Mateos to Play Fandango’s; Bailazo ’96 Lands Anthony

Argentine singer-songwriter-guitarist Miguel Mateos, one of Spanish-language rock’s frontiersmen in the United States, will perform Monday night at Orange County’s rock en espanol stronghold, J.C. Fandango’s.

With his 10th album “Pisanlov” (an amalgamated word from “peace and love”) Mateos has proven that he is still a force within the Latin rock movement he helped forge more than 20 years ago. Released last year on Nashville’s Curb Records, “Pisanlov” combines a hard, grunge-like edge reminiscent of his older albums with the softer, acoustic guitar-driven touch that pulled him into the mainstream about half a dozen albums ago.

In his early 40s, Mateos forms part of a generation of Argentine rockers who began writing and singing rock in Spanish while other contemporaries were covering the songs of English-language rock bands. In the late 1980s, Mateos was one of the first Latin rock acts to tap into the U.S. Latino market with his blend of melodic hard rock a la Bon Jovi and subtle but sometimes forceful social and moral commentary.

Miguel Mateos performs Monday at J.C. Fandango’s, 1086 N. State College Blvd., Anaheim. 8 p.m. $25. (714) 758-1057.

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Dance until the vacas come home.

Bailazo ‘96, a tropical music extravaganza with the tastiest names in salsa, merengue and cumbia, has a date at the Disneyland Hotel on Friday.

The bailazo, roughly “big dance,” features hip-hop artist-turned-salsa superstar Marc Anthony, his Puerto Rico compatriot and salsa giant Eddie Santiago, merengue-pop quartet Los Hermanos Rosario and Mexico’s salsa legends La Sonora Santanera.

Bailazo ’96 at the Disneyland Hotel, 1150 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim. 8 p.m $35; tickets available at Ritmo Latino music stores or at the door. (714) 778-6600.