deSoL is a brotherhood whose music mixes melodic rock hooks with fiery Latin rhythms sung in English, Spanish & "Spanglish." The result is a musical stew where the individual styles of the seven musicians combine to create a sound that is both fresh and familiar.
The band formed 6 years ago when lead singer Albie Monterrosa had the dream of blending the music of his Latin American heritage with the Rock & Roll he loved growing up in New York City. He recruited a multi-cultural group of musicians who all shared his vision of creating this "mezcla" or mix, of old and new. Some of the players are first generation Latinos. The others, with diverse backgrounds, share a love of Rock, Pop and Latin music.
The band honed their style by learning traditional songs from such artists as Fania All Stars, Ruben Blades, Buena Vista Social Club, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz as well as more contemporary artists Santana, Los Lobos, Rolling Stones and Paul Simon. They then mixed these styles and rhythms with Albie's original songs to create the deSoL sound and continued to tighten their act by performing constantly.
In 2005 their first single "Karma" rose to #5 on the AAA radio format. Since then, deSoL's vibrant and energetic live show has been pivotal in seeing the band earn praise in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and New York Post. The band has been featured on the globally syndicated World Cafe radio show, performed at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits and opened for R.E.M., The Legendary Wailers, Los Lonely Boys, Blues Traveler, Particle and Widespread Panic on several cross-country tours.