After a decade of inspiring social change through the performing arts, Teatro Luna, Chicago’s first and only all-Latina theater, has opened LUNA CENTRAL, a community multi-venue center to continue expanding their mission of providing a space for artists and organizations to create conversations and productions on diversity issues.
Executive Director, Alexandra Meda, and the talented women at Teatro Luna have been developing this idea for years. ”We believe in the power of performance to change lives, to impact social change around the country and having a home only helps forward that tenfold,” says Meda.
LUNA CENTRAL, a community driven center, located at 3914 N. Clark St. provides a home for special events, meetings, productions, concerts, screenings and live performances and more at affordable rates in addition to offering free resources and programming.
The center aims to provide a forum for political, social and educational outreach. It’ll continue Teatro Luna’s vision of giving a voice to those who historically have not had one. “We are dedicated to expanding the range of opportunities for Latina/Hispana artists on Chicago stages and beyond,” Meda explains.
Now in it’s 11th season–dedicated to immigration, race and borders– LUNA CENTRAL located at 3914 N. Clark St. sets the stage for their current play, CROSSED: IMMIGRANT=MEXICAN? running through March 18. The play tackles the notion of what it means to be an immigrant in the U.S. and explores the stereotypes and struggles that come with this status.
Be sure to visit the much anticipated LUNA CENTRAL, Lakeview’s first Arts Center dedicated to creating diverse work and hoping to make an impact with and for the community.
Performance at the Old Town School of Folk Music |Photo taken by Te Ven
Wednesday night was a big night for cultural and social events. The Old Town School of Folk Music hosted their first commissioned event of five, titled Paseo Jarocho. We got some shaky video of one of the best parts: Son Jarocho blended with Middle Eastern and Flamenco music. It was beautifully stunning as the audience was allowed to view the cultural connections Latinos carry across the world.
“Old Town School comissioned the piece three or four months ago and we started getting together with one or another group every week,” said Jaime Garza, who plays the Leona for Son Del Viento. “Then last month [we met] three times a week with different bands [from different] regions.”
From baroque music to Moroccan music, Son Jarocho to the Caribbean Bomba, the night exemplified just how similar cultures are musically. The idea of having all of those sounds on stage was absolutely stunning and brought about a pride in the demonstration of the similarities that lie in our connected cultures.
“Centuries in the making,” Garza said.
Before the Spanish inquisition, Muslims lived and ruled Spain, bringing in their music from various parts of the surrounding areas, heavy in stringed instruments and light beats. Because of geographical closeness of Morocco, the African rhythms also crept in to Spain and all of those pieces and elements resulted in the creation of Flamenco which incorporated many Middle Eastern sounds as well. Bomba, originating in the northeast regions of Puerto Rico, came from African slaves from Ghana in the 1800s.
(Lower the volume when listening to improve sound.)
The anticipation and excitement walking into a place crowded with the sounds of scratching, beats and buzzing conversation, The Shrine couldn’t have been a better venue for this event. DJs and music lovers filled the room waiting for a repetition of Vocalo’s first battle which rumor had it, was epic; 12 DJs mixing head to head showing off their best techniques, style, creativity and music selections. Now down to seven of the best DJs Chicago had to offer, ranging from all different styles, were gearing up to prove once more that they were worthy to be part of Vocalo’s DJ Collective, which list of names can intimidate anyone. The decks were set, vinyl being pulled out, laptops, speakers, mic checks and competing DJs ironing out their nerves, to what will indeed be a very interesting night. All I know was that I was ready to hear some great music, and had my dancing shoes ready.
DJ Shazam Bangles, Ivan Drago prepares his set at the Shrine | Photo via @NorthSideLou Twitter stream
Vocalo starts off the night reminiscing about their last night at Simone’s when the “The Quest of the Best” started. With cheers from the ever-growing crowd, excitement and anticipation started to increase. Who will impress us the most with their technique and style? Who will make ME dance? What new DJ will I become a fan of? Indeed I was not the only one thinking about these same questions.
The guideline of the set up was that the seven competitors had 15 minutes to play their set to show off their style and what encompasses them as a DJ. So it starts 5.4.3.2.1…
DJ Ambideckstriks glides up first to the decks ready to throw down. He set a high bar for the rest, showing the crowd why indeed he is called Ambideckstriks, showing us his technique that was distinctive, using the audio footage of Vocalo’s DJs to prove why he was there, and getting the crowd warmed up, he set the mood for the rest of the night.
Next up was DJ Cab, a Miami based DJ that jumped on the decks not only showing his technique and style, but his confident dance moves. He integrated Miami’s Latin heat, to Chicago’s beats and of course his merengue dance moves.
With the crowd into the groove of the great vibes, next up to thrown down was Chicago’s very own DJ John Simmons. Simmons set himself apart from the rest simply in one way– producing an all vinyl set. No laptop, no Serato, just “pure wax.” As Simmons plays his first track the whole room cheers and everyone begins to just let go and dance. How could you not play house?! Man, were my feet happy, reminiscing on summer nights in the Chi (despite it being cold outside). Playing oldies and familiar house tracks, the whole room began grooving, signing along and having a great time with Simmons’ set.
Next up was DJ Intel, bringing a hip-hop Indie flavor to the night, standing out from the rest with music selection and creativity, his technique was on point and got the crowd moving to a different beat. Even throwing in The Strokes, “Last night” sampler shocked the crowd. After four completely different techniques and styles, I stood there thinking, “How in the world are they going to choose?! They are all sooo different! Thank God I’m not a judge!” But in reality, I had my favorites (wink wink).
After taking a short break and hearing the rhymes and beats from a local rap artist, Vocalo reminds the crowd of the DJs that have preformed. Three left, and then they choose a new member to join their team. Up next was DJ Shazam Bangles, (can I say that I love the name) who wowed us with his music selection, which was very different from what we heard that night. He had the crowd and judges mesmerized with his selections and cuts.
Two more to go, DJ Newlife bought a vibe that was unlike any other, bringing in some Latin vibes and great beats that got this diverse crowd dancing. His scratching and blending techniques really had the crowd going. To close out the night’s competition we had DJ Shred One, not only did this DJ bring a whole new funk flavor, but she was the only girl in the whole competition to make it to the finale. She had her R&B and soul feel which had me excited. (GIRL POWER!)
After seven great performances the time had come: who will win this DJ battle? The Vocalo judges deliberate. After what seemed like hours, days even, the judges come out and announce that they have made a final decision to have a final three. These final three would then compete in a “sudden death round” to compete for the top spot. DJ Intel, Shazam Bangles and Shred One were named the final three (I must say…I soooo called it). They then competed in the “sudden death round” DJing head-to-head showing the crowd more of their style and technique to win this final spot. After minuets of more great vibes and awesome styling, the Vocalo judges come together to make yet another hard decision.
In the end they announce that the best DJ who would complete the collective and bring new style, technique and a great energy were not just one but TWO new DJs; DJ Shazam Bangles and Shred One! The crowd cheered in agreement and continued spreading good vibes and dancing the night away.
All in all, it was a great night. I haven’t been in this scene in a while, but it made me remember why I love music–originality and creativity brought me back. I give mad respect to DJs; it takes guts and confidence to really share your story through music in front of a tough crowd of hardcore music lovers. It was amazing to be back and being able to experience this event and I hope that there are more of these in the near future. Thanks Vocalo!
Want to take a listen of each? Check out SoundCloud:
Mike Oquendo has been putting his productions on stage at Joe’s on Weed Street for the last 10 years. Last year, they celebrated 114 performances, he said Sunday night. Walking into Joe’s, the front bar was packed with people, mostly all Latino talking about being there for the Fullerton Experience. The house itself was jam packed, sold out for the second show of the evening.
“We’ve been putting shows on here for the last 10 years and this, mi gente, is the show that I’ve been waiting 10 years for,” he said from the stage.
Before bringing out the players for “No Cruising Zone: The Fullerton Experience,” Oquendo introduced some major players in the lives of those native Chicagoan Generation X-ers who cruised up and down Fullerton Avenue on Chicago’s north side and partied at various night clubs located on Milwaukee, Fullerton, Belmont and Pulaski.
His special guest of the night was Kenny “Jammin’” Jason, well-known mix master DJ who had a WBMX show called Saturday Night Live. Opening a radio space for the freestyle and house genres that hit Chicago and its Latinos hard, it was the station and radio show that allowed for people to listen to artists like Stevie B and George Lamond and hear a mix of the top songs.
“What happens at a Mikey O show goes on Facebook! Take that picture!” Oquendo said as Cisneros and Jason stood onstage together.
The players came out to perform short skits, mixed in with a bit of stand-up performed by Chicago natives, telling their stories about growing up. From Antonia Arcely talking about roaches in the cereal to Gwen De La Roka reminiscing about voice mail greeting recordings, the crowd was receptive and full of laughter.
In the first scene which played off of the idea of a talk show, Wendy Mateo and Lori Diaz played mothers to Arcely and De La Roka respectively. The conversation went from outfit strategies to what kind of men Latinas in Chicago find attractive, which turned out to be the paranoid jailbird, played by Jeff Quintana.
My favorite of the night had to be a skit between Jose Iasel Gonzalez and Diaz. She ran in disheveled, while her brother, Gonzalez, stared at himself and flexed in the mirror. She screamed at him, asking if he had told their father that she was out at the club with her man. She said that the DJ had stopped the music and called her out, saying her father was outside. Laughs and high pitched giggles emerged from the audience. It turned out that her brother did tell on her and she left the room threatening him. Quintana walks in as their father and asks Gonzalez to demonstrate how he walks like a gangster. Needless to say, after punishing his son, the boy didn’t walk like a gangster any longer.
Another skit touched on the time with the Chicago Bulls were reigning champions of the world, or so it seemed to all of us Chicagoans. Eddie Martinez plays a student stuck at home studying as Gonzalez runs in screaming that the Bulls had won the 1991 NBA Championship. Martinez couldn’t watch the game because his mother wanted to watch her telenovela, Mar y Mar. He goes on to list various other telenovelas of the time like Dos Mujeres Un Camino, popular among our parents and older generation Spanish speakers. In the end, the boys decide to cruise Fullerton to celebrate.
Those who were coming out of the earlier show were being picked up by cars blasting freestyle music and making people dance the night away. Those who saw friends or relatives in line for the next show said hi and, “Oh my God, you’re going to love it.”
The night was sprinkled with “You know you’re getting old” jokes along with references to the ’80s and early ’90s. This hyper-local, Chicago-centric, Latino-driven performance gave those in attendance a reason to turn back time, reminisce about the “good times,” enjoy the music and have pride in being a product of Latino Chicago; a place that many know as ghetto, gang-affiliated and negative. If anything, this space and time gave people a chance to acknowledge those aspects and embrace it because although growing up that way was hard, everyone made it through.
What we gained coming out of Humboldt Park, Logan Square and Chicago in the ’90s was strength and dedication to move up and out. There are aspects of our community that you can’t avoid and unfortunately, although it may be scary, gunshots and gang bangers were part of the environment. You dealt and you got through.
I give props to this show because it gave its audience a space to remember, laugh together and yell every time a Stevie B song started playing.
The bloggers and I watched the Grammys and we had a lot of things to say about them. But this is a blog post, so we’re going to keep it short and sweet. So here we go…
Did you know that the Grammys cut out 31 categories, many of which were formerly claimed by artists of color? Our friends over at Latino Rebels showed this to us. Our bloggers also brought it up and someone said he didn’t like the fact that there was a lack of Latino performers. “But they have their own Grammys!” you say. Yes, but there are also many, many artists who claimed these diverse categories that have nowhere else to be honored or acknowledged. Check out the petition and see why well-known acts such as Santana, Ruben Blades and Bobby Sanabria have boycotted the Grammys this year. It’s caused quite a stir.
We loved Bruno Mars‘ performance. We’re convinced that Filipinos mixed with Latinos make beautiful babies. See below.
What more though, is that we loved his hair.
Bruno Mars | Photo by Getty Images
Another thing we loved was the fact that Adeleis back! And not only did she give one stellar performance, but she took home six Grammys! We loved her performance so much, that it totally overshadowed some others that we’ll get to later.
Adele with 6 | Getty Images
And so, if you missed the performance, we’ll show you that too. (We know this is getting insanely long, but live with it!) This recording is like you’re watching it from you own TV!
This was my favorite quote by Bob Lefsetz about the Grammys: “Less is more. Who made a bigger impression last night, Adele or Nicki Minaj? Who sold more records? It’s about music. It goes in the ears, not the eyes.”
Which leads us to the worst of the night. Nicki, what in the world were you thinking?! Because TMZ said it best, we’re going to let TMZ say it again.
And finally, Bon Iver. I had never heard of him before the award like last year, when no one knew who Esperanza Spaulding was and she, my friends, is amazing. So what did I do? I YouTubed the guy and I found the video below. There are more videos to watch and although he’s soothing, I think the Recording Academy was going for quality over… umm… Lady Gaga wannabe? To each their own, but in the end, Bon Iver (whoever he is) did good.
And last but not least, we hated the fact that Chris Brown performed and even more, that little girls everywhere were saying things like, “Chris Brown can beat me any time he wants.” No, girls! Latina Denial said it best in their blog and we will repeat: No, a man can not beat you any time he wants! We’re not even going to show the video because it was sad. Nice try to jump start your career but too bad it ended because smart women didn’t like the fact that you leave chicks with black eyes. Gross!
Los Amigos Invisibles will be part of the Latin American Festival in July
According to Songkick.com, where readers are assured to be the first to know about concerts, there will be a Latin American Festival 2012 happening at our very own Congress Theater on Saturday, July 21. You heard right and can you guess the bands that are scheduled to appear?
The Flamenco Festival is in Chicago once again, bringing with it an an impressive line-up of several flamenco artists and performers. The Chicago Flamenco Festival is celebrating its 10th year. It will feature performances, workshops and documentaries, giving Chicagoans a chance to witness as well as learn a little more about the art that is flamenco.
This year’s opening night included a performance by Diego Amador, accompanied by Jose Julian Heredia (bass) and Israel Varela (drums). Amador is an acclaimed flamenco pianist and singer whom by age 11 had learned to play several musical instruments and played the drums in a group called Pata Negra. Amador’s performance included songs like Calle las Flores and Tango al Latin. Some songs are just voice and piano while others include other instruments and hand claps. After the performance, the Diego Amador Trio greeted and joined the audience in the reception area, where people took advantage of the rare opportunity to meet and talk to an artist who has played such an important role in the flamenco movement.
When he is performing, his mind is in the music and the energy and passion he performs with is projected onto the audience. His immense love and knowledge for music is clear and it gave me the impression that he is a very dedicated artist and thus, very serious. However, Amador’s style appears to shift when he’s off the stage, seeming (to me) a little timid but also extremely amiable.
This is Amador’s 3rd time in Chicago and says he enjoys going to jazz bars when he’s in the city.
“I like going to jazz and blues bars because the music here is great. It’s what I’ve always wanted to learn,” he said.
If you missed Amador, you can see him again at the Chicago Flamenco Festival on February 17 and 18, where he will be joined by his brother, Raimundo Amador for the world premier of their not yet released record Black & Gypsy and if you happen to spot him at a blues bar around the city, don’t be shy, say hello.
** The Chicago Flamenco Festival takes place February 9 – March 15. For complete listings, visit www.chicago.cervantes.es, arteyvidachicago.com
Last night, the San Diego trio, Los Hollywood, hit up the Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville. As the opening act for Noches de Rock, which will take place Thursday nights, Los Hollywood was an excellent way to start the series.
The band hadn’t been back to Chicago since 2008, right after they won the MySpace Latino Battle of the Bands competition which not only built their fan base around the country, but launched them into the indie rock scene, playing at South By South West in Austin, Texas and the Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York City.
The band made up of Heidy Flores on vocals, Marcos Mondregon on guitar/bass and Gustavo Mojica on drums, recently ended their mini-Southern California tour, was only in for two days and had the opportunity to see Los Rieleros del Norte and K-Paz de la Sierra at VLive. The fact that they got a shout out from the stage, had an opportunity to hang out with Los Rieleros and got back stage access, threw Flores for a whirlwind.
“De repente dice uno de ellos, ‘Saludos a Los Hollywood!’ and I was excited!” said Flores. “He said it twice.”
The Cubby Bear performance started close to 11 p.m. with a fairly decent crowd. As soon as they took stage, people clapped, whistled and cheered.
Although many of us in the audience didn’t find out about this show until this week, it was still a good time. According to their manager, Guillermo Wightman, this show was planned a mere three weeks ago. They got the call, booked the tickets and here they were.
This was the first time for Mondregon in Chicago. He was living in Mexico for two years and wasn’t on the first trip.
“It’s awesome. It’s an awesome city and I’m happy to be here,” he said. “I was in Mexico and I was tryin to fix my papers and my immigration status. I’m happy to be back.”
Flores’ voice was as magical on stage. The music really spoke for itself. New fans could not stop talking about the sharpness and the beauty of the songs they heard for the first time.
Flores and Mondregon played a new song called Cucu, representative of the heart in love. Upbeat and cute, the song is a definite upside to the music the band is producing. Most of the songs, they said, are about love.
For the past few years, Los Hollywood have been in the process of writing and figuring out just where they want their new album to go. Within the time they’ve been away from Chicago, they released a second EP, which I didn’t hear about until last night. But all of those elements will be going into the new album produced by Thom Russo, which they hope will be out by summer of 2012.
“We’re very excited because we’re going to work with a great producer who’s worked with Johnny Cash, Michael Jackson,” said Flores. ” [In] Latin America I would say Juanes, Mana. He just recently went to the Latin Grammys this year as a sound egineer. He now has 16 Grammys.”
The music on the new album is going to be an improvement and a change for sure, they all agreed.
“I think we’ve grown in these past three years since we came. I think the songs are going to be way better, the production, everything is going to sound a lot better,” said Flores.
The three have been working tediously on the lyrics to the songs, locking themselves away until they emerge with a hit, they said. But they never try to force or finish a song just to finish it. The lyrics have to come to them, they said.
“We’re not machines, you know? We’re not always producing songs. Pero queremos sacar canciones que le guste a la gente,” Mojica said. One song in particular took them a month to finish writing. ”La cancion no queria ser terminada,” laughed Mojica.
“Some songs are like the first EP but everything is different. Things are different. Ahora los tres somos mas involucrados in the song writing,” Flores added.
Though the album isn’t done, it’s almost there. Once they land in San Diego, they’ll be going back to write more songs and finish the album.
The band played about four of their new songs, which seemed to hit home with the audience. Of course they played “No Te Aguites,” their fist single that everyone adores, “Te Quiero Tanto” and “Gira, Gira” off of their fist EP. People in the audience were definitely singing along.
Though their music is growing and changing, Mojica claimed that there will always be that “Los Hollywood” sound to their music.
“Even si tocamos cumbia, Los Hollywood will be there. Creo que es la forma que tocamos juntos los tres. Cuando nos juntamos a tocar, sale el sonido de Los Hollywood,” he said.
It definitely showed last night. They ended their 10-song set list and decided to play just one more, with which the audience wasn’t satisfied. They left the stage only to be invited back on by screaming, whistling and chants of “Otra! Otra!”
What people don’t usually know is that Flores sang rancheras and mariachi music before finding her love for rock and pop. Mojica told me years ago that that’s how he came to find out who she was. She was the girl that sang Mariachi and played guitar in San Diego. The first song they ever played together was Alanis Morisette’s “You Oughta Know.”
As she came back on stage, they decided to play a ranchera that had people clapping and whistling up a storm. The girl still has it.
Over all, it was an excellent performance on a mild night in the city. The band said they had a blast and look forward to being back again. Meanwhile, they have big plans coming up like visiting Colombia, Spain and of course, Mexico.
Have you heard about Ana Tijoux’s new album, “La Bala”? Featuring 11 new songs and a collaboration with Jorge Drexler, among other artists, this album is sure to be a chart topper. Politically charged, enlightened and groovy, Tijoux takes a lot of the energy from her debut album “1977″ and brings it back again.
I had the pleasure of meeting Tijoux at the Latin Alternative Music Conference is New York City two years ago. Very talkative, educated and charming, Tijoux spoke to us about her climb to the top. In addition, I was also lucky enough to catch her performance at Lollapalooza last year, where she packed the house. People of all different shapes, colors and backgrounds were there, waving their hands, dancing with her music and some were even singing along.
Her recently released single “Shock” from the new album has already been named “Single of the Week” on iTunes Latino and has been featured on NPR and this Tuesday you’ll be able to get your hands on the new album, which was recorded in Santiago, Chile and mixed and mastered in Detroit.
Because of student protests in Chile and other worldly events, Tijoux was inspired to write “Shock” and pay homage to the protesters of her home country. The rapper, who was born in France to a French mother and Chilean father, there due to political exile during Pinochet’s regime, is multilingual and actually started rapping first in French then in Spanish. Tijoux has also claimed to know a little Japanese.
Wait to hear the buzz more as soon as the album is released. For now, check out the video to “Shock,” shot last year in Chile.
I got there a little late. I ran the four blocks from where I parked with tickets to see Morrissey in my back pocket. I had been waiting for this, but didn’t think it was going to happen. Lucky for me, I have friends who think of me when they think of good music. I was going to get to see Morrissey live in concert.
So, I’m going to admit, I haven’t been a fan very long. Judging that The Smiths were around for only four short years, from 1983 to ’87, I had first made contact with them while reading “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” about a adolecent boy who wrote letters to a unnamed source about his life. In the book, the boy makes a mixed tape of which I copied and made into a CD. “Asleep” was the only song by The Smiths on that playlist and I loved it.
During those four years, Morrissey’s voice and Johnny Marr’s riffs had changed the world in five albums. The lyrics that Morrissey sang hit home for so many people, especially Latinos, which is what you saw among the thousands last Saturday night at the Congress Theater. There is a documentary I have yet to see titled, “Passions Just Like Mine” which talks about the large Latino (predominantly Mexican) fan base that The Smiths captivated in Los Angeles.
There was literally no room at the Theater to get a clear view of Morrissey and his hair and his style. The back drops changed colors from red to blue as he sang. People downstairs in the mob, danced and put their fists up in the air with every lyric. Others danced and everyone sang along to classic songs like, “Everyday is Like Sunday” and “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” and “First of the Gang to Die” and “When I Last Spoke To Carol.”
It was 1987 when the band decided to break up. Morrissey didn’t realize Marr was going to pull the plug on the project, but he did. The two ended up in court over music rights, which cost Morrissey a pretty penny; nonetheless leading him to initiate his own solo career as the famed musician he continues to be.
The emotion was there. The people in the front row jumped like fish, leaping at the stage and the security guards stood there, waiting, surrounding Morrissey as he continued singing, not missing a lyric. His hands shot out to the crowd, gracefully touching their hands, some fans refused to let go. As others who made it on to the stage were being dragged away on their heels, the legendary singer reached out to them and touched them; a gift bestowed to so few.
As it was pointed out in the documentary, “The Importance of Being Morrissey,” most of those leaping at the singer are men, not women. As one writer put it, “I think it speaks to the homosexual component of heterosexual men.”
The relationship between Morrissey and his audience is amazing. The feel, the calm soothing voice can make anyone believe that it’s all going to be OK. There is a sense of hope in all of his songs which read like poetry and sound so unique, the language that protrudes in his music cannot be distinctly described. Just read this piece, which is pretty long, taken from Believer Magazine. In this article titled “The Passion of Morrissey,” the writer talks about this fine line that the singer has crossed, between religious icon and a musical superstar.
It’s as if his touch could cure, says “The Importance of Being Morrissey.” And to some, rightfully so. The night ended early as a mere 90 minutes set came to a close while crazy fans leaped on stage in attempts at one last touch or sight of the passionate singer. The band came out for one last bow and the lights suddenly turned on in the 85-year-old theater. I looked at my friend who I found on a whim and said, “Well, I guess that’s it,” followed by an “Oh, man! That was awesome!”
I’m glad my friend thought of me for those tickets. Although, I still had an extra ticket in my back pocket, I’m kind of glad I got to experience this one alone, for the most part. It was one of those nights.
After a decade of inspiring social change through the performing arts, Teatro Luna, Chicago’s first and only all-Latina theater, has opened LUNA CENTRAL, a community multi-venue center to continue expanding their mission of providing a space for artists and organizations to create conversations and productions on diversity issues.
