Archive for the 'Los Angeles' Category

The Eastside Band Quetzal is Back with a New Album “Imaginaries”

Published on February 28, 2012 in 2012, CD Release Party, Chicana, Chicano, Chicano Bands, culture, dance, East LA Bands, East Los Angeles, Events, Good for the soul, L.A. Cultural Events, LA Bands, LA Musicians, Latino Bands, live entertainment, live music, Los Angeles, Mexican American, music, Must see, not to be missed, Son Jarocho and The band Queztal. 0 Comments

Imaginaries from the band QuetzalWe are overjoyed that Quetzal is back! Not only are they back playing in the local area, but Quetzal has a strong new album that will keep your toes a tappin’ and your mind a thinkin’. Quetzal’s  latest album, Imaginaries, was be released on February 28th, 2012. This album blends the Veracruz traditional sounds of son jarocho with modern rock and R&B sounds to create a fusion that is very Los Angeles and features tracks in both English and Spanish.

If you haven’t heard Queztal before, you are in for a treat. You can sample four of the new tracks now from Imaginaries at SmithsonianMag.com. The available tracks are the title track ”Imaginaries,” “Tragafuegos (Fire Breathers),”  ”Dreamers, Schemers,” and the beautiful “Todo lo que tengo (All That I Have). After you get a taste of these tracks, we are sure you will want to support Quetzal and buy the full album on iTunes or on Amazon. These Eastside artists are nourished by their music, but they need food to survive.
This album, Imaginaries, is the first release in association with Smithsonian Folkways Tradiciones/ Traditions, known for releasing culturally relevant music of the United States.
From their website:

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the United States. We are dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among peoples through the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of sound. We believe that musical and cultural diversity contributes to the vitality and quality of life throughout the world. Through the dissemination of audio recordings and educational materials we seek to strengthen people’s engagement with their own cultural heritage and to enhance their awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of others.

Our mission is the legacy of Moses Asch, who founded Folkways Records in 1948 to document “people’s music,” spoken word, instruction, and sounds from around the world. The Smithsonian acquired Folkways from the Asch estate in 1987, and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has continued the Folkways commitment to cultural diversity, education, increased understanding, and lively engagement with the world of sound.

Quetzal is also back playing locally.  To keep up with all things Quetzal, follow them on Facebook. at Facebook.com/QuetzalEastLA.

Javier Hernandez, comic creator, will release THE COMA at GEEKS Comics in Whittier on Sat, Nov 19, 2011

Published on November 12, 2011 in 2011, Art, blogero, Chicano, East of the Eastside, Easy on the pocketbook, El Muerto, Events, Food, Free, L.A. Cultural Events, LA, Latino Comics, Los Angeles, Mexican American, Poetry, Stuff Chicanos Like, Support the Artist! and Whittier. 0 Comments

Javier Hernandez, the independent comic book creator known for creating EL MUERTO, the Aztec Zombie, will be releasing his newest comic, THE COMA, at GEEKS Comics in Whittier on Saturday, November 19, 2011.

Hernandez’s latest comic is THE COMA, which is about…nope, can’t tell you yet. You will get all that info below in the interview we did with Hernandez. Not only does he talk about The COMA, COMA CON, and COMA CAKE, but he also talks about his interest in comics, the movie that was made about El Muerto starring Wilmer Valderrama (El Muerto DVD link), and shares his advice for people wanting to break into the comics-writing world.

Also, check out his artwork that is currently on display as part of the UCLA Chicano Studies exhibit “Chican@s Collect: The Duron Family Collection”

- Interview with Javier Hernandez -

What what were the first comics you remember reading?
My older brother Albert gave me stacks of his comics, which include late 60s/early 70s runs of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, FANTASTIC FOUR, DAREDEVIL, INCREDIBLE HULK, BATMAN, etc. A great sampling of classic Marvel and DC comics.

Who are your main artistic influences?

Continue reading ‘Javier Hernandez, comic creator, will release THE COMA at GEEKS Comics in Whittier on Sat, Nov 19, 2011′

Chicanos and Counter-Culture at LACMA on Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 1pm

Published on November 10, 2011 in 2011, Chicana, Chicano, Counter Culture, culture, East Los Angeles, Events, Free, free - oh yeah - free, L.A. Cultural Events, LA, Latina, Latino, Los Angeles, Stuff Chicanos Like, weekend event, What to do, What to do this weekend? and What to see. 0 Comments

Sandra de la Loza, study for Raza Mural Remix installation, 2010

There will be an interesting talk at  Los Angeles County Museum of Art ‘s Bing Theater this weekend. Sandra de la Loza, Louie Perez of Los Lobos and Tomas Carrasco of the Chicano Secret Service comedy group will be discussing the influence of Chicanos and countercultural production in the Art Scene.

This will be a free talk. No reservations necessary.

LACMA is located at:
5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90036
tel 323 857-6000
publicinfo@lacma.org

Dia de los Muertos 2011 in Los Angeles (Day of the Dead)

Published on October 22, 2011 in 2011, Chicana, Chicano, Chicano Bands, Day of the Dead, Day of the Dead 2011, Dia de los Muertos, Dia de los Muertos 2011, East Los Angeles, Events, Family, Free, Good for kids, Good for the soul, L.A. Cultural Events, LA Bands, LA Musicians, Latina, Latino, Latino Bands, live entertainment, live music, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Free Events, Mexican American, Mexican American Bands, music, Southern California, Stuff Chicanos Like, Take the metro, What to do, What to see and Where to go. 0 Comments Tags: .
Dia de Los Muertos 2011

Dia de Los Muertos 2011

Have you made plans for Dia de los Muertos? This is a fun, yet reverent Mexican holiday that dates back hundreds of years. On this day, a National holiday in Mexico, people remember loved ones that have passed. Like Halloween, it is celebrated with costumes and candy. You will see many people who have painted their faces like a fanciful skulls. At many of the events, they will sell skulls made of sugar that you may decorate and eat.

Need some suggestions on where to go? Then, check out LA Taco’s incredibly comprehensive list of events in the LA area at http://www.lataco.com/taco/2011-dia-muertos-day-dead-los-angeles. As this is LA, there are some interesting offshoots from the traditional celebrations.

Among the highlights of the 30+ events listed on LA Taco’s guide are:

It seems to get better each year.

Latino Bloggers – August Meetup at the Far Bar

Published on August 6, 2008 in blog, blogero, bloggers, blogosphere, Chicana, Chicano, culture, Downtown Los Angeles, Events, Free, Good for the soul, LA, Latina, Latino, Latino Bloggers, Los Angeles, Mexican American, Southern California and Stuff Chicanos Like. 0 Comments


Image from Angelenic.com

** This was a post from a while back. Latino bloggers used to get together to hang out in the downtown Los Angeles area. Let me know if you are interested in having the bloggeros get together again at bloggeros@knoweverything.net.

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In the past, the Latino/a Bloggers have met mostly at cafes and restaurants. This time we will shake it up a little and meet at the Far Bar in Little Tokyo. The Far Bar is a great place to kick back outdoors in a semi-enclosed area (bring a sweater) with good prices on drinks and a great atmosphere.

The Far Bar at Chop Suey Cafe is located at 347 E. First Street in Little Tokyo.

As the Far Bar closes at midnight, we will have plenty of time to discuss what ever come up.

Question of the night: Do any of you use Twitter? Eastside Scene recently signed up for an account.

If you are a blogger that cares about Latino/a American Experience then please come join the fun. No agenda. No pressure. No RSVP necessary.

See you there!

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Los Angeles Earthquake 2008 – bricks fall from building facade

Published on July 29, 2008 in Los Angeles. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

 

Today’s 5.4 magnitude earthquake that struck at 11:42 am in Los Angeles did not cause too much damage around the southland, although it was strong enough to shake loose some bricks from a downtown building. No one was reported to be injured by the flying bricks.

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Dengue Fever, Kinky, 40 other major acts, and YOU performing at the free Make Music Pasadena Festival

Published on June 10, 2008 in bands, best of 2008, Community Building, culture, Easy on the pocketbook, Events, Family, For Lovers, Free, free - oh yeah - free, Great deal, history in the making, impress her, impress him, innovative, L.A. Cultural Events, LA, live entertainment, live music, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Free Events, make music pasadena, music, Must see, not to be missed, pasadena, San Gabriel Valley, sgv, Southern California, Take the metro and weekend event. 0 Comments Tags: , .

On Saturday, June 21, 2008, from 11am till 10pm,  Pasadena, Califonia will be transformed into a rosy musical free-for-all!

Make Music Pasadena will have stages in Old Pasadena, One Colorado, the Playhouse District, the Armory Center for the Arts, and Memorial Park to celebrate World Music Day. The festival will be featuring internationally acclaimed bands like Dengue Fever, Kinky, Nortec Collective presents Bostich + Fussible, and the Raveonettes. It will also share the love with amateur musicians that are encouraged to perform in the streets.
Seriously!

The mission of Make Music Pasadena is to “encourage the community to Make Music where ever and how ever they can”. The ExperienceLA website announcing the event adds:

Along sidewalks and on street corners, in alleys and building lobbies, parks and courtyards, strains of Beethoven’s 5th blends with a Zeppelin guitar riff and a Coltrane saxophone solo as Pasadena becomes home to MAKE MUSIC PASADENA – A Fete de la Musique event.
On Saturday, June 21, 2008, the longest day of the year, Old Pasadena and the Playhouse District will become a musician’s playground.

 A musicians playground…hmmm…I think it is time to dust off that guitar and practice knock, knock, knocking on Pasadena’s door. If not the guitar, bring the camera – the city is sure to be a great big photo op.

This is another great festival situated close to a Metro Rail station (Memorial Park stop). They will even have the Pasadena ARTS Buses shuttling people for free along the festival route.

See the full schedule of the day’s events HERE.

For more information, visit MakeMusicPasadena.org

 

 

Blogeros/as will meet at Antigua Cafe

Published on June 9, 2008 in Chicano, LA, Latino, Los Angeles and Mexican American. 0 Comments


Image from the Ensie blog

** This was a post from a while back. Antigua has since moved locations. Latino bloggers used to get together to hang out in the downtown Los Angeles area. Let me know if you are interested in having the bloggeros get together again at bloggeros@knoweverything.net.

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Our next Latino/a Blogger get-together will be at Antigua Cafe in El Sereno. This is one of the best places to get coffee and hang out in the Eastside.

*We just got the news that in three weeks this cafe will close its doors in El Sereno. They will open in Cypress Park in the summer.

If you are a blogger with a Latina/o-slant or a potential Latina/o blogger come hang out. No agenda. No pressure. No RSVP necessary. We are just people who like to share thoughts and information using the web.

Antigua Cafe is located at 4836 Huntington Dr S in El Sereno.

See Jackson Browne at 2008 Lummis Festival – for free!

Published on May 25, 2008 in bands, comedy, culture, dance, Events, Family, Food, Free, free - oh yeah - free, history in the making, L.A. Cultural Events, LA, Los Angeles, music, Must see, not to be missed, Southern California, Stuff Chicanos Like and weekend event. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The third annual Lummis Day Festival will feature, music, puppet shows, dance, poetry, crafts and great food on June 1, 2008 from 10:30 am  till 7:30 pm. The festival will take place in Sycamore Grove Park, located at 4900 N. Figueroa St. in Highland Park.

The festival gets its name from Charles Fletcher Lummis, the one of the first librarians of the City of Los Angeles, the first City Editor of the Los Angeles Times, founder of the Southwest Museum, and famous walker (he walked from Cincinnati to Los Angeles in 1884).

This year’s festival will feature a performance by the legendary artist Jackson Browne. Browne lived many years of his life in the area. A singer-songwriter known for his classic albums — For Everyman, Late for the Sky, and The Pretender — he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He also co-wrote the Eagles’ hit song “Take it Easy” with Glenn Frey. Jackson Browne is scheduled to perform at 6 pm.

Other acts scheduled of note to appear are Carlos Guitarlos, Mariachi Divas, Chapin Sisters, Cava, and  Culture Clash. CLICK HERE for the full schedule.

Although there is plenty of free parking, take the Metro Gold Line and save some money on gas. The Southwestern Museum stop is a short walk to the festival.

For more information, LummisDay.org.

 

Tierra, War, Malo, Little Willie G, Thee Midniters, Mariachis, and fireworks to celebrate the East L.A. Civic Center Grand Opening

Published on May 6, 2008 in Art, bands, Chicana, Chicano, Chicano Cultural Treasure, Community Building, culture, East Los Angeles, Easy on the pocketbook, Events, Family, Free, Good for kids, history in the making, L.A. Cultural Events, LA, Latina, Latino, Los Angeles, Mexican American, music, Must see, not to be missed, once in a lifetime event, Southern California, Stuff Chicanos Like and weekend event. 0 Comments

This should be a great free event.

The East L.A. Civic Center Grand Opening will be on Saturday, May 10th, 2008 from 9am till 10pm.  The concert starts at 5pm.

The East Los Angeles Civic Center is located at 4801 E. Third St. in East Los Angeles.

For more information, see Supervisor Gloria Molina’s website or this article from the LA TIMES.