A splash on the street

If you can stop dancing long enough to listen to the festive, provocative rhythms of Los Pinguos, you might hear a little salsa or a bit of cumbia, a flamenco riff here, a reggae beat there. You might even catch a samba note in the mix topped by a little rock. You just won't be able to pinpoint a musical category.

"These guys are the South American version of the Beatles," says die-hard Third Street Promenade fan Saul Vesecky, known as "Mr. Vengo" for the poster he carries naming his favorite Los Pinguos single, "Vengo." "They're like the Gipsy Kings!" says another spectator who would rather not give his name on this sunny Saturday afternoon. "Hmm, not exactly. The Latin Gipsy Kings? Can we say that?"

Sure, you could. But it would never cover the breadth of the band's work because this eclectic Argentine group of primarily acoustic musicians and singers is not a typical Latin band or a traditional flamenco ensemble; neither folksy nor fusion. They are all of that.

"We like to describe them as a hot Argentine folk groove band," says Carlos Nino, a manager at Temple Bar in Santa Monica, where the band has a monthly gig. "It's not 100% traditional, but it's more traditional than a fusion band. Their scene is a vibrant, sophisticated crowd but not chichi, Conga Room lame. It's more vibey." And highly popular.

Only in Los Angeles for two years, Los Pinguos (a derivative of "penguins," the band invented the word, unaware that it can be a vulgar word in other Latin American countries) are on the local music scene's fast track, playing gigs at the Latin Lounge, the Key Club, the Knitting Factory Hollywood, Temple Bar, King King, Studio 7 and Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

Last year, Los Pinguos was the champion of Ed McMahon's "Next Big Star" talent competition, and the band's two independently recorded albums have sold a total of 12,000 copies.

"For an independent group that arrived here with nothing but our dreams, it has worked out pretty well for us," says bass guitarist Enzo Buono, 33. "The five of us had to settle down in L.A. and look for places to play our music, but we've been able to always live off our own songs. Of course, there's a lot more we want to do now."

The five Buenos Aires natives formed the group in Argentina four years ago, after years of studying music and playing in different bands. Chasing their dream to become international musical stars, this summer Los Pinguos -- twin brothers Enzo and Adrian Buono, Jose Agote, Juan Manuel Leguizamon and Juan Manzur -- will release its third independently produced and distributed album, "Serenata."