Hitting The Ground Running
It’s incredible how time flies by. I just returned from a family vacation in Cozumel, Mexico a week ago. Last week, the biggest decisions in my life was which beach we were going to and what are we going to eat. Vacations are wonderful if you can get away and if you can afford them in the age of Obama, global warming and dark financial realities. However, it’s been non-stop since I returned from Cozumel. I hit the ground running because of my job realities as Music Director at KPFA Radio and as Entertainment Coordinator for this year’s SF Carnaval 2012. Add to that my DJ/Host gigs at Cafe Cocomo and special events such as the upcoming Windsor Carnaval. And balancing a home life with a family and I’m smokin’ baby!!! It’s funny how much you need to push your energy level to accomplish everything that you want in life. Well I’m ready…let’s the games...
Read MoreKeeping the engine running at SXSW
I’m remembering the whirlwind that was SXSW in Austin. You have to tackle a conference and festival such as SXSW with plans A to F. You have to be ready to walk a lot if you start around 11 am and go to the late nighttime hours. My schedule included interviews meeting artists, publicists and managers on Thursday and Friday which also means that you are missing something because something is always happening at SXSW. I was also sick with a cold the entire time that I was in Austin which meant you also have to keep your energy up through attending day time scenes such as the MTV Woodie Awards to catch rising blues star Gary Clark Jr. and juggle your time to see latin alternative darlings Ximena Sarinana, Natalie LaFourcade and Javina Mena jam with Mexico’s Torreblanca. In between you make the time to catch a bit of Springsteen’s keynote address before running to meet up with Bomba Estereo at the Omni Hotel six blocks away. Then shoot back to the Austin Convention Center to pick up the ticket for the Boss’s show. I had to eat a bite at the Sounds of Spain party where I could take a breather to enjoy a little dish of paella, chorizo and ensalada and savoring a glass of Marques De Caceres. I’m just talking about a few hours into Thursday. Let alone the night time gigs where there were showcases in every part of downtown...
Read MoreRecovering from my SXSW Hangover
I have recovered from my week long hangover from attending South By Southwest in Austin, Texas. I represented KPFA in my position as Music Director but what got me there was my coverage as a radio journalist and a life long passion for music. I was ill throughout my entire trip to SXSW but I did manage to interview some key figures in World, Electronica and Latin Alternative music: Simon Mejia, the brain child of Colombia’s electro cumbia gods “Bomba Estereo”, Jairo “Muchachito” and Simon from Spain’s rumba catalana fusion giants “Muchachito Bombo Infierno” and the fiery Nigerian songstress Nneka whose latest cd “Soul Is Heavy” is pulsating with hip-hop, reggae, funk and African grooves. I was one of the lucky few who got picked from a special lottery to attend Bruce Springsteen’s exclusive intimate concert in Austin…what an awesome show! A two hour, forty minute set with The Boss and his mighty E-Street Band now augmented with a 5 piece horn section (including the late Clarence Clemons nephew on tenor sax) and 2 background vocalists. Bruce was mighty impressive as he rocked the hell of the Moody Theater, home of tv’s Austin City Limits. Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Eric Burdon, Tom Morello, Joe Ely, Alejandro Escovedo and The Arcade Fire joined The Boss on stage! There is so much happening at SXSW that you are actually missing 10 cool things for the one act that you choose to see. It’s an endurance test to see a third of what you wanted to see in the first place. More to come...
Read MoreSF Salsa Rueda Festival celebrates Cuba!
San Francisco is the home to one of the hottest music and dance festivals in Cuban Music. I was contacted by Serena Wong who along with Nicholas Van Eyck organized the fourth annual SF Salsa Rueda Festival at the Hotel Whitcomb. Serena and Nicholas also are leaders of the renowned Salsa Vale Todo dance troupe. It was a joyful celebration of Cuban culture. I was chosen to MC and present 13 dance troupes who came as far away as China to perform their interpretation of Cuban dance from Rumba to Son to Timba. What a great show and a fine representation of dancing as large dance troupes showed their best Rueda de Casino moves while some couples displayed a full range of dance from dancing guaguanco to modern timba. Deejays Antonio, Dark Rum and Walt Digz played music that packed the dance floor throughout the entire weekend. I caught impressive live sets by Miami’s Timbalive and SF’s own Rumbache although I wasn’t able to make it to see Manolin, El Medico De La Salsa due to the Bay Bridge closure. However, I heard that he played a great set. For those who missed this year’s SF Salsa Rueda Festival, you may have another chance to check this show out in Las Vegas scheduled for this coming...
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