can experience the thrill of music performance firsthand. For Luz Verde Vamos! Riff wanted the sound of the guitar placed front and center, so naturally his guitar player had to be one of the best. Highly respected in the guitar world, Alejandro Garcia has toured with Chayanne, Julio Iglesias, and many others. Garcia’s enthusiasm for the Riff Rockit concept grew to such proportions that he served as one of the album’s two producers. The other was Bob St. John, a legendary guiding force behind numerous Latin Grammys and platinum records for the band Extreme.
Dubbed “the next big thing in children’s music!” by Parents Magazine, the persona for Riff Rockit came to life when Evan Michael was holed up in children’s hospitals as a teen fighting acute myeloid leukemia. After being initially diagnosed with the most aggressive form of the disease Michael underwent chemotherapy, only to have the leukemia return two years later, which necessitated a risky bone marrow transplant. Today he is cancer free and has set his sights on helping others suffering from blood cancers, as well as entertaining and inspiring kids and families.
“Music played a very practical part in my treatment because, during the time I was in isolation in the hospital — which was necessary for my immune system to grow stronger — I had to keep my spirits up in order to heal,” explains Michael, a Fort Lauderdale native who holds a songwriting degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston. “I spent a lot of time listening to everything from Billy Joel to Michael Jackson to Huey Lewis, and it really helped me get through a tough time. Right then I decided that my twin goals would be to pursue a music career and to help others. I started writing and playing and haven’t stopped since.”
Luz Verde Vamos! kicks off with “Rock del Alfabeto,” a rocking alphabet song that infuses the traditional 12-bar blues with more than a little shot of salsa. High energy continues with “Que Fue Eso,” a fun, quirky “noises in the neighborhood” rocker that builds on Latin pop forms dating back to Freddy Fender and Ritchie Valens. “Playa” conjures the gentle images of a trip to the beach à la Seals and Crofts, while the all-things-Hollywood California kitty cat, “Mr. Tux,” brings to mind ’80s electropop in a feline mix with ’80s rock. With a poetic crescendo from its acoustic opening, the sweet rock ballad “El Invierno” describes wintertime in accents gentle to passionate, while tropical bongos set the mode for “Buenos Modales,” a fun song that offers kids a hint to remember their manners. Luz Verde Vamos! comes to a lively conclusion with some old-time, back beat rock ‘n’ roll on “El Gusanito,” a happy sing-along song perfect for the best of times.
Celebrity Parents Magazine declared, “You’re going to LOVE Riff Rockit.” Riff Rockit’s debut recording, the self-titled Riff Rockit (2012) was honored with a Parents’ Choice® Award, a NAPPA Award, and a Mom’s Choice Award. Riff Rockit has also released two DVDs, The Power of Music and Riff Rockit: Live in Concert. Watch for Riff’s next album, If I Could Fly, in July.
Luz Verde Vamos! will be available from Riff Rockit’s website (http://www.riffrockit.com) and iTunes, and free downloads of the album will also be available — with a request for voluntary donations – at Riff’s charitable website (http://www.riffrockitcharities.com), which is dedicated to contributions to BeTheMatch.org.
For more information about Riff Rockit, to schedule an interview, or to request a review copy of Luz Verde Vamos!, please contact Elizabeth Waldman Frazier at Waldmania PR: 415-334-2787 or elizabeth@waldmaniapr.com.
Official Website: http://riffrockit.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/riff.rockit
Twitter: http://twitter.com/RiffRockit
YouTube: http://youtube.com/user/RiffRockitMusic
