Rensselaer, NY, Jul 02, 2010 — It still hasn't cracked the pop charts, but Latin Alternative music is getting big in the U.S. Supergroups like Ozomatli and Manu Chao are selling out huge shows. And the music has hit its creative stride, fusing traditional latin rhythms with everything from hip hop and indy rock to punk and blues. Upstate New York native Josh Norek has been at the center of it all. Norek grew up in Albany. He now runs Nacional Records, which is releasing albums from the genre's biggest names. He founded the Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York City, which draws thousands to concerts and workshops. And he now hosts a nationally syndicated radio program called the Latin Alternative. You can hear it on North Country Public Radio Friday nights at 10. David Sommerstein asked Josh Norek how he got interested in latin music as an Upstate New Yorker.