- how did you get to play together? Well, Berto Ramon came together about three years ago. Esteban Shedd approached me (Loren LaLuz) one afternoon and told me he had an idea of mixing live Hip-Hop with Latin Jazz and wanted to create this new style of music. I told him I would go and look for some musicians and together we formed an eight piece live hip-hop band what is known as Berto Ramon. About a year after, Aaron Lopez (The DJ) and Just J (Vocalist) joined the group and that is how we formed as 10 strong members! Most of us knew each other from local churches and neighborhoods and all came together to form a sound like you''ve never heard. - how and why you decided to take part in Emergenza? Well, there were a lot of people telling us through myspace about a band competition called Emergenza, when finally we received our own invitation. After reading the post, I thought it was a great opportunity for the band since we were starting to build a buzz in the city. We felt like it would be a great opportunity to broadcast the talent of the group. We were also looking forward to perform at some of Chicago''s finest venues. - what the Emergenza experience means for you, and for your local up and coming music scene? The Emergenza experience was amazing, I can honestly say that some of our best shows have been through Emergenza competition. Also, to see the fans come out and support the group meant a lot. It shows how much the fans mean to any group. We appreciate the opportunity that the competition allowed for us to play at such places as the Double Door and the Metro and we look forward to going to Germany. This completion also pushed local artist to pursue their long life dream. It gives them motivation to get out their and promote their music and it also provides them the venues that rock star legends have performed at. I believe this competition is great for unknown local talent in the city of Chicago. - Did you expect to win the national final? Yes, in a humble way. The band was pretty confident in reaching the finals at the Metro. There was no doubt in my mind that we would get there. We knew we had the fan base and as every show went on the more our crowd grew and the more the people were impressed. - How do you feel about the Grand Final? Wow, the first word that comes to mind is excited. We have an opportunity to showcase our music to thousands of people and we know its not a coincidence that we''re going. We know we''re meant to be on this trip and we look to make an impact at the Finals. - how would you describe your music? Our music is an out flowing of our diverse heritage being majority Latinos (9/10) and having grown up in Chicago. It is a vibrant street corner put to music. It is definitely Hip Hop B-Boy Culture- fresh in comparison to the stagnant sound of America’s Top 40 while being mixed with a genuine Latin jazz feel. It is the soundtrack to the diverse neighborhoods of Chicago that raised us, backed by a blunt message of truth. With that you might find a aggressive rock feel to express the frustration of social ills or a smooth melodic violin driven track to story tell the tragedy of lost hope among those raised among desperate circumstances. Overall, it is unique and calls ALL people and nations to groove and confront life’s issues. We guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. - what about your relationship with your fans? Do you think their number has grown up since you have played in Emergenza? We totally gained some fans through the completion. After every show we sold many CD''s, got many friend request and messages on Myspace. We would have a ton of people come up to us and tell us they''ve never heard anything like Berto Ramon. We appreciate our fans so much, they have been their supporting since the beginning and they are much as a part of this. - More projects for the future? Yes, we''re looking to record a second album soon and book<