There is a tradition in the Latin section that doesn’t exist in the rest of the store. It’s the autographed bin cards. The bin cards are the separators between the CDS, DVD, and LPS that help you find your favorite releases. When I started working at Amoeba Hollywood several years ago, there was only one autograph bin card. It was from Alex Lora from El Tri. Legend had it he came into the store before a show and some fans recognized him and started a mini-ruckus in the Latin Rock and Pop section. A former co-worker and Amoeba favorite, Joyanne Troutman, decided to get Alex to autograph the bin card. Although being mobbed, he thought it was funny to be asked to autograph his bin card, so he did. That’s how it started.

We now have over two-dozen autograph bin cards throughout the Latin section, most of them, acquired by Paul Vasquez, World Music employee since 2006. I asked him a few questions about why and how this happened.

What was the first autograph bin that you had signed?

It was Rodrigo Y Gabriela. They did an in-store performance and I thought they were so cool that I wanted an excuse to talk to them. By then we had a few autograph bins that Joyanne and other World Music employees have gotten so I told them it was a tradition, which it is now.

How do you get the autographs? Are they all from in-store performances?

Some are, but most of them come from the artists themselves shopping at the store or people they are with introduce us to them. For instance, a friend of Los Tres Reyes introduced the members to me while they were shopping at the store. I love their music but I wouldn’t have recognized them.

Was there anyone that refused to autograph the bin card?

Amoeba Hollywood World Music Top 10 For 2009

1. Zoe-Reptilectric
2. Amadou & Mariam-Welcome To Mali
3. V/A -African Scream Contest
4. Orchestre Poly Ritmo-Vol. 1- The Vodoun Effect: Funk and Sato from Benin's Obscure Label
5. Eydie Gorme Y Los Panchos-Cantan En Espanol
6. V/A-Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump
7. V/A- Vol.1-Nigeria 70
8. Rodrigo Y Gabriela -Live In Japan
9. Manu Chao-Clandestino
10. V/A- 78's From The EMI Archives: Sprigs Of Time

About some of the artists:

Zoe, a rock band from Mexico City, is on the top of Amoeba Hollywood's World Music chart for 2009. I wrote about Zoe in the beginning of this year in a blog entitled, Music Latin Music Majors Don't Want You To Hear, which was about how late in the game U.S. labels are when it comes to releasing popular Spanish rock artists domestically. To avoid being outsold by download sites, we ordered the import version of Reptilectric and sold out of all the imports we bought way before their U.S. release. Their in-store performance at the Hollywood store on 4/24 also fueled sales, far exceeding sale expectations for that evening. In short, Zoe fans came in vast numbers and Amoeba Hollywood was not fully prepared. Hey, it happens sometimes.

As the days get closer to Christmas, record labels start pushing all their potential moneymakers to the forefront. Sometimes quality releases go unnoticed in the avalanche of greatest hits and blockbuster releases. Here is a reminder of some releases that you can find in our Latin Rock & Pop section for yourself and for future gifts for Christmas.

Aterciopelados' newest release, Rio, is their most focused release since 2001's classic, Gozo Poderoso. Filled with melodic vocals and soft Latin electronica beats, Aterciopelados explores their Colombian hippie side without sounding contrived. Life and the environment are the central themes of this album that link each song with the sound of a river flowing, rio/river...get it? Click here to watch a song from their Amoeba instore.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela, the surprise Flamenco hit of 2006, return with Live In Tokyo. Fans of the brother/sister duo claim that their strength comes from their live performances, including many Amoebites who witnessed their in store performance at Amoeba Hollywood two years ago. The release includes a DVD and a few new tunes for you to play air guitar to.