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Smithers, British Columbia, isn't a typical Latin music hub, but Cuban-born singer-songwriter Alexis Puentes has always done things his way.
The artist, who lives in Canada, started his own label, Caracol, to release albums that don't fit into the tropical salsa mold one might expect based on his performance moniker, Alex Cuba. But staying true to his Spanish-language folk-funk-rock hybrid has paid off, with his first two albums winning Juno Awards (Canada's version of the Grammys).
Cuba -- who has co-writing credits and featured vocals on fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado's new Spanish album, "Mi Plan" -- opened for Colombian indie favorite Aterciopelados on its spring U.S. tour this year. This fall, he'll engage in a full-court stateside press.
He has a packed schedule of club and festival dates before and after the September 22 re-release of his last album, 2007's "Agua Del Pozo," with new tracks on iTunes. A physical run of 10,000 to 12,000 copies through a deal with EMI/Caroline will accompany the digital release. And in an unusual approach for a Latin alternative artist, Cuba's single "Si Pero No" is being promoted to college radio, bilingual entertainment channels mun2 and MTV Tr3s and commercial Latin radio stations.
"I have a mission to change people's minds about what Cuban music is," says Cuba, who also has his own "Live From SoHo" EP on iTunes. "They think they'll see a show with a 16-piece band with lots of horns. I do my show with a trio and we blow everyone away. I feel that doing more with less is very powerful."
Cuba is playing small venues in the United States, like Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin, the Mint in Los Angeles and Highline Ballroom in New York, before returning to Canada for a long stretch of shows at performing arts centers and theaters through the spring. Meanwhile, he's finishing his self-titled third album, out October 27 in Canada on Caracol/EMI and slated for a U.S. release in the spring.
"Alex Cuba" shows his breadth as a musician and songwriter, with touches of Afrobeat, meditative lullabies and a track in English (the acoustic disco track "If You Give Me Love"). There's also "Caballo," an uptempo jazz-funk blend; "Tierra Colora," a brisk psychedelic groove; and "En El Cielo," which sounds like a ska rhythm with coolly romantic salsa vocals.
For his part, Cuba -- who picked up the bass when he was 14 and grew up on the island nation fascinated by American acts like Michael Jackson and Kool & the Gang -- says it has been gratifying to see people in the audience at his shows who are familiar with his music. "It's been fun coming into my own and seeing people appreciate that."
Jackson tomb remains a mystery at LA-area cemeteryAP,
The massive marble and concrete Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park was slightly accessible by the public before Michael Jackson was entombed somewhere in its maze of floors and hallways.
Tell the entrance guard you were there to see the "Last Supper" stained-glass window show, and you were allowed to roam a portion of the catacombs for about 10 minutes before anyone hassled you.
But those open sections are only a fraction of the sprawling building that rises many stories and plunges deep underground.
So wherein lies the King of Pop in the monolith? That may be a secret for the ages.
On Friday, a tourist family asked a guard whether the superstar's tomb was private. The guard said it was.
"Private ... forever?" one of them asked.
"Private forever." he said.
No fans, no paparazzi, and so far no one trying too hard to steal a glimpse of the vault containing Jackson's golden casket.
The exact location may forever remain unknown to all but a select few: A guest who attended the Jackson ceremony told The Associated Press the casket had not been put into the vault by the time mourners left.
The guest spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the day.
Under Friday's hot midday sun, a woman with a camera was denied entry to the mausoleum. Guards shooed away a radio reporter who tried to go inside then began interviewing people outside.
The funeral began Thursday night nearly two hours after its scheduled 7 p.m. time. Some 200 mourners, including 77-year-old Elizabeth Taylor and other celebrities associated with Jackson, showed up promptly, only to wait at the outdoor seating area, under a withering late-summer sun that pushed temperatures to 90 degrees even as it was going down.
The ceremony began with remarks and song after the family arrived to fill the front five rows of white folding chairs.
Mourners then followed Jackson's brothers as they carried the casket into the mausoleum. The singer's daughter, 11-year-old Paris, cried and was comforted by her aunt, LaToya.
Paris and brothers Prince Michael, 12, and Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket, began the service by placing a bejeweled crown on their father's casket. They were composed through most of the 90-minute ceremony, the guest said.
Once inside, Gladys Knight performed the hymn "Our Father" (The Lord's Prayer) and moved many to tears, according to the guest. When it was over, many of the 200 mourners hugged each other. Among them were Taylor, Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, Barry Bonds and Macaulay Culkin.
As it ended, Katherine Jackson appeared extremely weary and had to be helped to her car, according to the guest. Earlier, she had a difficult time going into the mausoleum; she was overcome and turned back, making it unclear if she went in at all, the guest said.
More than 400 media credentials were issued to reporters and film crews who were kept behind barricades. The few clusters of fans who gathered around the secure perimeter encircling the cemetery entrance struggled to see.
Glendale police said all went smoothly and there were no arrests.
Jackson will share eternity at Forest Lawn with the likes of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and W.C. Fields, entombed alongside them in the Great Mausoleum. The level of security and secrecy about the location of Jackson's vault all but guaranteed it won't be turned into a shrine or tourist stop.
The entombment also ends months of speculation that the singer's body would be buried at Neverland Ranch, in part to make the property a Graceland-style attraction.
The King of Pop died a drug-induced death June 25 at age 50 as he was about to embark on a comeback attempt. The coroner's office has labeled the death a homicide, and Jackson's death certificate lists "injection by another" as the cause.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, told detectives he gave the singer a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic propofol to help him sleep. Prosecutors are still investigating, and no charges have been filed.
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Associated Press Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch and AP Writers Derrik J. Lang, Sue Manning, Sandy Cohen,Latina Effylo and Ryan Pearson contributed to this report.
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