Rockeras Sin Fronteras

Loving Lupe (Fiasco)

2012-01-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

Spending the holidays with my nephews meant I also got to spend some qt with Lupe.

Here’s a great fan video for “And He Gets the Girl”

Music for the (little) people

2011-12-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

Since moving to New York I have been on the hunt for music shows to take my kid too. Carnegie Hall has some wonderful acts, but it’s not exactly an appropriate atmosphere for an active two and a half year old. Then there's the language dilemma. Finding good kids’ music is tough, and finding it in Spanish is even tougher.

One day I picked up a flyer at the public library announcing “Fati & Charles: Enjoy kids music from Latin America.” The design was was simple: all text, no image. With an introduction like that it was going to be pretty hit or miss. However, we didn’t have anything else to do that Friday, so Nayáhuari and I headed out in the rain and arrived a few minutes late only to find our humble neighborhood library transformed something like a kids rock arena. Upstairs in the only open space in the tiny building around 30 Jewish and Chinese kids were jumping and singing at the top of their lungs – in Spanish.

Fati and Charles performing in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

A Fati and Charles show lasts about an hour and consists of the pair teaching movements to accompany their original songs. During the show the kids dance with hats on their heads and with huge animal shaped sponges in their hands. They throw the props up in the air and then pick them up again, singing “equipo chócalo cinco” and giving high-fives all around. They even stage a protest with picket signs expressing their desire to do it "SOLO." This video does not at all do justice to the infectious collective energy of their live shows (and it's missing the picket signs) but it is one of Nayáhuari’s favorite tracks from their album El Baile del Sombrero.

Fati & Charles wrote a grant to do a series of shows in the public libraries. None of this capitalizing on the wealthy New Yorker market and offering music in Spanish for tots at $300 per semester in rich white neighborhoods. No. Fati & Charles play in the festivals & library circuit—open, public spaces. And as long as they are doing that, their music remains accessible to the little people, which is exactly how music should be.

Amor y Música

2011-12-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

Mothering with songs of protest

Ever since I had a child, my daughter has become the calibrator for my interaction with music. Not only have I become a homebody, missing show after fabulous show (Bunbury, Calamaro, Enanitos + Hombres G! Ouch!), I would rather give in to listening to the music she wants than contend with her toddler stubbornness/potential tantrums just to listen to HDS Would Tour 2007 for the three millionth time, let alone listen to a new recording that I may or may not even like.

Before she could talk, Nayáhuari indicated if she wanted more of something with an inflected “Mmm?” She used it for everything – tortillas, games, and of course music. She could nominate songs for our “Rolas Favoritas de la Chunk” playlist by simply giving the “Mmm?” seal of approval when a song ended. However, if she said this in the middle of a song, it was her cue that track didn’t make the cut, and I had to hit the fwd button to keep her from going into an “Mmm? Mmm? MMMMM!” rampage.

Early on I was looking for songs in Spanish she might like. De Colores seemed to be a hit when I sang it to her, so I dug up the old Joan Baez recording of it that another hippie Chicana—my mom—used to listen to on her Gracias a La Vida LP. Baez’s arrangement got an instant “Mmm?” seal of approval from Nayáhuari and was soon transferred to our “Favoritas” playlist. One day, in an attempt to expand my child’s repertoire, I let the Gracias a La Vida album play in its entirety. Most songs were met with an instant “Mmm?”, indicating that my toddler was not interested in letting the particular track finish. But towards the end of the album, my then one and half year old child let this song go on uninterrupted.

It seems appropriate that my child would bring me back to the songs of my own childhood. This album, which preceded Linda Ronstadt’s Canciones de Mi Padre by ten years, was Baez’s tribute to her Latino roots and among my earliest exposure to the protest music of the era. Joan Baez recorded this album for the people of Chile, then living under Pinochet’s ruthless dictatorship, and I remember the distinct feelings of hope and freedom it inspired in me, even at the tender ages of 3, 4, 5, and 6 years old, which were the years when we still had an LP player in our living room, and the scratchy note songs like Gracias a La Vida, Cucurúcucu Paloma, Te Recuerdo Amanda, and De Colores left their stamp in my mind and my imagination. Maybe it was the image of Joan raising a hand towards the heavens framed by the bright purple of album’ cover. Whatever the inspiration, the seeds to my future activism were there, in the music that moved me even before I could understand the words (I grew up speaking English and didn’t become bilingual until much later in life).

These days, Nayáhuari knows the words to De Colores. She has a blast imitating Magaby’s Pequeños Gigantes performance of Cucurúcucu Paloma, and she still wants to hear Las Madres Cansadas twenty times in a row. My hope is that these songs will also make a place for themselves in her heart and in her mind and that their presence in her life will guide her—on whatever path she chooses—to walk with a passion for justice, with optimism, and with hope.

For lyrics to the English version Las Madres Cansadas, see:
http://www.joanbaez.com/Lyrics/wearymothers.html

naco es chido : psa

2011-07-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

oh my god, you guys, i didn't know mexicans have mockumentaries too! ja!

naco es chido : sergio arau

see it next month at artist television access in sf on wednesday, august 31 @ 7pm :) i have just watched the trailer 3 times.

facundo cabral

2011-07-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

i was so sorry to wake up to this news today, and can still hardly believe this happened to one of our most beloved viejito folk singers...

facundo cabral was assassinated in guatemala city early this morning.

everything is too quiet now.

no soy de aquí, ni soy de allá : facundo cabral

**

yo bailo con mi canción
y no con la que me tocan,
yo no soy la libertad,
pero si el que la provoca.

si ya conozco el camino
para que voy a andar acostado,
si la libertad me gusta
para que voy a vivir de esclavo

...

i dance to my own song
not the one they play for me
i am not freedom
but i am he who incites her

if i know the way already

why would i go lying down?
if i love freedom
why would i live as a slave?

**

:( que descanses en paz, facundo cabral...

the revolution will be live

2011-05-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

the revolution will be no re-run, brothers.

the revolution will be live.

thank you.

and que descanses en paz, gil scott-heron.

we almost lost detroit : gil scott heron

april 1, 1949 – may 27, 2011

el profeta

2011-04-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

luís sent me all these rockdrigo links recently, and an email that said: i consider him a working class revolutionary poet who really connects with the people...

i agree! and i'm surprised the beloved df roquero (epd) has not made an appearance here until now. oops! pues, better late than never.

i especially love this one, so mexico city ...

rockdrigo gonzález : balada del asalariado (ballad of the working man)

me asome a la ventana
y vi venir al cartero
me entretuve pensando
en una carta de amor.
mas no, no, no...
eran la cuenta del refri
y del televisor

...

me asome a mis adentros
solo vi viejos cuentos,
y una manera insolita
de sobrevivir
mire hacia todos lados
dije: dios que ha pasado?
nada muchacho
solo eres un asalariado

and this one, metro balderas. of course, performed in the estación balderas. classic.

you should check out the comments to his songs on youtube, so much love for this guy. mixed with sentimental laments about his death. mixed with complaints that the rocanrol of today isn't. so great, and really only he could elicit all that.

¡que viva rockrigo! thank you, luís!

mantenlo prendido

2011-04-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

oh man, the bomba estereo show at the independent tonight is sold out! i'm supposed to go for a birthday present :) i hope we get in!!

last time i saw colombianos perform at the independent was a couple years ago at the aterciopelados show in april 09. and i remember i got into it with this guy from barranquilla. he came up next to me, and wanted to talk. about colombia. had i ever been, do i know barranquilla, bla bla bla. he was telling me how beautiful it is, his country. and how safe for visitors now. i must of looked at him like he was insane when he said that. excellent, i said. safe for tourists, but one of the most dangerous places on earth if you're a trade unionist.

and then i told him, i know it's beautiful. my colombian friend spoke to me often about exactly that, how very very very beautiful it is. how he missed it every day, how more than anything he longed to go back. the guy looked confused and concerned. he was exiled, i said. pause, more confusion / concern. because he was a militant in the armed struggle. his eyes opened wide and that was the end of the conversation.

incidentally, i'm an aries, born in the year of the dragon, specifically the year of FIRE dragon. can you get more FUEGO than that? i don't think so.

fuego : bomba estereo

bajo control obrero

2011-03-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

brother,
dime que camino estamos tomando 
vete preparando
 ya está comenzando

: karamelo santo, haciendo bulla

**

welcome to the reclaimed hotel bauen, buenos aires, argentina. bajo control obrero/under worker control :)

right now they are getting ready for

¡¡festi-bauen!!
@ 5pm : 28 march 2011
plaza de los dos congresos
buenos aires, argentina

featuring dub-cumbia-ska-roqueros karamelo santo and also expropriados, the hotel workers' band (nice band name!). i want to go! but i am here ;( if you are there, this is for you...

¡¡expropriación YA!!

**

the argentine military coup happened almost exactly 35 years ago, at dawn on march 24th 1976.

this clip is set to haciendo bulla (making noise) by karamelo santo. on the anniversary of the coup, let's have some tribute to many years of heroic argentine popular struggle... brought to you by the madres, abuelas, hijos, piqueteros, & obreros, aka the people of argentina!

¡¡¡todo el poder al pueblo!!!

what makes a movement?

2011-03-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

and how does a movement move?...

the left forum (artist formerly known as the socialist scholars' conference) takes place in nyc starting tomorrow...

left forum 2011
the new solidarity

march 18th - 20th

pace university

new york

**

without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement.

: lenin

we sayin' something like this—we saying that theory's cool, but theory with no practice ain't shit.

: fred hampton jr.

maraming salamat to sergio :)

we dont need no occupation

2011-03-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

roger waters, of pink floyd, in the guardian:

In 1980, a song I wrote, Another Brick in the Wall Part 2, was banned by the government of South Africa because it was being used by black South African children to advocate their right to equal education. That apartheid government imposed a cultural blockade, so to speak, on certain songs, including mine.

Twenty-five years later, in 2005, Palestinian children participating in a West Bank festival used the song to protest against Israel's wall around the West Bank. They sang: "We don't need no occupation! We don't need no racist wall!"

...

Artists were right to refuse to play in South Africa's Sun City resort until apartheid fell and white people and black people enjoyed equal rights. And we are right to refuse to play in Israel until the day comes – and it surely will come – when the wall of occupation falls ...

**

palestine will be free : maher zain

admittedly, islamic r&b is not my most favorite style. but what a beautifully animated video, no? and what beautiful sentiments. ¡¡palestina sera libré!!

prince was here

2011-03-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

you can be the president
i’d rather be the pope

you can be the side effect
i’d rather be the dope

why don’t pop songs have lyrics like that anymore?

**

prince was here a couple weeks ago, and left all this prince-dust floating around in his wake. i heard lots of gushing testimony about his shows (including a guest appearance by sheila e singing glamorous life?! wow). and then i was walking along broadway and this car drove up and stopped at the light, playing prince on the stereo oakland-style at high volume like a public service.

i wanna be your

the car drove off but this lady walking next to me took up right where he left off...

lover

was great. thanks, prince. thanks, prince fanáticas!

i grew up listening to prince, in part because my teenage cousin was super obsessed. i remember her car ceiling was full of tiny prince pins and her part of the bedroom wall she shared with her sister was full of half-naked prince pictures. at family weddings we would always bother the dj until he relented to play little red corvette. it was always the same. we would keep asking at regular intervals. he would finally play it, and the kids would run to take over the dance floor while the adults sat this one out waiting for the rancheras or whatever to resume.

**

i could never take the place of your man : prince

i'm going leaving you with this, from his recent show at the oakland coliseum. can i just say this man is 52 years old?

thank you, amy :)

wow, nice work defaming the memory of sandino,

2011-02-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

ortega.

on the anniversary of augusto sandino's death, daniel ortega, sinverguenza former revolutionary leader and current president of nicaragua, mentioned he has been talking a lot these days to his murderous lunatic friend, muammar gaddafi:

Daniel Ortega says he has telephoned Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to express his solidarity. Ortega says he has called several times this week because Gadhafi "is again waging a great battle" to defend the unity of his nation.

: washington post

i actually didn't think it was possible for ortega to be any more of an asshole than he was already. i suppose i was wrong. i mean, he sold out the people of nicaragua a long time ago and hasn't looked back since, but still. how are you going to express solidarity with a dictator's massacre of democracy demonstrators? vete al infierno, señor ortega and take your friend with you.

since ortega decided to utter this mierda in a sandino commemoration, let me also take this moment to reclaim a bit of sandino's honorable legacy, which certainly belongs to the incredibly heroic popular forces in libya trying to bring down a tyrant, and not to that tyrant and his friends...

nosotros iremos hacia el sol de la libertad o hacia la muerte

y si morimos, nuestra causa seguirá viviendo, otros nos seguirán

we will go towards the sun of freedom or until death

and if we die, our cause continues living, because others after us will follow

: augusto césar sandino

all power to the people! abajo gadafi!! ¡¡¡que viva que viva que viva libia!!!

imperialists ruin everything

2011-02-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

an understatement, of course... but this is so yuck! a tiny spy drone in the form of a fake hummingbird...

**

so, in honor of the chuparosas de verdad, and the anti-imperialists everywhere, here are some sweet lines from neruda’s oda al picaflor:

oh
mínimo
relámpago
viviente,
cuando se
sostiene
en el aire
tu
estructura
de polen,
pluma
o brasa,
te pregunto,
¿qué cosa eres,
en dónde
te originas?

**

and silvio’s version of colibrí y la flor. he explains in the introduction that this is the song his mother would sing as a lullaby, and he believes this is the song from which all his other songs come...

and for good measure here also is duo guardabarranco's colibrí...

¡a la chingada with mechanical counter-insurgency animals of any kind!

a la revolución en egipto... a valentine

2011-02-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

dime si te causo una revolución,
dime si te hago cambiar tu canción,
dime si te hago suspirar,
dime si te haré volver a empezar...

**

querido pueblo egipcio:

we love you for reminding us of what millions of people & a burning desire for freedom and justice can do. we love you for your most beautiful victory against a most ugly u.s. client state regime. we love you because even though bringing down the dictator is not the same thing as dismantling the dictatorship, we know that you are just getting started!

تحيا مصر! ¡que viva egipto!

♥ ♥ ♥

**

friday was such the happiest day in recent memory, no? even all the way over here. i had a difficult time believing it was true at first, then all of a sudden there were all these text messages & emails, so many notes from friends & camarads who were 1. dancing or 2. in tears or 3. both. when i finally tore myself away from al-jazeera english (and live broadcasted scenes of the biggest street party ever in the history of the world), i set out for work in downtown oakland. i stopped downstairs in our building for some caffeine, and the palestinian owner greeted me, smiling, did you hear? he said an egyptian women had just come in and bought 12 dozen cookies for the entire floor of her office building to celebrate. a few minutes later my mom, who had emailed recently to say that the egyptians & their revolution were in her prayers, texted me: yay egyptians! god bless them!!!

for reals.

**

love songs for the revolution...

#Jan25 Egypt : Omar Offendum, The Narcicyst, Freeway, Ayah, & Amir Sulaiman

‪Long Live Egypt ‬: Scarabeuz & Omima

The Sound of Freedom‬ : ‪Amir Eid & Hany Adel ‬

Egypt: Rise to Freedom : Basha Beats & Natacha Atlas‬

Back Down Mubarak : Master Mimz

Ezzai : Mohamed Mounir

**

adelante, egipto & tunez!! let's go algeria, yemen, jordan!

adelante, compañer@s

2011-01-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

go, egypt, go!!!!!!!!!!!!

hasta

la victoria

siempre

**

protest tomorrow !!
saturday, january 29th : 12-3pm
market & montgomery : san francisco
solidarity now with the people of egypt & tunisia !!!!!

hella ♥ oakland

2010-12-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

ooohhh! so cute!! that's what i have to say about this love letter to oakland, a re-make of jay-z's empire state of mind. really, why have an empire state of mind? much better to have an oakland state of mind.

oakland state of mind : youth roots

the lyrics pay tribute to the flatland neighborhoods and legacy of movement & struggle that lives there still. and for those taking notes there are a few historic black panther party sites shown in that video, alameda county courthouse, defremery park, etc. know your history! those young people do.

one fist in the air for the town ya'll
everybody come together time to stand tall
no place in the world that can compare,
put ya fist up in the air, everybody say yeah

oakland

Amor en la Mente

2010-11-12T02:10:00.000-08:00

Durante momentos como ahorita, cuando el racismo estanca nuestras comunidades, mientras el capitalismo corre como agua podrida por la tierra, tengo que acordarme que el amor todavia existe. Ya sea amor por tu vecino, amor por tu familia, amor por tu comunidad, o amor por tu amante, nos hace sentir algo que nos obliga ver afuera de nosotros, de pensar en algo mas que nuestras propias necesidades o interes. Durante estos tiempos dificiles, tengo que acordarme que el amor existe y alomejor no literalmente mueve montanas, pero si cruza fronteras fisicas y mentales.

Asi que aqui estan, en ningun orden, algunas de mis favoritas canciones de amor.

♥
La Pachuquita

Johnny Cash::Ring of Fire

Ramon Ayala::Un Rinconcito en el Cielo

PJ Harvey::This is Love

The Danleers::One Summer Night

Stone Temple Pilots::Still Remains

Julieta Venegas::Limon y Sal

Enanitos Verdes::Luz de Dia

r.i.p. pulpo

2010-10-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

oh man, everyone's favorite non-food octopus has bitten the dust! apparently life expectancy for psychic octopi is no better than for regular ones. pulpo, it was good while it lasted!!

better late than never here is the reggaeton tribute to paul the octopus...

dude you have no quran

2010-10-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

just in case you missed it, this small anti-islamophobia act of solidarity speaks for itself. but why not let it speak again & again in a re-mixed club version?

thanks, gg :)

Jaguares at the Fillmore 9.16.2010!

2010-09-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

I don't consider myself a Nationalist. I am very proud of being Mexicana, but will more often than not prefer to be in solidarity with someone, to find a common ground under which to build a movement, a friendship, a good conversation, a connection.

I would say that there are only a few exceptions to this rule:
1. The World Cup before Mexico inevitably get eliminated. After that I am game to support non-imperialist countries.
2. In the presence of a Mariachi or a Conjunto, especially when there is an accordion involved.
2. September 16, Dia de la Independencia de Mexico. On this day I am consumed for my love for Mexico, yelling "Viva Mexico" to anyone within earshot and will give more than a few "gritos" to vocalize my Mexicanismo.

So imagine my sheer joy and excitement when I found out that Jaguares was playing at the Fillmore on September 15. In Mexico people usually gather the night of September 15 to begin celebrating Mexico's Independence.

Within the frenzy of the mosh pit I was able to take a couple of videos of the show, especially of "La Martiniana", which I had never heard live before.

One of the best part of the show was when Saul (lead singer of Jaguares) talked about joining the struggle to make Mexico the country it needs to be for its people, and reminded everyone that California was part of Mexico, and in a way still is.

Power to the People y Que Viva Mexico!

from monument to masses

2010-08-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

my camarada & recent compañero de trabajo/co-conspirator sergio is sort of a jack of all trades.

for one thing he's kind of a rock star. for reals. as in he's played shows all over the us, uk, continental europe, and japan. as in he's one-third of this band, from monument to masses which plays its last show ever tonight at the great american music hall in sf. what kind of music? ummmm... post-rock? i admit to not really knowing exactly what that means except that it's the kind of music like electrelane or stereolab... maybe?? like heavy on the instrumental, light on the vocals, structurally unorthodox. i think. and in the case of fmtm anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist. ok, good.

it's the last weekend of august. weddings, birthday parties, panteon rococo... all kinds of good places to be. but maybe you also need to be at gamh to see fmtm? i hear they put on a great show :)

from monument to masses
the final show
tonight! saturday, 28 august
@ great american music hall, san francisco
doors: 8pm, show: 9
$15

**

the quiet before (thunderbirds are now! mix)

deafening

comrades & friends (loquat mix)

**

wow. on defening that's a translation of victor jara's last poem, written just before his assassination in the estadio chile (audio here by his widow?). beautiful.

but suddenly my conscience awakes
and i see that this tide has no heartbeat,
only the pulse of machines
and the military showing their midwives’ faces
full of sweetness.
...

how hard it is to sing
when i must sing of horror.
...

to see myself among so much
and so many moments of infinity
in which silence & screams
are the end of my song.

what i see, i have never seen
what i have felt and what i feel
will give birth to the moment…...

wyclef ridiculousness

2010-08-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

looks like wyclef might be disqualified from the haitian presidential elections after all. i had been wanting to post about what utter mierda his candidacy is...

but lenin's tomb already did it for me:

... Promising to be the country's Obama, he claims to represent the "voice of the youth". Well, we'll see about that. The election process is sufficiently corrupt that, while the most popular party (Famni Lavalas) is banned from participating, a non-resident may well be allowed to participate against election rules. Wyclef Jean is an ideal candidate for the Obama administration, because his record is one of outright support for American imperialism in Haiti. He attacked the elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and supported the death squad 'rebels' that overthrew him. He has continued to support the brutal MINUSTAH occupation, on the grounds that it must contain the 'gangs' (there are gangs, but his associates are involved in them - he's referring to Lavalas). He has schmoozed with Bill Clinton and Ban Ki moon, and the usual array of corporate philanthropists and entrepreneurs. His charity, Yele Haiti, is crooked, though it has made him a small fortune in charges for services rendered.

The only election in Haiti that could possibly be legitimate would be one in which Famni Lavalas was a fully legal participant, and Jean-Bertrand Aristide their presidential candidate.

**

and mykel archie already drew it for me (thanks to kiilu for passing it along):

**

nothing much else to say really, except that more than 6 months after the earthquake haiti is still under military occupation, and democratic popular forces there still need our solidarity! so let's give some please!!

Outside Lands Festival Part II

2010-08-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is some additional video from the festival, including more Aterciopelados (I mean, really, is there ever enough?) and Social Distortion!

I have a very soft spot in my punkera heart for Social Distortion, who like Bad Religion, have made it through so many obstacles as a band, including drugs, fame, more drugs, and the introduction of Hot Topic/suburbia faux punk such as Good Charlotte (only The Cure can pull off that much eyeliner, and they have earned it!). It was such a treat to get to see them at Outside Lands!

I loved sitting in the room I shared with my three sisters and listening to this song full blast. I realized later that our ball and chains that each dragged were very different and made of totally different issues and problems.

Social Distortion's version of "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash is one of the best covers ever.

Outside Lands Festival Part I

2010-08-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

After much negotiating with myself, I decided to go to the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco. The compromise that I made with myself was that I would only go to one day. I am so glad for the times that I can bring myself to agreement!

This year's Sunday line-up did not disappoint, on the contrary, it rocked so much, I felt it on the Richter Scale!

Here is some of the video I shot from that day of Aterciopelados and Al Green. I will post part II later today with more Aterciopelados and Social Distortion.

One main highlight from the festival is that I got to meet the amazing Andrea Echeverria, lead singer of Aterciopelados! She stayed for a while after their set greeting people, giving hugs (including to me!), signing autographs, kissing babies (literally), and just being her ephemeral and chill self. She also signed my favorite Deporten a la Migra shirt, which I can now never wear again, but its a sacrifice I am more than happy to make. This gives me a chance to support Liberation Ink, who print the Deporten a la Migra shirt!

I was so excited to see Al Green on the line-up. Come on, its Al Green! That man's music is probably responsible for so many children being conceived over the last 40 or so years.

His songs are sexy, timeless, and have so much energy. Also, the man can still move!

lolita lebrón ¡presente!

2010-08-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

lolita lebrón
19 noviembre 1919 - 1 agosto 2010

in 1954, 34-year-old lolita lebrón & her comrades walked into the visitors' gallery at the u.s. capitol building, shouted que viva puerto rico libre, and opened fire on the house of representatives, wounding five congressmen. upon her release from prison 25 years later, she returned home to her island and proudly declared herself unrepentant, that it is the right of all people to fight for their freedom. in 2001 she was arrested for "trespassing" at the age of 81, in an action to oppose the bombing of vieques, and was sentenced to two months.

lolita lebrón is adored throughout the americas for her many beautiful acts of rebellion & defense of her homeland. she will be missed!

**

here is a bit of audio from freedom archives where she speaks about the decision to take up arms in the fight against u.s. imperialism...

**

and here's some archival newsreel from the time of the attack on the congress, including an interview with her & rafael cancel miranda shortly afterwards where they are asked if they are sorry for what they've done ;)

**

and finally carlos puebla's lovely dedication written for her during her detention...

guajira por lolita lebrón

¡que viva puerto rico libre! ¡que viva lolita lebrón!

we will not comply

2010-07-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

tomorrow is the day that sb1070, otherwise known as legalized racism & xenophobia in arizona, is scheduled to take effect. a judge has issued a partial injunction but it's not enough. and people know it's not enough. families have already started to flee. but immigrants are also fighting back, preparing to defend themselves, educating each other about their rights, and organizing neighborhood defense committees. after so many years of debate on watered-down reformist bullshit concessions, this wicked law and impending fascism has forced a different conversation. not we are not terrorists or we are not criminals. bleh! not please can we have access to the tiny crumbs of american dream you are making us beg for. more like fuck anti-immigrant racism and fuck the sheriffs & politicians & pigs and WE WILL NOT COMPLY. finally.

our beloved camarada marisa is there now, organizing on the ground in her hometown of phoenix.

she wrote this...

The fact is that in the last 5 years, over 6,000 immigration related bills have been proposed in the State Legislature - that's more than one a day per session. Rather than finding solutions to problems of unemployment, foreclosures, and in the educational system, it seems as though the state capital has become a legislative laboratory to make the lives of migrants miserable. It has become the status quo to blame immigrants for virtually every problem the state faces. In southern Arizona, the Border Patrol's presence has become the norm, as has the death toll of people found in the desert.

...

Somehow, this law and what it represents has become a marker for the future of this place. A line has been drawn in the sand. Its for what kind of Arizona this will be now and in the future. And I don't know about you, but I don't think I want to place it all in the hands of a judge. We don't want half injunctions of an immoral law, we need full justice for our community.

we hear you, compañera. we'll be in the streets here tomorrow, in sf & oakland & san jose, like they will be in phoenix & tucson, and in cities all over!

**

as i'm contemplating the inherent repressive nature of the imperialist state, the violence that always underlies private property and capitalist accumulation, i'm also appreciating a lot the myriad expressions of popular resistance & solidarity that fight their way to the surface at moments like this...

**

sheriff arizona : amandititita

arizona apartheid : marcel cartier (of rebel diaz)

**

que viva el boycott!! que vivan los inmigrantes y que vivan los trabajadores!!!

and que se vayan a la chingada all those racist pieces of shit in az! you want a race war? bring it. we will win. brown is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Sound Strike / Artists boycott AZ

2010-07-19T09:43:00.001-07:00

So you could have expected Rage Against the Machine to join the artists' boycott of Arizona. And you could have even predicted Sweet Honey in the Rock, Calle 13, Cafe Tacvba, Los Tigres del Norte, and maybe even Juanes. But Joe Satriani! Yes!!! Way to keep the resistance movement rocking!

If you're in L.A. this weekend, don't miss this show (fundraiser for AZ groups working to defeat SB1070)...

the crisis of capitalism

2010-07-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

... as told by david harvey. and illustrated!! my heart is warmed :)

**

and on more or less the same topic, in nuevo jipjop-flamenco style...

ojos de brujo : el confort no reconforta

Para Ghana...Black Stars Anthem!

2010-07-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned in my previous post, my little heart is broken that Ghana did not advance to the semi-finals. They just played so well and really deserved to win. The fact that Uruguay did a hand ball on what would have been their winning goal made their loss even harder to digest.

Ghana's team can be proud that they not only represented their country and their continent well, but that they also have inspired another generation of young Ghana soccer players.

Here is the theme for the Black Stars, the name of Ghana's national team, Jay Ghartey. Ghana si va a ganar el Mundial un dia!

Marx a la Katy Perry

2010-07-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

In the midst of Ghana's heartbreaking loss to Uruguay in the World Cup and the oil spill disaster of the Gulf of Mexico that is barely being talked about here, there are the small moments of comedy and cleverness. Today I share with you one of those moments of cleverness in the form of a parody of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl"..." I Read Marx and I Liked it".

If my Marx Study Group had a soundtrack, this would have been one of the songs on the soundtrack. Here are the words:

I thought I just wanted to pass;
Good grades were all I cared for.
My college made me take the class
More stuff for me to ignore!
But then I found out that
His theories weren't so bad:
Labor and class combat,
What a very clever man!

CHORUS
I read some Marx, and I liked it;
The friend of the proletariat.
I read some Marx, just to try it;
Hope Adam Smith don't mind it!
It felt so wrong,
It felt so right;
Men of the working class, unite!
I read some Marx, and I liked it;
I liked it!

There is a spectre hanging o'er
The face of Europe!
'Tis communism, and it's more
Than just a social hiccup.
A time will come soon when
The masses rise as one
To carve out their place in
The brand new poetry to come!

CHORUS

Marx is the man, he's working for you;
The bourgeoisie, they just ain't your crew.
Alienation of labor is bad,
Commodification is not a good fad.
The capitalists are greedy you see;
A shorter workday, now that's what we need!
I'm reading some Marx, and I'm liking it;
Rise up now, proletariat!

CHORUS

and now without further delay... the video!

Mi gotita de rocío (Gracias Silvio, Parte 3)

2010-06-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

Gracias Silvio, por tu música alentadora y revolucionaria. Gracias por ser el motivo de una reunión prendida de latinoamericanos izquierdistas. Gracias por los gritos y las lágrimas que compartimos aquella noche. Y sobre todo en este momento te doy gracias por esta linda canción, con la cual duermo mi bebé todas las noches. (Aquí se les ofrezco en su versión original junta con un cover que me gusta.)

La gota de rocío, Silvio Rodríguez

La gota de rocío, D'nigma

Nayáhuari a cumplir su primer añito

More Silvio Rodriguez for you all.....

2010-06-15T00:21:00.000-07:00

While still in the afterglow of seeing Silvio Rodriguez in Oakland last Saturday, here are a few pictures, audio clips, and additional observations.

One of my favorite moments of the concert was at the beginning when Silvio asked, "Hay Cubanos aqui?" and there was a long roar from the crowd. In modest yet sincere Silvio fashion, he waved to all the Cubanos in the theater just as if he was waving to a good friend down the street.

Silvio Rodriguez: Unicornio

Silvio Rodriguez: Te doy una Cancion

Silvio Rodriguez: El Encuentro de Cancion y Amor

2010-06-14T07:48:00.001-07:00

Ayer fue mi cita con Silvio Rodríguez la cual he esperado desde la primera vez que escuche una de sus canciones hace como 10 años. La verdad, pensé que los dos nunca íbamos a llegar para nuestra cita, viendo que yo tenia que ir a verlo a otra parte del mundo o el conseguir permiso del mismo gobierno que tiene un embargo de odio y miedo contra su país. Pero, finalmente se nos hizo que las condiciones materiales y políticas se aliñaron en cierta manera que me encontré con Silvio Rodríguez este Sábado pasado, 12 de Junio en el Paramount de Oakland.

Silvio no me decepciono, ni a mí no a las 3,000 personas que fueron a verlo en el Paramount en Oakland para su primer concierto en el Área de la Bahía. El escenario era una visión de serenidad, con solo los instrumentos, las personas tocándolos, y sillas para sentarse y mesitas para su agua. No había mas que enfocarse en la voz se Silvio y los music@s acompañándolo.

Este show era para todos quienes habían sonado con ver a Silvio y para los que habían sentido el dolor de su ausencia por tantos años. Al lado de donde estaba sentada, una pareja en sus 60's se abrazaban con felicidad y con lagrimas en sus ojos por este momento. Habían niños con sus padres, abuelitas con sus nietos, y personas con sus parejas o amigos, todos emocionados por introducir a un ser amado a una parte de su alma y corazón.

Silvio Rodriguez: Sueño con Serpientes

La verdad, mi encuentro con Silvio, que compartí con miles de personas, fue inolvidable. La música de Silvio Rodríguez ha tocado a muchas generaciones, y este concierto planto las semillas para el amor de las generaciones que vienen.

no sleeping with the enemy!

2010-06-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

the weather's heating up now and so are the fights between the bosses and the workers! it's boycott season again for a string of sf hotels currently involved in labor disputes. you wouldn't want to sleep with the wrong people so make sure to keep up with hotel workers rising for the updated boycott list!

and for some excellent popaganda & agitation please see...

don't get caught in a bad hotel : brass liberation orchestra & sf pride at work (acknowledgments to lady gaga)

i like it so much.

thanks, lmhm & mv, for pointing me in the right (left!) direction.

The Pixies join Elvis Costello and Gil Scott-Heron in Boycotting Israel!

2010-06-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

The Pixies are the latest musical acts to join the boycott of Israel, which already includes Elvis Costello and Gil Scott-Heron.

The show was going to be the Pixies' first show in Israel ever, but they pulled out a few days before their June 9th show in Tel Aviv. In their statement they state, "We'd like to extend our deepest apologies to the fans, but events beyond all our control have conspired against us."

I commend the Pixies and all of the above artists for pulling out of Israel. The Israeli government's attack on the ship headed towards the Gaza strip killed over 9 people, and their continued attacks on the Palestinian people have killed thousands more.

Many say that the Israeli people cannot control their government's actions and that it is only the fans that are being punished by these artists boycotting Israel. I would disagree. Just as we here in the US have the responsibility to oppose the US government when it mistreats it own people and those abroad, including its own support of Israel, the people of Israel have the responsibility to oppose their government when it violently evicts an entire people and kills thousands in the name of occupation. Also, when big artists boycott Israel, it send a statement that these artist do not want to make money for themselves from or make money for the hosting government.

While others are calling for boycotts of the artists that are boycotting Israel, I say we support these artists now more than ever. So Pixies and Gil Scott-Heron, this is for you:

The Pixies: Here Comes Your Man

Kim Deal played with The Breeders after The Pixies broke up in the early 90's. This is one of my favorite bands from the 90's.

Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Gil Scott-Heron: We Almost Lost Detroit

Talking about Detroit, the 2nd US Social Forum will be there from June 22-26, 2010. Although I won't be able to make it this year, don't let that stop you from going!

Little Chiquillita has more sense than the whole pinche Government!

2010-05-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

A second grader in Maryland called out Michelle Obama about Barack Obama's punitive and destructive approach towards immigration and lack of implemention of just and equitable Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). She asked Michelle Obama, "My mom ... she says that Barack Obama is taking everybody away that doesn't have papers". Basically, this bright second grader pointed out what Obama is really doing instead of figuring out CIR; deporting immigrants who have committed no crime, but are criminalized by the existing immigration system.

The fact that Michelle Obama focused her answer on getting people the "right kind of papers", instead of decriminalizing immigration, did not get past this niña lista, who pointed out, "but my mom doesn't have any [papers]." A Second grader gets it, yet hundreds of politicians and millions of people across the US do not.

Check out the video:

Queremos una Reforma Inmigratoria Ahora!

Children at Immigration Rights March in Washington DC
Picture by Dante Strobino

Elvis Costello ♥ 's Palestina!

2010-05-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

For a long time I resented, well, not Elvis Costello, but his aesthetic; you know the dark rimmed glasses with the hat or the pompadour hair that so many hipsters and rockabilly aficionados strive for. It just always seemed so unoriginal and so limited. Due to my counterculture angst, I had neglected the awesome original artist that is Elvis Costello.

My geek crush on Elvis Costello just blossomed after finding out that he canceled his concert in Israel in protest of Israel's treatment of Palestinians. "It is a matter of instinct and conscience", he wrote on his website, "One lives in hope that music is more than mere noise, filling up idle time, whether intending to elate or lament."

In a time when artist like Madonna and Elton John, and yes, sadly also Mercedes Sosa (que descanse en paz)are flocking to Israel, it is refreshing that Elvis Costello took a stand against occupation.

"There are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent"
- from Elvis Costello's website

Elvis Costello: Shipbuilding

A really moving song about how war changes a town and how it uses its talents and gifts.

"With all the will in the world
Diving for dear life
When we could be diving for pearls"

Elvis Costello: Pump it Up

public service announcement : ¡silvio!

2010-05-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

well this might be the first truly helpful thing the obama administration has done since taking office.

after various decades of countless denied visas, silvio rodríguez has finally been approved for a visit to the u.s. :)

and... announced a couple days ago, he is playing the oakland paramount!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

silvio rodríguez
8pm : friday : june 11
@ the paramount theater
oakland

**

canción del elegido : silvio rodríguez

tickets on sale, tomorrow (thursday) @ 11am. he's also supposed to play four other u.s. shows: carnegie hall, pr, & la. ¡éso!

Alex Lora y Arizona

2010-05-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

Just got through watching Univisión’s debate about immigration laws. It was mostly a lot of people talking mierda about politicians and politicians talking mierda about each other. Use-less. Bor-ing.

I find much more engaging this little rola by El Tri. On certain topics, no one can say it like Alex Lora.

El Tri -- El Muro

"'hora sí ya me voy ahí nos vemos / now I am going, see you later
ahí les dejo mi reputación / I’m leaving you my reputation
para que hagan pedazos con ella / for you all to break into pieces
mientras yo les canto esta cancion / as I sing you this song
el muro de la vergüenza / the wall of shame
por el arco del triunfo / over the arc of triumph
me lo voy a pasar / I’ll pass
y ya cuando esté en el otro lado / and when I’m on the other side
en su muro me voy a orinar / I am going to take a piss on their wall
en su muro me voy a surrar / I am going to take a shit on their wall
y con su muro me voy a limpiar / and I’m gonna wipe myself on their wall"

I can only imagine what Lora would have to say about Arizona’s latest move towards becoming a police state. The beautiful thing is witnessing all the acts of resistance that have been springing up around the country against SB 1070. The Phoenix Suns got new jerseys to play in. Even city governments have responded to the call to divest from the state. And on May 29, people from all over the nation will be converging on Arizona – just as the Freedom Riders did in the South – to stand in solidarity with the resistance mov ement there.

lena horne

2010-05-10T23:28:00.000-07:00

que descanses en paz, ms. lena horne, hermosa...

lena horne
30 june 1917 - 9 may 2010

**

stormy weather :

soundtrack to the cuban agit-prop film now! :

alphabet song w/ muppets :

Julieta Venegas in Oakland 5.5.2010

2010-05-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

The first thing I noticed as I tried to push my way to the front of the beautifully renovated Fox Theater as Julieta Venegas came out to play was that 1. She was not carrying her accordion and 2. She was not carrying her accordion because her midsection was occupied...by a baby!! She played with so much energy and heart, which is expected, but the fact that she played such a show while six months pregnant has put Julieta in my super women list, like GG who had 2 children while working on her PhD and is graduating this May. Or La Cumbiambera, who came out to an Enanitos Verdes concert while Naya was doing somersaults in her belly. Like my mother and my mother's mother, neither of who had the luxury of maternity leave and had to work hard labor through their pregnancies.

Here are some pictures and video from the great show. Enjoy!

The Set List!

Día de las Madres parte II

2010-05-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

She has been featured time and again on this blog, but seriously, it is appropriate for me to give big shout outs to the new mother-to-be Julieta Venegas because it is because of her that I am a mother now. For those who don’t know the story, back when this blog first started I happened to be in New York for Julieta's free concert in Central Park. Standing next to me at the show was a cute boy. He had long-ish hair and was wearing a pair of blue beat-up Converse shoes. During the show he caught Julieta’s attention by shouting silly things at her (“¡Julieta dame trabajo! ¡Quiero trabajar contigo!”) I was hooked. The rest is herstory.

Much love, too, to my little mamas, Nayáhuari, who has been an awesome companion on this journey. May your life be blessed with creativity, wisdom, and lots of fans.

Julieta @ the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA, 5 de mayo 2010
(video courtesy of angram0)

Feliz Dia De las Madres Rockeras!

2010-05-09T17:49:00.001-07:00

Feliz Dia de las Madres!!
A todas las madres rockeras y
a todas las madres que son rocas para sus familias

Con Amor,

La Pachuquita

Andrea Echeverria: Los Aterciopelados

Mi Mama bella

Julieta Venegas

Mi brave sister Lali

La Cumbiambera

Mi awesome sister Rosario

Deporten a la migra

2010-05-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

Seriously, don’t you think it’s about time? Nayáhuari thinks so...

marcha 1o de mayo, San Francisco, 2010

xip xop oaxaca

2010-04-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

nuestra libertad no se rebaja

no se rebaja

xip xop oaxaca : simón sedillo (featuring en pie de lucha)

screening & discussion with the film-maker.

friday, april 30th : 7pm

@ the ak press warehouse

674a 23rd street

oakland

oaxaca vivirá

oaxaca grita ¡ya!

more gay butterflies

2010-04-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

jeje, the previous post amused me very much. and i have to agree with la cumbiambera: that is a very gay video, and i'm also surprised at the lack of notice taken by music press.

everyone knows butterflies = queer. don't they?

...

si*se : mariposa en la habana (bonitafly remix)

**

julieta, for her part, has long defied the mexi-pop star standards of hetero beauty & propriety, ever since she was a little roquera hanging out with tijuana no!. she of course continues to play the hell out of her accordion (very uncommon for a high-profile female musician in latin america as that is traditionally a masculine role, thank you patriarchy) and currently she's pregnant & refusing to answer questions about paternity. anda, julieta.

here she is in eres para mi, with anita tijoux, charming everyone in her path, from a nun to a construction worker, in a very switch-hitter kind of way ;)

Bien

2010-04-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

It’s already been talked about on in both English and Spanish, but there is something that hasn’t yet been said about Julieta Venegas’ new video “Bien o Mal.” And that is that the video is oh-so-lesbo-erotic. Come on. Women in an (almost) all female world passionately devour flowers, lift their skirts for each other, and hover at Julieta’s side as if under a spell. All this, mind you, preceded by a reference to “chicas extrañas.” Can strange girls marry? Have kids? Be happy? How many straight parents have asked these same questions about their own niñas extrañas?

By the way, many a YouTube commentator has expressed disgust over the fart-butterflies. I'd suggest that their disgust is really a thinly masked discomfort at seeing a representation of female sensuality which exists outside of the male gaze. And in a music video no less! Once again Julieta reminds us that you don’t have to act like a loba to cause a buzz in the pop world. Love and patriarchy are separable after all.

oakland para el pueblo!

2010-03-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

oakland is getting ready to host its first marathon in 25 years. tomorrow!

in preparation, here is oakland's own mystic, from her first album, cuts for luck & scars for freedom, video featuring our beloved bay area city.

the life : mystic

**

the life : mystic (remix)

but you know and i know it's all about survival
this struggle of our people is like that unrivaled
the politicans they was never in control
it's deeper then that, a true battle for the soul
what they want is to bring us to our knees
so my people guard your life by any means

...

recently my friend lost her family home in east oakland. some vicious real estate speculators stole it from her grandmother, the result of a sketchy foreclosure & auction at the alameda county courthouse, where they bought it for one-half its current market price and paid in cash. her family had been in that neighborhood, in that very home, for more than fifty years, ever since they immigrated from the philippines to one of the only areas in the city that at the time wasn't whites-only.

ugh, gentrifiers are sucking the life out of so many of our neighborhoods. que se vayan al infierno! and i hope it's really hot in there.

oakland fans & marathon spectators should support the team that's running for causa justa / just cause, because every day they work to defend this city for all of us, organizing resistance to vulture banks & developers, fighting to keep families in their rightful homes & communities.

...

¡oakland es del pueblo! el pueblo ¿dónde está?
¡¡el pueblo está en las calles exigiendo libertad!!

music of resistance

2010-03-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

al-jazeera english has recently been airing this series of documentaries, music of resistance, hosted by steve chandra savale of asian dub foundation. i've seen a couple of the episodes, and while i would kind of wish for different interview questions here, or more relevant framing there, how cool is it that this series even exists?! hurray!

this is the one on tinariwen, a band of ex-combatants & roqueros from the sahara (touareg people). tinariwen have been darlings of the rock press for some time, as their backstory combines electric guitars & kalashnikovs, and they play gigs in the desert to audiences who arrive mostly via camel. the western press loves that. unlike most of the writing on them i've seen so far, this documentary lets them tell their own story, full of the struggle & love of their people and land, and it also includes some really beautiful video of their performances.

music of resistance : survival in the southern sahara

**

al-jazeera english, by the way, has done some excellent documentaries recently and though its regular coverage of regional and international events varies a bit in terms of editorial line, it's infinitely better than almost anything else out there in the english-language tv news world, and some of it is really brilliant. most cable providers in the u.s. ~~don't~~ won't transmit it, but you can find it online & in a mobile-accessible version.

bhangra + brass, this is why sikhs are hot

2010-03-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

i was thinking, you know, there's just not enough bhangra on this roqueras blog. nor new orleans-style brass band for that matter.

meet red baraat! bhangra + brass = sooo sin fronteras, que no?

**

on a related note (related because sonny singh, who plays trumpet in red baraat, is an organizer at the sikh coalition)... you have to see this video, this is why sikhs are hot. i love it :)

anda, red baraat! adelante, coalición sikh!

Liberation Lullaby

2010-03-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

In trying to dig up some songs I could learn to sing to my daughter, I came across this in my collection. The video features images of cute chiapaneco babies, but the recording has better sound and pleasing harmonies.

Oscar Chavez: Duérmete niño bonito

Here are a few verses:

Duérmete niño bonito / Sleep pretty little boy
Duérmete chiapaniquito/ Sleep little Chiapan
Duérmete mi niño enfermo / Sleep my sick child
Duérmete mi niño eterno / Sleep my eternal child
Que hasta aquí no entra el gobierno / For here the government does not enter

…

Duérmete niña bontia / Sleep pretty little girl
Duérmete chiquiquitita / Sleep tiny little one
Duérmete la lluvia empapa / Sleep for the rain is wetting
Duérmete bajo mi capa / Sleep beneath my cloak
Que hasta aquí no llega el papa / For here the pope does not arrive

…

Duérmete niñita bella / Sleep beautiful little girl
Duérmete mi linda estrella / Sleep my pretty star
Duérmete sierra a la vista / Sleep, there are mountains within view
Duérmete mi niña lista / Sleep my smart girl
Que te arrula un zapatista / For a Zapatista sings you to sleep

¡¡¡todos con palestina!!!

2010-03-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

it's (anti) israeli apartheid week(s)! ok, well mostly it was last week but it's also a little bit this week. and really shouldn't every week be anti israeli apartheid week? claaaro que sí.

What: Israeli Apartheid Week 2010
When: Between March 1st – March 14th 2010

The 6th annual Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) will take place between March 1 – March 14th in various cities across the globe. IAW will feature lectures, film screenings, cultural activities, and demonstrations aimed at raising awareness about Israel’s apartheid policies toward Palestinians and to gather support for the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. The demands of the BDS campaign are:

1. Ending Israel's occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall;

2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and

3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

**

incidentally, i realized when googling for the iaw website that "israeli apartheid week" is censored in google's auto-suggest (when you type something into the search field and it gives you a bunch of suggestions for search queries which match up with what you've typed so far). upon closer examination it seems that it's actually the word "apartheid" which is blacklisted, but i have no doubt that it's the specific use within the phrase "israeli apartheid" which has triggered this block. despicable behavior, google.

update : this has since been fixed, conveniently after israeli apartheid week ended. the word "climategate", another suspected casualty of google auto-suggest, is also back.

**

itzuliko naiz : fermin muguruza, dam, minsa (desechos), guive, & al rumjen

¡que viva la resitencia del pueblo! ¡que viva que viva que viva palestina!

la pasionaria

2010-03-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

happy international women's day!! here is a famous speech by dolores ibárruri, aka la pasionaria, communist agitator and founder of the mujeres antifascistas (anti-fascist women), whose slogan ¡no pasarán! became the rallying cry of all republican defenders of madrid during the spanish civil war.

¡pueblo de españa en pie!
¡mujeres! ¡defended la vida de vuestros hijos!
¡defended la libertad de vuestros hombres!
todos los sacrificios imaginables,
antes de consentir que triunfen las fuerzas
que representan un pasado de opresión, un pasado de tiranía.
todos contra la reacción.
todos contra el fascismo.
un solo frente
una sola unión,
hombro con hombro, unidos todos,
hasta acabar con el enemigo.

...

people of spain, stand up!
women! defend the life of your children!
defend the freedom of your men!
make all imaginable sacrifices,
before consenting to the victory of forces
of the past, of oppression, of tyranny.
all united against reaction.
all united against fascism.
one front, one union,
shoulder to shoulder everyone,
until the enemy is finished.

**

veremos a dolores : ana belén

¡que vivan las mujeres!

roqueras ♥ public education

2010-03-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

today, march 4th, thousands of students (k-university), parents, teachers, & workers are striking and convening in defense of public education in california and throughout the u.s. students at 9 universities in south africa are striking today as well. we will join them all, in our hearts & in the streets, to fight for what should belong to all of us.

**

a change is gonna come : sam cooke

The story is that Sam Cooke wrote this after he was arrested after challenging a hotel that denied him a room in Louisiana because he was black. From the first cords, this song fills me with a deep longing......longing for justice, for change, for victoria. It reminds me to be patient and calm, since material changes will not happen overnight.

There've been times that I've thought
I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come

: la pachuquita

**

me gustan los estudiantes : daniel viglietti (original, violeta parra)

this song, written by violeta parra, came out of the unidad popular movement in chile in which a wave of workers, students, left intellectuals, and professionals swept socialist salvador allende to the presidency in 1970. the protests at uc & elsewhere in california in the past few months have given, i think, a glimpse of some beautiful potential in our movement here. during the fall and winter 09 protests i saw students + janitors+ professors + lab techicians + clerical staff all standing together, united in their demands. and now they are joined by so many other sectors in cities and towns all over. just a beginning, yes, but a good one. long live popular unity!

: diabólica

no such thing as "the voiceless"

2010-03-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

i hate this term "the voiceless". such liberal garbage. so devoid of context, political economy, class struggle. i think the concept exists for liberals to give themselves something to do-- worry about the voiceless, advocate for the voiceless, defend the voiceless, bleh.

arundhati roy, who has rejected the often-bestowed title voice of the voiceless put it plainly:

we know, of course, there's really no such thing as "the voiceless". there are only the deliberately silenced, the preferably unheard.

claro. people speak for themselves...

**

from occupation 101:

from stop the wall campaign:

**

and sing for themselves!

slingshot hip hop trailer :

slingshot hip hop, by the way, is now available on dvd.

rebel grrrl archive

2010-02-25T19:04:00.000-08:00

i’m so sorry if i’m alienating some of you. your whole fucking culture alienates me.

: bikini kill (white boy)

hey, there's a bikini kill archive that started up earlier this month, with fotos & reflections from their devoted current & former riot grrrl fanclub. one reminiscing fanática put it like this: i loved punk rock, but the first time i heard kathleen’s voice i knew punk rock loved me back.

sweet. just like them ;)

**

reject all american : bikini kill

distinct complicity : bikini kill

olympic black

2010-02-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

olympic gold is over-rated. personally, i'd like to see more olympic black...

**

young, gifted & black : bob & marcia (original, nina simone)

say it loud-i'm black & i'm proud : james brown

ojalá

2010-02-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

ojalá : favi, vocals & joe garcia, guitar (original, silvio rodríguez)

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://favi.bandcamp.com/track/ojal"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;OJALÁ by FAVI&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

i recently came across this version of ojalá and found it very lovely. this young vocalist, favi, lends a sort of halting urgency to her recording of this song that complements the music & letras so well. kind of reminds me of some of the live silvio recordings, beautiful and oblique, with an overwhelming sense of longing and lament.

**

probably the most collectively adored of all silvio rodríguez songs ojalá is a love song, written for his first love, several years after they parted. they had met when he was 18, and she introduced him to many new things, including the work of leftist peruvian writer césar vallejo. eventually she had to move away for her studies, and so they called it off. their relationship had a profound enduring affect on him, and he has called her the inspiration for several songs.

this is how he describes ojalá:

... se fue a su pueblo Camagüey, a estudiar ... y yo me quedé solo aquí en La Habana, totalmente desolado. Pasaron los años y el recuerdo de aquel amor tan bonito, tan productivo, tan útil (ojo, no confundir con utilitario), enriquecedor, de aporte a uno... pues, estaba obsesionado yo con esa idea. Y porque fue un amor frustrado, tronchado por las circunstancias, por la vida, no fue una cosa que se agotara, pues se me quedó un poco como un fantasma y por eso compuse esta canción en un momento quizás de delirio, de arrebato, de sentimiento un poco desmesurado: ojalá esto, ojalá lo otro...

...

she left to her town, to camagüey, to study ... and i was left here alone in havana, completely devastated. the years passed and the memory of that love, so beautiful, so productive and useful (careful, not to be confused with utilitarian), that enriches and makes one better... well, i became obsessed with that idea. and because it was a frustrated love, cut short because of the circumstances of life, it wasn't something that had exhausted itself, well what i was left with was a bit of a ghost and so i composed this song in a moment of very heightened sentiments, perhaps a fit of delirium: ojalá this, ojalá that...

[the word ojala comes from inshallah and means god-willing or similar, that something wished for will occur]

**

f-a-v-i = fuego. agua. viento. ira por la tierra robada / fire. water. wind. rage for the stolen land

éso! gracias, compañerita. looking forward to hearing more...

Thank you, Lucille Clifton

2010-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

won't you celebrate with me

won't you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.

Lucille Clifton

June 27, 1936 – February 13, 2010

pop confessions

2010-02-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

once upon a time, i was visiting with a friend. we were sitting in my living room, and he was looking through my computer, surveying my itunes library. i'm not going to say it's the most complete or best-curated collection of songs in the world, but you know, there's a decent amount of good music in there. so, he would play an occasional song, usually rock en español, and say things like oh my god where did you get this? or oh i loooove this band or whatever. but then it got quiet. i looked over and he had this sort of crushed look on his face and his eyebrows furrowed. finally he said, paulina rubio? (pause, avoiding eye contact) really???... like he couldn't believe his eyes. like it was a political betrayal. like i had broken his heart. i blushed.

you know, i could have made up some excuse of how she ended up in there. but truth be told, i put her in there. i admit.

y yo sigo aqui (remix): paulina rubio

y cuando me acerco a ti, hay una bomba explosiva! that song hit 1 on the "latin" charts or equivalent not only in the u.s. & all over latin america but also the philippines, malaysia, portugal, & finland. oh my god, that video is so crazy though. me da verguenza all over again.

: diabólica

**

and now, because admissions are always better in good company, i introduce my co-conspirators...

la pachuquita :

I confess...to the love that knows no name or reason. I love Ricky Martin. Yes world, I love the ex-Menudo, now international hip shaker, vida loca living, ambiguously sexual, single parent, sometimes hot mess. I forgot about my childhood crush on Menudo Ricky Martin until 1998 when "Copa de la Vida" became the anthem for the 1998 World Cup and then Summer of 1999 when "Livin' la Vida Loca" was forever connected with nights out dancing in Colorado. What sealed the deal was "Vuelve", which I will forever associate with a great novela ("Sin Ti") and late nights out inebriated while foolishly mourning young love in Mexico City. Ricky also has a cute humanitarian-steering-towards-left bend, including giving Bush the one finger salute during one of his songs and then saying this when he was criticized for it, ""My convictions of peace and life go beyond any government and political agenda and as long as I have a voice onstage and offstage, I will always condemn war and those who promulgate it".

I feel better after my confession, but what will be my penance? I heard Ricky Martin is coming out with another album in 2010. The waiting will be penance enough.

vuelve : ricky martin

**

la cumbiambera :

Ever since my marido moved in with me a year ago, my house is almost always filled with románticas, pop-rock, bachata, etc. Music that used to be cheesey and intolerable to me has earned its place as our family soundtrack. I am embarrassed to say that I am no longer embarrassed when my playlist subjects my dinner guests to songs such as this one. ¡Que viva el pop!

hacer el amor con otro : alejandra guzmán

**

¡¡feliz día de amor & amistad!! besos--

las rsf

Behind the scenes with MJ and a kick-ass femme guitarist

2010-02-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

I’m a sucker for DVD extras so when I found myself browsing the shelves at the movie store I fell right towards the recently released This Is It documentary of Michael Jackson’s last concert rehearsals. I am not an MJ fan per se, but having grown up in the 80’s and 90’s, I couldn’t help but get a little caught up in the MJ craze in the months following his death.

But if the film was a treat to watch (which it was) is wasn’t because I needed to know any more about Michael Jackson but because the entire film is a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the production of what was to be a spectacular show. This Is It is basically a whole DVD of DVD extras, plus the actual extras, which for This Is It are the behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes that is the feature. As a former performer, I was swept up watching the artists in action—dancers and vocalists, videographers and costume designers, producers, directors, musicians and of course, Jackson himself.

The best part, though, was discovering this 24-yr-old guitar “prodigy” as she has been called, who was to be the lead guitarist for the show. For those who haven’t already done so, meet Orianthi.

a hot mess

2010-02-06T19:29:00.001-08:00

lil miss hot mess i know by day as a fierce anti-zionist activist & talented artist/designer and by night as a kick-ass drag queen. super-adorable that one. i wouldn't be able to describe her number at charlie horse's last show and really do it justice, but for me the highlights were: 1. deconstructing the gender/sexuality binaries and 2. stabbing many dispersed helium-filled balloons with a pair of scissors. and because this is her birthday weekend and because i like her so much, she gets her own post.

**

here are some fotos & the song that goes with her number...

pop goes the world : the gossip

feliz cumple, lil miss!! besote.

the last shout

2010-02-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

ok, ok. i won't go on too much about this now because i already have but... i want more charlie horse!!!

anna conda & friends, las punk rock drag queens, had a marathon last show last weekend, charlie horse, the last shout. i only saw an hour or two but i think they were at it for like seven. it was, as always, brilliant. bravo, reinas! best drag ever. for reals.

**

songs & fotos from the last shout...

dog days are over : florence & the machine

wheels : ac/dc

lola : the kinks

right back where we started from : maxine nightingale

paparazzi : lady gaga

word up : willis (original by cameo)

Mean Things

2010-02-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

Note: it’s not worth it to be a culture vulture. Back in October, James Aurthur Ray, a self-help “expert” (he appeared in the video The Secret) led a faux sweat lodge ceremony that killed 3 people. He was charged yesterday with manslaughter. According to reports, the lodge was covered with plastic (toxic when heated!), and Ray would not let some people out of the lodge when they requested. He also charged participants thousands of dollars for the retreat of which the lodge was a part. Anyone who has been to a Native-led sweat lodge ceremony knows this: the lodge is covered with blankets if hides are unavailable. If you need out, all you have to do is ask. And in a Native sweat lodge you are never charged at the door.

On the topic of racism and tragedy, here is Diné (Navajo) band Blackfire performing a nice cover of Woody Guthrie.

mucha policía, poca diversión = enough!

2010-02-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

Todo esto va a acabar muy mal
Todo sí, todo tiene que acabar muy mal
Si siguen así machacando a la gente
Un día de estos se levanta potente
Con el puño levantando pa' decir que es suficiente
De los palos de la pasma ya tenemos bastante
Nosotros queremos salir de este cine mal oliente

Matarile, rile, rile, rile, ron
Escucha mi son, es son de la revolución

...

acabar mal : sergent garcia

Never too late: Felipe Staiti’s solo album rocks

2010-02-01T22:38:00.000-08:00

With a new album recently out from Amandititita and new albums to be released by Julieta Venegas and Enrique Bunbury this spring, La Cumbaimbera takes this opportunity to hop back on the blog and spotlight Felipe Staiti’s solo album, which was released last September.

Most know Staiti as the guitarist from Los Enanitos Verdes. No, Felipe has not deflected from Los Enanitos (they did, however, recently swap out Daniel Piccolo, the original baterista, for new dummer Jota Morelli). During the Enanitos’ current 4-year recording hiatus, Staiti recorded his solo project titled after his band Felipe Staiti Trio. The trio, as it turns out, is more of a quartet, as it features Felipe guitar and vocals, Felipe’s long-time friend Gerardo Lucero on bass, and both of Felipe’s sons – Natalio on drums and Juan Pablo as the “invitado” that appears to have a regular role as rhythm guitarist in the band.

The album’s songs are mostly instrumental, with Felipe performing vocals on the three tracks with lyrics. Some songs were recorded years ago while others are new. And while some, like the single “Buenos Días” which aired on Argentine radio, display the familiar melodic pop-rock flavor of Los Enanitos, others, such as the aptly titled “Toro Salvaje” offer a peek at the heavy rocker that Felipe is at heart. Also indicative of Felipe’s personal gustos, is the visual aesthetic of the video for the track “Leviatán.” (Enanitos fans may recall the spooky green lady that was featured as cover art for Néctar).

Not only is Felipe one of the best guitarists in Latin America, he is, as far as I can tell, simply a great guy. He still lives in the city he was raised in. He has responded personally to the MySpae messages I have sent him (yes, I confess – but look how it turned out!). And in between Los Enanitos’ international tours, Felipe passes the time by hopping on stage at venues in his hometown of Mendoza, Argentina and rocking out with his sons. If only all famous artists had his ability to remain true to the music, their family, their roots, and their fans.

you can't be neutral

2010-01-27T22:56:00.000-08:00

... on a moving train.

cierto!
que descanses en paz, howard zinn.
miss you already.

comic image from a people's history of american empire. video from you can't be neutral on a moving train (song, the ludlow massacre by woodie guthrie).

no scabs!

2010-01-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

dear bono,

why do you have to be such a jerk?

bad enough to promote western consumerism as a viable alternative to actual solidarity (or even direct charity) via the whole product (red) thing. ugh. now you are scheduled to play a concert in israel. seems you imagine yourself a great champion of justice & equality; if you choose to violate the international boycott of this apartheid state you will certainly have some explaining to do.

your comments in that latest nyt op-ed are truly ridiculous by the way. especially the whole viva la (nonviolent) revolución part, which proclaims a wish that: people in places filled with rage and despair, places like the Palestinian territories, will in the days ahead find among them their Gandhi, their King, their Aung San Suu Kyi.

are you kidding me? you are a rich white european pop star. it is not for you to say what kind of resistance movement palestinians should or should not build to fight the occupation of their lands, what kind of leaders they should or should not look to as their people are displaced, jailed, and killed daily. your remarks are patronizing at best, imperialist-apologist at worst. also, in case you haven't noticed, the israeli state is not so responsive to non-violence. armed or not, adults children or viejitos, they are prepared to slaughter palestinians regardless. you have got to be kidding me. ridiculous.

to begin to make amends for this illogical, ahistorical, and insulting statement, i suggest you cancel your concert immediately and abide by palestinian civil society's unambiguous call for a cultural boycott of the state of israel.

with ♥ for palestine,

diabólica

ps: you might also take a look at pacifism as pathology by ward churchill, which makes a very strong argument that no non-violent resistance movement in history has succeeded in winning significant concessions without an accompanying militant/armed/self-defense formation also active. being irish and all i would think you might know that.

**

foto: from kids on strike! (susan campbell bartoletti)

the pacbi open letter to bono posted at electonic intifada calls for him not to cross the picket line. i think that is great language to borrow from the labor movement, and it should be incorporated to all bds calls for boycott from now on! because it really is that basic... you either stand with oppression or you stand with the oppressed. with the bosses or with the workers. with palestine or with the murderous zionist israeli state. verdad que sí?

which side are you on? : dropkick murphys

thinking of you,

2010-01-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

haiti.

foto: port-au-prince, haiti (1996)

the earthquake devastation in haiti is a natural disaster built upon many man-made disasters of the western imperialist kind. haiti is a republic born from a slave rebellion. the first country in latin america to win independence from europe! for centuries haitians have heroically resisted colonialism, neo-colonialism, dictatorships and more dictatorships; despite intense poverty and the most violent repression, haitian activists have been relentless in their fight for real democracy. they are truly among the bravest i have ever known.

**

solidaridad ahora! please consider a contribution to haitian earthquake relief. parnters in health & medecins sans frontieres are the most respected aid organizations in haiti. both have been working there for many years in the poorest communities and are widely respected by haitian activists.

que viva que viva que viva haití.

defender lo nuestro

2010-01-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

;( jesus christ. what the hell is wrong with people?

well, this is what you get when you reside in a "nation"-state founded as a white settler colony. apparently colonization, theft, murder, enslavement, and lies have not been enough. more lies are now needed. the texas state board of education is set to vote tomorrow on revisions to state standards for k-12 social studies. on the table for a preliminary vote is putting more christianity in and taking the mexicans out.

you know what though, cabrones, it doesn't matter, we are winning the demographics war (just like the palestinans)! right now over half of texas schoolchildren are latinos & that proportion is growing all the time so chíngense. or to put it in a language you can understand: go to hell!!!

**

i remember once at university, during the fight over (i think) ethnic studies, j. luna was agitating at a protest and she yelled "they are trying to invisibilize us! we won't let them!" well, time again not to let them. you can see more about this at the united farm workers (cesar chavez is on the list for proposed invisibilizing), and write a letter to the texas board of education telling them not to be so stupid.

my father, when he was a kid, used to work the summers picking fruit with his family in the orchards of southern & central california. a few years ago we ran into dolores huerta (pictured above), and my dad went up to her for a big abrazo & to tell her how much the efforts of the ufw meant to him. current issues with the ufw aside, the early movement for farm worker rights will always be our history, in our blood & in our hearts. let's defend what's ours.

here are some old ufw songs to play while you compose your letter to the texas state board of education:

el picket sign : teatro campesino

niños campesinos (farm worker children) : teatro campesino

yo no le tengo miedo a nada (i'm not afraid of anything) : ufw meeting, 1966

vivir lo nuestro

2010-01-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

today is día de reyes (3 kings day/epiphany), and i really like j's invitation to friends to celebrate at our house tonight, pr & mexican style. starts like this:

Familia,

When the Macheteros liberated 7 million dollars from [a Wells Fargo] armored truck to advance the struggle for the independence of Puerto Rico, one of the first things they did was to arrive in el Barrio for el Dia de los Reyes dressed as kings to give presents to children and keep our culture alive...

that's the best possible invite to celebrate a catholic holiday i think ;) time for 3 kings cake. and coquito. ¡feliz día de reyes! ¡feliz año nuevo! ¡¡¡y que viva filiberto ojeda ríos!!!

fotos : posted at latinamericanstudies.org. macheteros distributing toys & arrested post-wells fargo operation.

**

día de reyes : pablo milanés

sin magias y sin leyendas
y con lucha y con amor
vendrá la revolución
sin santos llenos de estrellas

guarda tu risa para mañana
y seca hoy tu llanto,
en tanto
llega la libertad, sí

...

without magic or legends
with struggle & with love
the revolution will come
with no saints full of stars

keep your laugh for tomorrow
and dry your tears today
for freedom is coming
yes

Karaoke en Español, Parte I

2010-01-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Bueno, con este nuevo año, una de mis metas es de escribir mas en el blog, y de hacerlo totalmente bilingüe. Vamos a ver como me va !

Ahorita estoy visitando mis parientes en Jalisco, México. No habia venido a visitar por mas de 5 años, pero pues, eso ya es para otra entrada. Mis primos, que deveras nos han tratado super chido, nos llevaron a una barra de karaoke que se llama el Protagonico. Ahora, todos quienes me conocen, saben que me encanta el karaoke, y fue un placer inmenso de estar en un lugar donde la lista de canciones en Español era mas de unas pocas paginas al final del libro de canciones.

Uno de mis favoritos fue este chavo cantando la versión Banda de "Quiero Que Me Quieras" por Cheap Trick que Gael Garcia Bernal canto en "Rudo y Cursi". Me encanto. Que disfruten!

(english translation)

One of my new goals for the new year is to write more on the blog, and to do it totally bilingual. We will see how that goes!

I am currently visiting family in Jalisco, Mexico. I had not visited them for more than 5 years, but well, we'll leave that for another blog entry. My cousins, who have really been super great with my family, took us to a karaoke bar called el Protagonico (Protagonist). Now anyone who knows me knows that I love karaoke, and it was such an immense pleasure to be in a place where the list of Spanish language songs was more than a few pages in the back of the book.

One of my favorites was this guy singing the Banda version of "Didn't I See You Crying" by Cheap Trick that Gael Garcia Bernal sang in "Rudo y Cursi". I loved it. Enjoy!

Aqui esta la letra de la cancion/ Here are the lyrics to the song

Quiero que me quieras
Quiero que me adores
Quiero que me sientas
Me urge que me ames

Yo mis botas lustraré
Y mi sombrero me pondré
Tempranito llegaré
Si me dices que me amas

Yo te vi, yo te vi, yo te vi
Yo te vi llorando, oh oh
Si, si te vi si te vi si te vi
Si te vi llorando

Solo en este mundo
Sin ti me estoy muriendo
Dime que, dime que, dime que,
Tu estas sintiendo

“Hilo papalote, hilo,
Chaparrita, ya de tanto llorar
ya estás bien hinchadita,
pero tu así me sigues gustando,
ya no? Vente conmigo”

Quiero que me quieras
Quiero que me adores
Quiero que me sientas
Me urge que me ames

Yo mis botas lustraré
Y mi sombrero me pondré
Tempranito llegaré
Si me dices que me amas

Yo te vi, yo te vi, yo te vi
Yo te vi llorando, oh oh
Si, si te vi si te vi si te vi
Si te vi llorando

Solo en este mundo
Sin ti me estoy muriendo
Dime que, dime que, dime que,
Tu estas sintiendo

Gael Garcia Bernal cantando la cancion en "Rudo y Cursi"/ Gael Garcia Bernal singing the song in "Rudo y Cursi"

the original from Cheap Trick/ la original de Cheap Trick

nazi-pope tackle

2009-12-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

25-year-old susanna miaolo's christmas present to the pope has provided a more or less endeless supply of entertainment around here these days. of all the many times we've seen this replayed, my family has decided we like this version best:

;)

colombia tierra querida

2009-12-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

cantando cantando yo viviré...
: colombia tierra querida (tradicional, lucho bermudez)

foto: choc quib town (via sxsw)

**

colombia has given us so much good music. an entire constellation of pop stars, but also some rock buenísimo and of course our beloved cumbia colombiana.

lately i can't get enough of choc quib town & systema solar. part of the new school emerging out of coastal colombia (pacífica & caribe, respectively), these are some of the best elements of latin american dance music right now i think. systema is a sound system collective, latin-dub + electronica, with an affinity for cumbia and vallenato. and choc quib town is the work of female mc goyo and her compañeros, mc tostao & mc slow ... modern hiphop colombiano, with traditional indigenous & afro-colombian sounds mixed in for good measure.

love-ly. sshhh. listen...

chico de mi barrio : systema solar

alguien como tu : choc quib town

both, happily, have songs that champion the working class, and call for unity against oppression & exploitation. it is so time for some more music that's popular and popular, isn't it? even better if you can throw down on the dancefloor to it.

here is cqt's beautiful anti-colonialista & pro-revolt oro (gold)...

oro : choc quib town

como dicen los colombianos... ¡está bacano!

**
¡abajo uribe! ¡arriiiiiba coloooombia!

hey little bird, fly away home

2009-12-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

... your house is on fire, children are alone

**

one of the best prison break films of all time is jarmusch's 1986 down by law, no? and this, for sure, is one of my favorite opening film sequences ever...

down by law : jim jarmusch

radio para niñ@s insurgentes

2009-12-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

gracias to cailey who sent this along in response to the songs for the baby roquer@s post! it's a clip from the children's show of radio insurgente (zapatista radio) and oh my, it's so super cute. this episode moves back and forth between children singing the zapatista hymn and their favorite julieta venegas refrains, interspersed with saludos solidarios to niñ@s en todas partes. enjoy!

juega soñando (radio show) : radio insurgente

fotos: ssba on amadito's bedroom wall

cementerio de hormigas

2009-12-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

recently, there was what can only be described as an elaborate ant funeral cortege in my apartment. at all hours i would see the ants a couple at a time dutifully retrieving their dead and carrying them to the windowsills, piling them up in ant graveyards of sorts. i don't know why all the dead ants, perhaps a change in the weather. but the meticulousness of their efforts in piling up the bodies of their fallen compañeros was impressive. and it reminded me of a curiosity i've had since i was little. why do they do that?

this question and a desire to find info in a place with a little more authority than yahoo answers lead me to my new favorite website, madsci network, which is like an archived scientist q & a (so cool!). as it turns out, that particular ant behavior most likely evolved as a precaution against potentially harmful bacteria on the dead ants infecting everyone else in the nest. or ... if you ask my sister (not a scientist) it's simply a matter of honor. either way it's a pretty amazing level of organization, the ant society.

**

in other insect news, the episode also reminded me of alejandra, who once made me listen to a similarly themed song which had so moved her by its beauty that she found herself listening to it over & over & over again. i emailed her about it and she knew exactly what i was talking about! she found it, and sent it to me (see below). thank you, querida alex! besos!!

foto: teamwork by macropoulos

lo feo : gema y pavel (letra, teresita fernández)

alita de cucaracha
llevada hasta el hormiguero.
alita de cucaracha
llevada hasta el hormiguero.
así quiero que en mi muerte,
así quiero que en mi muerte,
así quiero que en mi muerte,
me lleven al cementerio.

i am ... a revolutionary

2009-12-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

when i leave you can remember i said with the last words on my lips, that i am ... a revolutionary, and you are going to have to keep on saying that.

: fred hampton

fred hampton
30 august 1948 – 4 december 1969

today is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of fred hampton. hampton, chairman of the chicago black panther party, was a talented organizer & skilled orator, widely recognized and loved for his ability to inspire in people a sense of their own revolutionary potential. at just 21 years of age he had already called for and achieved a gang truce in chicago by arguing that instead of fighting each other poor people of color should unite and fight their true enemies.

fred hampton was assassinated in a hail of bullets as he slept in his bed, early morning of december 4th 1969. deborah johnson, hampton's partner who was 8 & 1/2 months pregnant at the time, was at his side. the raid on hampton's apartment was a carefully orchestrated operation carried out by the chicago police department & fbi. bpp member mark clark was also killed, and four other members were seriously injured.

chairman fred hampton's revolutionary spirit lives on.

all power to all the people!! long live fred hampton!!!

**

**

power anywhere where there's people : fred hampton (speech)

We got to face some facts. That the masses are poor, that the masses belong to what you call the lower class, and when I talk about the masses, I'm talking about the white masses, I'm talking about the black masses, and the brown masses, and the yellow masses, too. We've got to face the fact that some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put fire out best with water. We say you don't fight racism with racism. We're gonna fight racism with solidarity. We say you don't fight capitalism with no black capitalism; you fight capitalism with socialism.

...

You know, a lot of people have hang-ups with the Party because the Party talks about a class struggle. We say primarily that the priority of this struggle is class. That Marx and Lenin and Che Guevara and Mao Tse-tung and anybody else that has ever said or knew or practiced anything about revolution always said that a revolution is a class struggle. It was one class - the oppressed, and that other class - the oppressor. And it's got to be a universal fact. Those that don't admit to that are those that don't want to get involved in a revolution, because they know as long as they're dealing with a race thing, they'll never be involved in a revolution.

songs for the baby roquer@s

2009-12-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

i like having political discussions with amado, who is 4. sometimes they are tricky. we've talked about the police, for example, a zillion times. he knows they hurt & kill people. but he also really likes vehicles & uniforms & sirens, which complicates things. in general, though, he really impresses me with his political analysis. a few months ago i was talking to him on the phone, telling him about my day and that i had been at this mission anti-displacement coalition event. land use issues are pretty easy to talk about with kids. i told him, we want them to make this parking lot into housing for poor families and a community center. i asked him what he thought, and he said he thought it was a good idea.

then there was a pause in the conversation and then he added:

y tambien queremos que cierren todas las cárceles
and also we want them to close all the jails ...

y tambien queremos que todos los policias se vayan muy muy lejos
and also we want all the police to go far away ...

y tambien queremos libertad
and also we want freedom ...

verdad, nina?
right, nina?

umm... sí! that about sums it up.

it's a delicate operation, raising leftist children. you want to encourage their critical thinking skills, and at the same time you want them to develop a deep sense of what we believe and why. but you can't tell them what to believe, unless you want to see them end up like one of those ex-red diaper babies who is now an adult reactionary or self-indulgent pain in the ass.

cultivating little roquer@s, and proper appreciation of good music in general, is kind of similar i think. just enough, not too much. they'll come along :) i remember when amado was a baby, we were in the car and fabulosos cadillacs revolution rock was playing. i turned around to say something to him and found him with his arms in the air dancing around in the back seat. no encouragement needed. eso!

foto: the other day amado came downstairs to ask for help with his hair, out of the blue, to make it "parado". oh man, i love this kind of tia responsibility!

ok, so here are a few songs for nayahuari, la baby cumbiambera, & mayari, amado's new little sister (born november 18th!), the two littlest roqueras (and future izquierdistas) de la familia rsf... to get them off to a good start!

amado likes these, as well as classical music (??!) and the star wars soundtrack.

que calor : pibes chorros

ooh child : nina simone (original the 5 stairsteps)

trenes camiones y tractores : árbol

luna negra : los cojolites

song for the viejitos

2009-11-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

i used to work with (immigrant & working-class) viejitos in sf. and loved it! ancianos + political protest is a great mix actually. but sometimes issues do come up...i got this note from my former co-worker the other day, with subject line i channeled your spirit, regarding a demonstration he helped to organize against the ihss budget cuts.

[diabólica]:

At our rally the other day, it was very big and hectic a rather enthusiastic Russian senior kept rushing up on me (while I was a the podium) wanting to know if he could sing “God Bless America” because “ameerika is best county in world” and he wouldn’t leave me alone. I was getting really irritated and I thought “How would [diabólica] handle this?” so I held up my palm and said very directly and russianly “You are not allowed to sing that song here!” and I didn’t hear anything more from him.

thanks.

aw, thanks to you, james, for the compliment! and may i suggest the following song as an alternate hymn ;) very recognizable, lyrics available in multiple versions & languages...

the internationale : billy bragg

i wanted to post a really cool swing version of this song which plays during the ending credits of michael moore's capitalism : a love story but couldn't find it anywhere. so you can have billy bragg's anti-racist version instead, and catch the other one en el cine!

foto : grandmothers of the plaza de mayo. buenos aires, argentina. aside from the ones i used to work with in san francisco, some of my favorite viejitas militantes in the world.

best drag ever

2009-11-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

shit! this is terrible news. grrrrr. heard via lil miss hot mess that charlie horse at the cinch is ending. this makes me very upset, not just because of all the good times, cheap strong drinks, and glamorous company that i won't get to enjoy there. but also because this is another nail in the coffin of a sf neighborhood that was not so very long ago proudly working-class & queer, and is now in the clutches of the devil known as gentrification. here's what lil miss hot mess has to say about it:

Today Anna Conda announced that Charlie Horse is over, effectively immediately. I can’t get all the facts straight but it has to do with the gentrification of the Polk — hell, the gentrification of the whole city — specifically yuppies who want to have their cake and eat it too, and developers who want to sell it to them. Anna thinks that it’s a combination of people complaining about noisy queens and the Polk St. Merchants Association wanting to get rid of the gay bars. The Gangway (nearby on Larkin) already shut down all DJed parties months ago due to complaints. It’s ridiculous!

Like I said, I don’t know the full story, so I don’t want to start the blame game or get too much into the specifics of it. But hello, San Francisco: this is what you get when you invite your city to become a dot-com yuppie playground. This is exactly how neighborhoods gentrify. It’s easy to point fingers at artists and gays as gentrifiers — and not to say that we aren’t part of the system — but the bigger picture is about government colluding with the wealthy using tactics like selective law enforcement and policies that favor development.

**

foto: the lovely anna conda (sf weekly)

i've been meaning to post about anna conda & charlie horse for so long and of course now i'm sorry i didn't sooner. basically it's the best drag ever.

i have a soft spot in my heart for drag performance, especially the working-class kind in tiny over-filled dive bars and especially latin@ drag like the kind at b&b or norma jeans, a very soft spot. but... admittedly, i don't find most of it all that entertaining, and i don't usually last very long until i get bored. we were talking about this one time and ms. anna conda was like, i know! it's like how many times can you listen to whitney houston greatest love of all before you want to kill yourself, you know? true.

but anna conda & co. on friday nights at midnight, now that's some drag!!! their weekly show charlie horse was this magical combination of messy punk rock, bizarre vintage glamour, and biting social critique. the hair was piled high, the girls wore (and sometimes took off) amazing outfits. the music was always good, or self-consciously awful, either way a delight. and the performers worked their asses off, a new show every week! soooo entertaining, so irreverent, sometimes made me hurt from laughing so hard. the other thing i really appreciated about charlie horse & anna conda was that they saw themselves as holding down polk street for the working-class queers against the forces of displacement & assimilation. polk street for the gays! marina girls go home! as she used to like to chant. plus, at this year's september 11th show anna conda punctuated her mistress of ceremonies routine with a rant about colin powell being a war criminal. not really your average drag show banter. oh, i really wish it wasn't over ;(

**

for a little tribute to the beautiful & noisy event that was, here are a few fotos from charlie horse, and song dedications to anna, who is roquera de corazón. thank you so much, ms. anna conda, it was wonderful. here's a little volumen cero & jesus and mary chain especialmente para ti...

eres la queen... eres la queen... eres la queen...

la queen : volumen cero

i come around catching sparks off you...

head on : the jesus & mary chain

**

makes you wanna feel
makes you wanna try
makes you wanna blow
the stars from the sky

iranian cielito lindo

2009-11-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

de la sierra morena
cielito lindo, vienen bajando
un par de ojitos negros
cielito lindo, de contrabando

**

cielito lindo must be like the most mexican of all mexican songs, no? a favorite of our people, it's often performed mariachi-style and even contains the very mexican expression: ay ay ay ay and very mexican advice: canta y no llores / sing and don't cry.

and look! other people like it too. here is our anthem sung by persian folk roquero mohsen namjoo. delightful.

cielito lindo : mohsen namjoo

image : cielito lindo by jesús helguera

**

leili joon! thank you, buen viaje, & sí, para la próxima yo voy contigo!!

no hay nadie como calle 13

2009-11-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

at the mtv latin america awards last month calle 13 cleaned up! and not just music awards. residente (vocalist rené pérez) hosted the televised show and threw insults left and right, wiping the floor with various traitorous vendido latin american politicians: uribe (colombia), calderón (méxico), micheletti (honduras) & fortuño (pr) among others. he has a sharp tongue, that residente, and he uses it well! really, i can't think of another pop culture icon who has put such immense popularity to such good use. in addition to insulting the reactionary heads of state he also used the stage to advertise the massive general strike against unemployment happening that same day in puerto rico, and to honor the dead from the '68 massacre of students in mexico city and the south american disappeared.

the new york daily news has a good summary of some of the highlights:

Mixing foul language and stinging political commentary, Pérez said, “Latin America is incomplete without a free Puerto Rico” and called the governor of the island a “son of a b” for the controversial layoff of 25,000 public employees.

“I made him famous,” Pérez, 31, said of Luis Fortuño, the embattled governor whose belt-tightening measures have led to large protests, the likes of which have not been seen on the island in decades.

The five-time Latin Grammy winner also said the president of Argentina should “stop using Botox” and wore a series of T-shirts emblazoned with a variety of messages.

Among the highlights: President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia belongs to illegal paramilitary groups, Honduras’ interim President Roberto Micheletti “rhymes with Pinochetti,” as in the former Chilean Gen. Augusto Pinochet, and one shirt saying Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez has been “nominated for Best Pop Artist.”

The reaction was swift. In Colombia, Calle 13 was disinvited to a January festival in the pro-Uribe city of Manizales, and in Puerto Rico, the governor charged that Pérez’s words had “disrespected all Puerto Rican women and mothers.”

The mayor of San Juan, Jorge Santini, labeled Pérez a “tecato,” a drug user, and pulled the plug on a show Calle 13 was supposed to have in Puerto Rico last Saturday. In response, Pérez, who says he’s never used drugs, challenged the mayor to a drug test.

**

for tomorrow's latin grammy awards ceremony, calle 13 has received the most nominations and are likely to win at least a couple of them. they're also scheduled to perform la perla with rubén blades. that's potentially a lot of stage time! pérez said he'll be more tranquilo this time around. i hope not. you can see the awards, and any potential antics, on univisión. other performers include alicia keyes and the illustrious omara portuondo.

but hey ¡¡residente!! come on! some more left-wing travesuras tomorrow night? por favorciiiito?! atreve-te-te-te-te ;)

**

this song is from calle 13's first album. it was written and posted to the internet the day following the fbi's assassination of puerto rican independentista filiberto ojeda ríos in 2005.

here's the original version...

querido fbi : calle 13

and here is the tribute to the mothers of the plaza de mayo version. residente + visitante (brother) + pg-13 (sister) ...

querido fbi : calle 13

Muertos

2009-11-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

It's Nov 2 again. Time to remember the grandparents, light some candles, and enjoy a piece of dead bread (pan de muertos). All of this is done best, of course, with some musical accompaniment...

__
la dibaólica:

a few months ago, se murió mario benedetti. he was a beloved uruguayan poet & leftist militant, whose work is still recited from memory all over the americas. here he is with his camarada, musician daniel viglietti, performing "refranivocos" as viglietti plays "the devil in paradise" by violeta parra. ¡viva benedetti!

refranivocos / el diablo en el paraíso: mario benedetti / daniel viglietti

___
La Cumbiambera:

The original plan for this post was to honor people who have in the last year gone on to the spirit world. Blame it on the baby, but La Cumbiambera just couldn’t get focused. So I went back to an old favorite – Quetzal – and this song “Limones Agrios,” which was composed after the passing of two of the band members’ grandfather. The song is dear to my heart because the old man lived in Oxnard, CA, which is just down the road from where my grandparents live, and because the song's central metaphor is the lemon tree. The area surrounding Oxnard is home to a huge agricultural industry, and in particular citrus orchards, so the metaphor is not random. Neither is my attachment to it as my family, beginning with my great-grandparents, has worked for many generations as laborers in the very orchards referred to in this song. Today I remember those who work the land. La tierra pertenece a quien la trabaja.

Limones Agrios: Quetzal

Más Allá

2009-11-01T09:07:00.000-08:00

This post has been plagued by technical difficulties, so by now it might be old news that last Wednesday evening a man threatened to jump from the Crown Hotel on Valencia Street in S.F. In response, the police halted all foot and vehicular traffic along block between 16th & 17th Street on Valencia, thereby causing people to pool at the street corners to see if there was anything to see.

I was one of the passersby who stared up at the haunting skyline as the man sat at the edge, hunched over, legs dangling, with the October breeze as the only buffer between himself and the sidewalk that lay five stories below. Meanwhile, people stared. And took pictures. And called their friends. And said horrible things. As someone who has stood on that edge before, I was overcome with immense sadness and was reminded of a time when I was comforted by this song:

"Más Allá", La Ley

"Tengo ganas de brillar / I want to shine

y mi luz esta apagada / but my light has gone out

no tenía a nadie a quien culpar / I didn’t haven anyone to blame

y nadie culpabilizaba / and nobody blamed me

Hay algo más o algo menos / There is something more or something less

me da igual si mas o menos / I don’t care whether it’s more or less

dejé morir, dejé vivir / I’ve stopped living, I’ve stopped dying

Estoy hundiéndome en la oscuridad del mar / I am drowning in the darkness of the sea

aquí no hay aire pero al fin podré llegar / There’s no air here but I will finally arrive

Más allá …/ Beyond…"

"Más Allá" was written after La Ley's lead singer Beto Cuevas was informed of a young fan who took her life supposedly because she was obsessed with Cuevas and could not get close to him. I say “supposedly” because the purported reason a person chooses to end her life is never the real reason. The decision to commit suicide cannot be explained by the severity of a person’s particular set of challenges, but rather how that person’s brain reacts to the stresses in her life. This is why some people see their entire families get murdered during war and some of these people choose to keep on living. And why a person living a comparatively privileged life might go through a bad break-up and choose to kill herself then. I have done a lot of reading on this subject, have tried vairous types of therapies, have spoken intimately about this subject to many depressed and non-depressed people, and as far as I can tell, the bottom line is this: some of us are blessed with brains that have stable chemical balances. Others of us are not so lucky.

P.S. For insight on this topic, I recommend “The Mood Cure” by Julia Ross. Whether you are struggling with your own depression or have been impacted by the inexplicable behavior of someone you love, Julia Ross' easy to understand explanations of brain chemistry and its effects on mood shifts is enlightening.

pixies

2009-10-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

perhaps the economic crisis has hit hard the fallen alt-rock star community, causing them all to go back to work? obviously band reunions are nothing new, but in the last couple years even bands long long long gone like gang of four are doing reunion tours. really?! after all this time? my bloody valentine, echo & the bunnymen, the jesus & mary chain...i'm serious.

foto : ::katey::

which brings me to the pixies. or rather, pixies. three dates at the oakland fox. it's a bit out of the language-scope of the upcoming shows we list here (psst. there on the right!) but if you want to shell out to see them it will cost you $70 minimum (economic crisis?!) and you better get your tickets fast because 2 of 3 shows have sold out.

too much! but i am prompted to think for a minute about the greatness that was (umm... is?) pixies. there's just no one like them. kim deal singing softly over frank black's screaming is just brilliant. isn't it? also the bassline hooks kill me. still.

debaser : pixies

wave of mutilation : pixies

and of course...

here comes your man : pixies

Just Because

2009-10-26T22:01:00.000-07:00

Just because I’ve been listening to a lot of Andrés Calamaro lately.

Just because this song makes me happy.

Just because this video features viejitos and kids of color hanging out on city streets.

Just because this video features musicians taking over the sidewalk.

Just because.

Andrés Calamaro, Corazón en Venta

"Feliz navidad sangrienta..."

¡felicitaciones!

2009-10-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

my parents got married 40 years ago today :) feliz día to them!!

a couple years ago we were sitting around talking and my dad caught us all by surprise when he recounted to my mom the exact outfit she was wearing when he first saw her in his 10th grade english class. can you imagine? good god!

here they are on their wedding day. so cute.

felicidades, for sure. and now, because i know they like them, a little maná as a regalito for this occasion...

de pies a cabeza : maná

hoy te quiero mas que siempre
hoy te adoro mas que nunca

:)

wiki guinea pig

2009-10-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

i was a guinea pig for wikipedia last week! basically i went in and they asked me to make a "contribution" on wikipedia and then asked me lots of questions to evaluate that process. before i went i knew i was going to have to write something and of course i got nervous and started thinking, oh my gosh i don't know enough about anything! my mind would go completely blank when i tried to think of a topic. especially because i didn't know if i was going to have to make an entirely new entry or to contribute to a topic already in there. as it turned out it could be the latter, but still i didn't really have any ideas until i sat down in the research office.

well, el gran silencio to the rescue again. that's what came to me. i cleaned up a bit the english-language entry on those guys and really i think wikipedia, no the world, is better for it ;) jejeje. in appreciation for giving me something to write about i am posting this video which i don't think we've ever posted here, of their collaboration with celso piña. it's a great song and the video is another with some beautiful footage of working-class monterrey, mexico.

cumbia poder : celso piña & el gran silencio

Racist Halloween

2009-10-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

I don’t even know what to say about this:

Unfortunately, This "illegal alien [sic] costume" is only the beginning. Amazon also has a host of other racist costumes for sale. Thanks to the good work of CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles), Target has pulled the above item from its on-line store (yay!), but a whole slew of other websites are still selling it. The UFW has an e-mail campaign to get the costume pulled from Walgreens, Toys R Us, and Amazon (although internet rumors have it that Toys R Us has just pulled the item, too).

An even funner way to join the campaign is to go to one of the following sites and submit a customer review that reads something along the lines of “THIS PRODUCT IS A RACIST PIECE OF SHIT.”

amazon.com

buycostumes.com

If you need inspiration, you can read the mierda in support of the costume here.