#RecordOfTheDay “If I Was President” by Las Cafeteras

It’s President’s Day here in the US and rather fume over how our current and past presidents have let us down time and time again let’s do some visioning and imagine what you or I would do if we running the White Houes. No better record for this one by Las Cafeteras who offer what they would, which I’m 100% with.

Beats Not Borders

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Thursday, July 10

Doors open at 8PM at The New Parish (1743 San Pablo Ave, Oakland, California 9461). $10

Get your advance tickets now for only $10.  $15 at the door.

La Pelanga are teaming up with Las Cafeteras, Las Bomberas de la Bahia, and Culture Strike to bring you: BEATS not BORDERS, an evening of dignity, art, and activism that transcends borders in the Bay Area.  We have a great lineup of acts, artist, and organizations that have come together to create a harmonious space of love, justice, music and dance.

 

Podcast: Egypt and beyond

Frenchy

Hosts Arjuna (dj smokestack), Jacobo (dj pozole), Federico (dj papicultor), and May-Li (dj china tu madre) welcome special guest Daniel French from one of the hottest bands from East LA Las Cafeteras to La Sala. Our vinyl journey begins with classic sounds from Egypt then continues onto Tanzania, Zaire and Colombia before returning to California to connect the old with the new.

You can download and subscribe to it for free on iTunes along with all our previous episodes. Leave a review and let us know what you think.

 

Be the Change! – Las Cafeteras

Longtime followers of this blog may recall us promoting our amazing musical homies Las Cafeteras over the past few years. Since then they’ve contintued to bring their liberating music, combining tradtional Son Jarocho with alternative sounds of L.A. to many new ears. Checkout their version of the Son Jarocho classic La Bamba.

 

Dope right?!

Straight out of East L.A. they are now getting their bags packed to travel to the 2012 Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York this summer. All the while they are have been working hard in the studio blending their pounding afro-mexican rhthyms and uplifiting lyrics into their first album. In order to fund their trip to NYC and to finish their debut CD they started a Kick Starter fund and they are just a few hundred dollars short of reaching their goal of $11,000.

TAKE A MINUTE TO WATCH THEIR VIDEO and if you feel as half as inspired as we do by their project back them like we all have.

In Solidarity,

DJ Pozole

 

6 8 time, con ganas

Sometimes I like to kick start my mornings with a nice strong 6 8 rhythm. My theory is that it’s good for circulation, since I can feel my blood accelerate while I listen. Son Jarocho and Joropo are my two favourite cousins of 6 8 time: Son Jarocho from Veracruz, Mexico, and Joropo from the plains of Colombia and Venezuela.

Son Jarocho

Over Memorial Day weekend we were incredibly blessed with a visit and spontaneous performance by L@s Cafeter@s from Los Angeles, who came to visit us from LA and play some fútbol. Juancho posted a live recording of their show that night, and I’d like to share another, from their live CD. Definitely keep your ears open to the footwork (zapateo) in the recording, because more fancy footwork awaits you in the Joropo post below. The music also features  a marimbol – bass and mbira in one instrument! I can’t wait to get my hands on one of those…

El Cascabel by Las Cafeteras

El Cascabel

Look for L@s Cafeter@s at the Eastside Café in El Sereno, Los Angeles, contact them for classes on how to play, or find more info here

(Note: a very different version of this same song was posted by Juancho here)

Joropo

They say you haven’t truly heard maracas (called capachos in los llanos de Venezuela and Colombia) until you hear Joropo. And perhaps you haven’t really seen a harp being played until you see one of these rockstars pulling their crazy harp antics –playing above their head and even behind their back. Here’s a little treat we picked up in Colombia for you:

Llanero De Condicion by Rene Devia

Llanero De Condicion

The Colombian Grupo Cimarron is also continuing to evolve this form. There’s a treat for you at the end of the clip: some dance footwork that’s so fast, it’s a blur:

(Apparently it helps to start learning young!)

Hope this helps get you going this Monday morning!

China Tu Madre

Son Jarocho Live @ La Pelanga

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(Photos by Roseli Ilano)

 

 

 

 

This past weekend, Son Jarocho/Las Cafeteras from LA blessed La Pelanga with some truly beautiful music. A special shout to them, and to the whole LWFC and Futbolistas fam. Thank you all for making the Copa a success. You’re all welcome anytime back here in Oaklandia.

Abrazos,

juancho

La Pelanga by Son Jarocho

La Pelanga