Uncategorized
“Production, Launched!”
Oftentimes when a spurt of creativity begins, you’re really not sure how long it’ll last. The insecurity posed by such moments of hardcore awesomeness makes you work intensely. Savoring every moment of hard work, while at the same time experiencing wavering moments of doubt, you launch into a phase of uncontrolled productivity. This is what I experienced as 2011 finally came around.
I started the year off right in Peru by beginning to film in Lima. I had the opportunity to film several musicians and families, so when February rolled around I loaded my filming equipment onto a bus and began the month by taking a 14 hour bus-ride to Northern Peru. I had previously traveled to Northern Peru in December, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to film in this part of the country. Two communities in particular, Zaña and Yapatera, left me in awe by the dedication of its community members to keep the town’s Afro-Peruvian heritage alive, and I intended to use my camera to capture their efforts.
› Continue reading
Jungles, Caves, and Zapateo
After my first month in Peru I didn’t really think life in Lima could get more exciting. Meeting different musical artists during the month of September kept me pretty busy, little did I know the month of October would be even more jam-packed with musical goodness.
Soon after I arrived in Lima I noticed colorful posters, with toucans and bongos, plastered all over the city. Something, probably the bongos, told me these were most likely advertising a musical event of some sort. Sure enough, the small little toucans were enticing everyone to trek to Oxapampa, a small community in Peru’s selva alta, or high jungle, for the second annual Selvamonos music festival. In hopes of finding more Afro-Peruvian artists, and hopefully seeing a toucan, I bought my bus ticket.
› Continue reading
Easter Bash at the Beach
April 13, 2010
Photo Credit: Andy Kerkhoff
Yesterday, Andy and myself had a great jam session with two Malawian friends in the most unlikely of places….the market. To fully appreciate this scene, its necessary to have an idea of what a Malawian market feels like, looks like…smells like…sounds like. Imagine the center of commerce in any major city with all its chaos, arguments, tension and rapid exchange of money and opinions. Its busy, crowded, and has its share of characters…many of whom we were to meet. As chaotic a picture as I may paint, for many a vendor, going to the market is just another day at the office and life teeters on the edge of tedium. So when two white guys with instruments and two Malawians with guitars slung over their shoulders walk up and ask to play in front of your barbecue stand, the most logical response seems to be “why not?” After all, it’ll be better for business right?
› Continue reading
Fez’s Fatal Tigers vs. Casa (and the check-out line of shame)
We literally waited 10 minutes until a stretcher was retrieved
With tickets sold out, and half the city calling in sick, sidewalk cafés were packed with throngs of Fez fans in black and yellow, while Casablanca diehards sported their white and red. On taking our seats about 20 rows back at midfield, we noticed half the stadium was cordoned off. So much for sold out.
› Continue reading
Son Jarocho, Overexposed!
Recently in Xalapa, I found myself in the middle of a heated debate. I was sitting in the colonial courtyard of an artists’ cooperative, surrounded by a dozen local celebrities. They were a mixture of young and old son jarocho musicians who had gathered to discuss “the future” of their music, now that it’s all the rage in Mexican cities. The central issue could be summed up in one question: As metropolitan musicians playing country music, does that make them a ciudad de soneros, or soneros de la ciudad? That translates to say, are they “a city of [authentic] son jarocho musicians, or [somewhat less authentic] son jarocho musicians of the city?”
The debate was a chipper one—as students and teachers of each other, the group was a close-knit community who could take pride in the fact that their music’s biggest problem is overexposure. Still, their concerns were real. Is son jarocho losing its local flavors, now that young people are imitating hit records instead of their neighbors? Is it becoming commercial, now that hit records simply exist, and some fandangos charge a cover? Are fandangos becoming less instructive, now that the next generation of soneros is made up of Guitar Hero-playing, iPhone-addicted egomaniacs, whose shrinking attention spans and inability to hear anything that isn’t blasted through subwoofers mean that they’ve forgotten how to just listen?
› Continue reading
Up to four awards will be available to pursue projects around an aspect of international contemporary or popular music as a cultural force for expression. Preference will be given to creative projects that are conveyed in a dynamic fashion and are accompanied by a feasible plan. In addition to presenting unique projects on music as a global force for mutual understanding. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.
