I love Julieta Venegas, but my codo kept me from buying tickets to her show at Club Nokia. I hope that one of the music blogs would have a ticket give away. I entered a couple through La Banda Elástica and The Scenestar, but didn’t win. But my friend, Jake, did (and only because I posted a link about the Scenestar contest on Facebook). Unfortunately, his wife had a conflict with a graduation. That meant he needed to find another fan. That’s where I gladly step in.

I was excited for the show all day. Not only was I going to see Julieta, but Ximena Sariñana would be opening for her. I’d been following Ximena for a few years and really enjoyed her debut, Mediocre as well as her guest vocals with Volovan (“La Luna”) and Plastilina Mosh (“Pervert Pop Song”).

Ximena seemed genuinely excited to open up for Julieta and called herself a fan. She sang some of her new songs in English as well as “Monitor” over a loop. She closed off with the haunting “Mediocre”.

Half an hour later, Julieta came on stage accompanied by an 8-piece band. She wore a black tunic with some weird gathering that hid her baby bump and navy blue leggings. She looked a little eccentric but cute. She played guitar and keyboard — not accordion — for some of the songs. Most of the time she was singing and dancing, which the adoring crowd loved. She spoke in between the songs about some of the meaning behind them. She dedicated “Un Lugar” to all the migrants and those fighting against SB 1070. She told Mexicans to keep their heads up, “los Mexicanos tenemos mucho de ser orgulloso… Frida Kahlo, Pedro Infante, José Alfredo Jiménez. Vamos a salir adelante.” She dedicated “Revolución” to Soda Stereo frontman Gustavo Cerati, who underwent brain surgery on Wednesday to remove a blood clot. I was happy to see another Tijuanense, Ceci Bastida, reprise her role as part of Julieta’s band, albeit as a guest on a couple of songs.

Julieta Venegas’ setlist below.

Amores Platónicos
Limón y Sal
Bien o Mal
Algo Está Cambiando
Despedida
Algun Día
Lento (on keyboard, no band)
Debajo de Mi Lengua
Eterno
Un Lugar –
De Mis Pasos (con Ceci Bastida)
Sería Feliz
Me Voy
Original
Eres Para Mi
Revolución
El Presente (con Ceci Bastida)

Encore:
Me Van a Matar
Andar Conmigo

Shout outs to some cool people I bumped into at the show: Isa, Jessie, Marcela and José.

I missed Julieta Venegas’ appearance on Morning Becomes Eclectic today. I was too stressed with some work stuff.

Anyway, I’ve really been feeling her latest album, especially “Despedida,” quite the cheery breakup song. Julieta describes it as a “sensible goodbye.” (There’s something about Julieta and her breakup songs. Who remembers my obsession with “Me Voy” four years ago? (Yikes. Was it really that long ago?)

If anyone gets to check out her show in Ventura, I want to see pictures of her baby bump. I doubt it will compare to Inara George’s.

I’m a day late again. I also know that Chente isn’t a Chicano. Still, like Juan Gabriel, I can’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate his birthday and note his status a cultural icon for many Chicanos, even the pochos.

How many of us have felt a little more connected to the motherland after hearing Chente’s rendition of “Volver, Volver” or “El Rey”? I know I have. I came to this music through the most mainstream of channels: Chente and Linda Ronstadt. Still, it inspired pride, especially as I learned that some of his most popular songs were written by my paisano, José Alfredo Jiménez.

He may not be the best singer of rancheras, but he’s definitely done his part to keep the music alive and attracting new fans.

Below, I’ve posted one of my favorite songs. What’s your favorite Chente song? Any great memories of seeing him live in concert?

Vicente Fernández: De Que Manera te Olvido

February 3, 1959: The Day the Music Died

From Wikipedia:

On February 3, 1959 a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll musicians: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson. The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song “American Pie”.

February 3 marks a big loss for rock n’ roll and American music in general, it’s different for Chicanos as there were few of us out in the mainstream. We’ve all seen La Bamba and know the story of Ritchie Valens’ short-live music career.

To commemorate Ritchie Valens’ passing I suggest one of the following activities:

1. Watch La Bamba on DVD
2. Throw your laundry in the air and yell “Ritchieeeeeee!” in anguish.
3. Play some of Valens’ hits, like Come On Let’s Go (original version, not the Los Lobos covers)
4. Call your love and sing We Belong Together for him/her
5. Get a tattoo of a flying guitar

Rest in peace, Ritchie!

Zack de la Rocha backed up by Ollin at UCLA (October 30, 2009)

Zacarías “Zack” Manuel de la Rocha
January 12, 1970
Long Beach, California

Zack doesn’t need an introduction here nor do I need to list the reasons why he’d be on a post about Chicano history. Right? I mean, the guy wrote “People of the Sun.”

Zack and Rage Against the Machine did a lot to raise awareness about the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas in 1994. Everything can change on a New Year’s day…

Alejandro has several posts about RATM’s music and it’s meaning in his own life. He wrote about the one RATM concert I ever attended at the DNC in 2000:

It was [August] of 2000 and the Democratic National Convention was being held at the famed Staples Center, in Los Angeles, Ca. On the other side of the fence, Rage Against The Machine was scheduled to perform a free show that evening, and before you knew it, over 250,000 people had gathered to proclaim their right to say whatever the fuck was on their minds. I was one of them. Those previous shows were about to culminate into one giant “this is it” at the DNC, and it was to that night to which I traced my confidence and energy. [The Music that Made me Dance]

I also recommend PearMama’s slew of RATM-related posts.

I think I might re-watch Battle of Mexico City. It’s been a while. Some of the issues Zack touches on, such as the student movement in Mexico City, may feel outdated 10 years later, but he also touches on the ejidos and the background for the EZLN uprising. It’s also a reminder that the struggle for autonomy is continuous and fought locally too.

Yes. I know I’m a day late in recognizing Juan Gabriel’s 60th birthday.

But it’s been a busy first week back at school, job 1 and job 2 and it’s going to be a busy quarter overall. Enough excuses, back to Juanga.

Wasn’t he born in Mexico? What does he have to do with Chicanos?

Yes, he was born in Paracuaro, Michoacán. And plenty. Five simple reasons:

1. Though he was born in Michoacán, we all know he made a name for himself singing in the bars of Ciudad Juárez on the border. In fact, he’s always been somewhat on the border in both the literal and figurative sense. He seamlessly goes from pop to rancheras to disco to ballads. He’s coy about his sexuality, but it’s clear that he presents a different image of the stereotypical Mexican man and entertainer.
2. He wrote Amor Eterno, the song we all sing when we lay our loved ones to rest.
3. In 1980, he starred in Del Otro Lado del Puente a film about a young immigrant student trying to pay for school by singing.
4. He stood up to the man, well BMG, and didn’t record any music from 1986-1994 due to a copyright dispute.
5. Do you really need a reason? Juanga is one of those sacred Mexican icons, kind of like Vicente Fernández or la Virgen de Guadalupe.

Name your own reason. Why do you love Juanga? What’s your favorite song(s)? What about interpretation of a song written by Juanga?

I started loving Juanga’s music as a little girl. There’s home video of me dancing and singing along to “El Noa Noa” while on a trip to Kern River. My favorite song is “Hasta Que Te Conocí.”

I love Maldita Vecindad’s version of “Lo Pasado, Pasado” (written for José José).

Cal Tjader – Linda Chicana

Step 2 (and so on): I’ll share those later… we can’t give all our secrets away that quick.

You can thank me later.

And no yes, no someone has ever played “Linda Chicana” for me.

In the middle of Wednesday night’s Café Tacuba concert at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Lori turns to me and asks, “What is this, like your fourth or fifth time seeing them?”

“Ugh, no. 12th, I think.”

The show was part of Café Tacuba’s 20:20 tour, or 20 cities to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

The tickets said 8:15 and we arrived at 8:20. The lights were already off and the audience was screaming in excitement. Lori and I rushed to the pit and took our place on the right side.

For the next three hours Rubén, Meme, Quique and Joselo (plus Luis, their drummer) played songs from all of their albums.

Lori and I danced and jumped and sang along (me more than her, given that she doesn’t know their music too well). We got excited when we spotted our cousin, Rene, and his friend Edgar in the seats just behind the pit. Our legs and backs were hurting at the end of the show. Lori had never seen their dances to “Déjate Caer,” “El Baile y el Salón” and “El Puñal” — I’d never seen that one either — and was pretty amused.

By the end of the show, we were tired. From all the dancing and jumping. Still, I was satisfied. I got my Café Tacuba concert fix for the summer.

Highlight: The climax of the show definitely came when Alejandro Flores, “el quinto tacubo,” stepped out to join the band on violin for “Ojalá Que Llueva Café.” Before that he played a son jarocho song (name escapes me) and after “Ojalá” he stuck around and played equinto and violin on a few songs from Re. The addition of Flores really emphasized how good Café Tacuba is at crossing genres.

I also loved the fact that they played so many songs they rarely play live. I’m pretty sure I’d never heard “El Espacio” live. I’ve complained that they can be a little predictable in their live shows, but not this time around. They went from playing a good chunk of Cafe Tacuba to skipping to some songs from Sino.

Finally, I liked that Rubén was quite talkative. I would talk more if I was him, that guy jumps around the stage a lot. I also thought it was cool that he handed the mic to a guy after “El Puñal” at the “end” of the show. The guy proceeded to ask his girlfriend to marry him. I think he should have said “y yo te di mi amor en un concierto de Café Tacuba” before popping the question. That would’ve been cool.

Lowlight: None, really. I mean, I would have liked to have a seat once in a while.

As usual, I wrote down the setlist and took lots of photos.

El 11 and El 9 (I think, it was something from Reves/Yo Soy)
El Borrego (Meme on vocals)
Pinche Juan (short version)
No Controles
Alármala de Tos
Labios Jaguar
Rarotonga
Que Pasará
Recuerdo Prestado
Puntos Cardinales
Bicicleta
El Baile y el Salón (plus Meme solo at beginning)
Metamorfosis
Tengo Todo
Amor Violento
Déjate Caer
Volver a Comenzar
Las Flores
Ojalá Que Llueva Café (with Alejandro Flores, violin)
El Aparato (with Flores)
Esa Noche (with Flores)
María (with Flores)
Como Te Extraño Mi Corazón
El Puñal

Break (5-10 minutes)

Encantamiento Inútil (in the bubble)
El Espacio (in the bubble)
Agua
Quiero Ver
Eres
Fin de la Infancia
Eo
Las Batallas
Las Persianas
Chilanga Banda
La Ingrata
La Chica Banda
El Ciclón
Pinche Juan (just music)

Summer concert season continued last week with the much-anticipated Café Tacuba show at the Greek Theater. As soon as I heard about the show, I purchased pre-sale pit tickets. I’ve been to the Greek Theatre twice before. And although it’s a nice venue for a summer night, I know I prefer to see los Tacubos in a smaller, more intimate setting.

More photos and short review, highlights, lowlights, and setlist after the jump.

Review: Awesome. This was my 11th (!) show. No, I’m not tired of them.

Highlights: Mediodía; hearing lead singer Rubén Albarrán show off his voice with Una Mañana; and hearing all the guys sing! Also, they played two songs from Reves/Yosoy (2000), Locomotor and La Muerte Chiquita. I’ve never heard the latter live. Being close and taking lots of cool pictures. Finally, I invited a friend who had never seen los Tacubos live. So, seeing him awed was pretty cool too. Oh, and a little souvenir.

Lowlight: getting my toe stepped on and dodging dudes as they were moshing during La Chica Banda. I shouldn’t fear for my safety during the song honoring the women. Ugh. Dumb boys.

Set list*:
Seguir Siendo
Tengo Todo
53100
El Outsider
Volver a Comenzar
Y Es Que
Cierto o Falso
Las Flores
Chica Banda
Mediodía
Cero y Uno
Chilanga Banda
Una Mañana
La Ingrata
Esa Noche
La Muerte Chiquita
Trópico de Cáncer
De Acuerdo
La Locomotora
La Negrita (only the end)
Esta Vez
El Fin de la Infancia

Encore:
Eres
Como te Extraño
El Baile y el Salón

*NOT in order, this is just what I remembered, I didn’t write the songs down during the show. There were 4 songs during the encore, but I don’t remember the 4th.

For more photos from the show, go here.

Prior to Monday night, I’d seen Stevie Wonder live once. My mom, sister and I were having lunch at Roscoe’s after visiting LACMA when my sister noticed him sitting on the other side of the restaurant. I didn’t get a good luck until he walked out with his entourage. My mouth dropped, I could feel his greatness (or maybe it was the waffles?) as he walked a foot away from my table. As soon as I got the chance, I gushed about my brush with Stevie to all my friends who love his music. They were jealous.

That sense of amazement I felt five years ago made a comeback when Stevie Wonder came out on the Hollywood Bowl stage escorted by his daughter, Aisha and two sons. He proceeded to perform an incredible show. I can’t write a review. If I tried, it would

If I tried to write a review for Stevie Wonder’s show at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday, it would go something like this:

OMG!!! It was so awesome!!! OMG!!! I can die now! In fact, I almost died of sheer euphoria during “Sir Duke”!!! OMG!!! Stevieeeeeeee!!!

I’ll spare you the gushing and swooning in favor of pictures and video after the jump. For an actual review, check the LA Times.

Our seats were in Section S. That’s one row from the top benches. We were seated next to a loud couple. The woman kept shouting out her love for Stevie Wonder and singing along loudly and badly to all his hits. The man next to her kept whistling two or three times after each song. It was LOUD and really high pitched so it hurt my ears. Still, even their bickering during “If It’s Magic” — when everyone else was quiet trying to listen to Stevie and the harp — couldn’t ruin how wonderful and lucky I felt to watch a music legend live.

Tons of wonderful musicians accompanied Stevie, including a orchestra and a few of his children. He sang hits from the ’70s, like my personal favorite “Sir Duke.” (Sidenote: I really need to get back in the habit of making sure that’s the first song that’s played on January 1 each year. There were a couple of years where friends did this and those years were quite wonderful.) He also performed a new song from one of two to-be-released albums.

The beautiful thing about the show was that Stevie didn’t just perform his hits. He engaged the audience, made jokes, talked about Obama, and discussed the motivation for the show at the Hollywood Bowl (his mother’s death in 2006).

The concert, called A Wonder’s Summer Night, was also a bit of a family event. Stevie’s daughter Aisha, in the grey dress in the first photo, was on the stage the whole time as a back up singer and then during her solo, “I’m Going to Laugh You Outta My Life.” After her solo, Stevie sang the very appropriate “Isn’t She Lovely?” It was sweet to see him sing the song he wrote for his daughter when she was just a baby as she stood beside him. If that was my dad, I wouldn’t have been able to hold in the tears. Another sang a little bit of “Ribbon in the Sky” with him. Finally, Stevie’s six-year old son, Kailand, played drums during the last few songs.

OMG!!! It was awesome!!! Stevie!!!

I promised you videos:

“Keep Fooling Yourself Baby Girl” (the new song)

Aisha Morris, “I’m Gonna Laugh You Outta of My Life”