Immigration Reform Now!

Photo Courtesy: The Dream Is Now facebook page

May 1st has become the “it” day, when voices from across the country come together to march in support of a comprehensive immigration reform - local activists, supporters, and members of the community gathered around the country to show their support.

I was at the march in Oakland, and what I saw left me speechless. I remember the first march that I attended back in 2006, where thousands and thousands of people filled International Blvd. (One of the most traffic congested and iconic streets in Oakland.) After that year, and due to the opposition of both parties to support an immigration reform, the marches lost momentum.

However, what I witnessed today was moving beyond words. Not only were there Latinos marching with their signs, but the amount of supporters from other races was heart-felt. It is almost as if, what Latinos who support an immigration reform have been saying all along, finally resonated with others. Our broken immigration system affects us ALL – white, black, brown alike. The immigration “problem” is not longer just political; it affects the very essence of families who are suffering from the separation of family members being deported.

There were Caucasians, Filipinos, Black, holding signs, chanting along “what do we want? JUSTICE, when do we want it? NOW!” “Education, not deportation!” During the march, one thing was clear, more, and more people support the cause. It is no longer a “Mexican” issue, as many conservatives who are uneducated about the issue of immigration like to believe.

There were families all holding signs, little kids wearing butterfly wings, older people chanting as the march continued. One thing is true, all these people endured the hot weather for the same reason – our immigration system is broken. The gang of eight, congress and the senate must put their efforts together and finalize the path of citizenship for the estimated 11 million people who are undocumented. 

Oh Kim Kardashian, You Got Owned!

While I believe that dissing exes is never a good idea, some celebrities just need to get it (a reality check of some sort.) And, Kim Kardashian has one coming her way.

The latest diss for the socialite-turned-reality tv-celebrity comes from her ex-boyfriend Ray J. The latest music video for his song “I Hit It First” is ALL Kim-K from beginning to end. What can I say, does she seriously believe that her sex-tape will be swept under a rug, and people will forget about it? Think again…

I have a problem with “celebrities” who become rich and famous over something as ridiculous and mundane as a sex tape, especially when such celebrity does NOTHING, ZERO to help others, and instead indulge in over-the-top unnecessary stuff.

So, sorry Ms. Kardashian, but you had it coming!

I leave you with… “I Hit It First” (single available on itunes now.)



Video Courtesy: Ray J's VEVO channel

We ALL Are The 11 Million!

The subject of immigration is always a tough one and controversial to discuss, but I have always felt that it is my duty as a member of the media to discuss the subject. I, perhaps have an extremely open mentality about it, and fully support a comprehensive immigration reform. Some of you reading this, probably oppose illegal immigration. But, if you take the time to look into the subject in depth, you will realize that this critical issue affects you more than you think.

All of us know someone who is undocumented, a friend, a relative, a neighbor, even a co-worker. Have you taken the time to understand their stories? The reason why they came to the country undocumented? Yes, call it cliché, but those undocumented immigrants risked their lives in search of a better future.

I can write a lengthy post about immigration, but instead I invite you to talk to an undocumented immigrant, hear the story, listen from the heart, and reason with your ideas – you will be surprised and maybe persuaded to support an immigration reform.

By the time you read this, thousands of courageous warriors, community activists, political and religious leaders will march in Washington in support of a comprehensive immigration reform.

The videos below are a perfect example of the 11 million reasons of why we need an immigration reform. Define American is doing a terrific job at discussing immigration, and La Santa Cecilia created a majestic, yet sad rendition on the immigration issue.

Ah! The Greatness Of Spanish Electro-Pop

One of the best things about being raised in a bilingual household is the variety of music that one gets exposed to. When I was young, I would sit around the living room with my grandma to watch Sabado Gigante and Siempre En Domingo. It was while watching those shows that I discovered my love for Spanish music.

Sentidos Opuestos caught my eye right away because I am a sucker for pop music- their sound was innovative for the early 90’s, it was fresh and catchy, and it wasn’t long before Alessandra and Chacho gained popularity in the music industry.

Like with most, the duet took time apart (about ten years) to focus on other projects – luckily for their fans, Sentidos Opuestos has embarked on a return to the stage, and San Francisco was one of the stops for the reunion tour. The show took place at The Regency Ballroom, and despite the fact that it was on a Sunday night, the real fans came to support Alessandra and Chacho. Alessandra looked flawless! It is clear that marriage has done her good (she is married to Mexican comedian/actor Eugenio Derbez.) Chacho was friendly, and both of them mingled with the audience as each performance was cheered on.

The repertoire showcased some of their classics such as "¿Dónde están?" "Mirame", "Fuego Y Pasion", "Tu Y Yo", "Amor De Papel", and the fans could not be happier. The entire audience was singing along, dancing, and were mesmerized by the great chemistry between Alessandra and Chacho, it was like their decade apart never even happened.

The duet will continue with the promotion of their latest release titled Zona Preferente.

Padrisimo Magazine will bring Moenia to San Jose, for more information about the show, checkout the event page.





Credits: Padrisimo Magazine

You Will Fall In Love With - Emeli Sandé

I casually came across Emeli Sandé’s music, while watching one of my favorite shows – Single Ladies. Her song “Lifetime” played during season 2, episode 14. And, you know that thanks to the wonders of technology I was able to shazam the song and find out whom she was.

And that is how I fell in love with her…and I have been playing her music ever since. I shared my finding of her fantastic songs with a friend of mine who loves heart-breaking ballads as much as I do. “Where I sleep”, “My Kind Of Love”, “Next To Me”, “Heaven”, “River” and “Lifetime” are my absolute favorite tracks from her album Our Version Of Events. There is something magical about her music, it can soothe a broken heart, it can make you fall in love even more with that special someone, her music stirs hidden emotions (listening to  Emeli Sandé, makes me feel just like when I heard Adele for the first time, “Chasing Pavements” was the song that made me fall in love with her music.)

I recently watched the Brit Awards, where Emeli scored Best British Female and Best British Album, seeing her perform even if it was on TV blew me away! 

“I think I’m a very unlikely popstar. This is an album I wrote because I didn’t have the confidence to say these things in person. And for me, that so many people have connected with this album and have found strength in these words makes me feel incredible…” -
Emeli Sandé at the Brit Awards



If you are looking for new music to soothe your soul, and transport you, you have to listen to Emeli Sandé. If you appreciate powerful lyrics and a marvelous voice, her album Our Version Of Events is most certainly for YOU!

Some quirky little facts about Emeli Sandé – Her first name is Adele, which she chose not to use once the Adele that we know became famous, and she proudly sports a Frida Kahlo tattoo on her forearm.

You can pick up a copy of her album Our Version Of Events on itunes or amazon.




Photo Credits: Emeli Sandé's website

My Heart Aches For MY Oakland!

I attend Art Murmur/First Friday almost every month, in fact, I look forward to it. I get the chance to introduce this fantastic event to those friends who are either, not from Oakland, or have never been.  Last night was no exception; I brought along a friend, who although from Oakland had never attended First Friday, and was a bit apprehensive. She even asked me if there had ever been shootings, and I assured her that the night would be peaceful. 

We arrived at 27th & Telegraph around 7PM, and started walking down Telegraph, and I kept pointing out to her all of the trendy spots that had opened recently, we walked down 24th, so she could see the newly opened The New Parkway theater. We stopped by to check out a lot of the vendors, and continue on walking down Telegraph. We ate at Xolo, had a few drinks at SoMar, an ended our night at The Rock Steady down on San Pablo Ave.

It wasn’t till I got home, and noticed that a friend posted on facebook that she had heard gunshots while on Telegraph. I honestly didn’t think much of it, and simply responded that I always try to be home before midnight when I go to First Fridays.

My brother woke me up this morning by telling me that he had heard on the news that there was a fatal shooting at First Friday. I seriously could not believe it! Who could possibly taint such an extraordinary event? What was the motive? WHY? I checked out my twitter feed, only to confirm what my brother had told me... “Gunfire rang out in the aftermath of an event meant to highlight the city's creative resurgence Friday night, leaving an 18-year-old man dead and three other people, including a 17-year-old boy wounded, police said Saturday. It was believed to be the first time in the seven-year history of the First Friday event that such deadly violence had occurred. Killed was Kiante Campbell of Oakland…” read the newspaper article online. 

I was angry, sad, speechless… if there is one thing about me; it is how proud I am to be from Oakland. How happy I was when I moved back after residing in the city of Newark, CA. for three years. There were people who questioned my reasoning behind wanting to move back, so many of them asked me why I would want to live in such a violent city. My response was always the same; you don’t know Oakland as I know Oakland. I often get those astounded looks when I tell people that I live in Oakland, and there is almost always that one person with a snarky comment about how Oakland is such a terrible place.

My heart aches, it saddens me to see just how much violence there is, it takes away from how beautiful Oakland is, and all it has to offer. For the last few years,  I have even stopped visiting San Francisco as much as I used to, precisely because of all of the new establishments that have been opening up in Oakland in recent years. The art galleries, restaurants, bars, you name it, Oakland has it.

I am sitting here, reading the updates on the shooting, and I keep questioning in my head, what is it going to take for Oakland to become a peaceful city? Who are all the people behind all the shootings, the murders, the violence? Why do they taint our city red? The more I read comments posted on the different news website, the tweets, the notes on facebook, the more that my heart aches. As a community, what can we do to help? I am at a loss for words. 

I know a lot of you share my sentiment; you love Oakland as much as I do. We, the Oaklanders, know what is like growing up in these streets, we are the generation of educated people who did not let the reputation of our city ruin our future. We, the college graduates, the young professionals, we need to take our city back. What is it going to take?

The time to take action is now; we cannot let all these scumbags continue this non-sense violence. We have to do it for the future of our city, for the sake of the young kids who call Oakland home, for the people who have lost loved ones. What legacy do we want to leave behind? How do we want people to remember OUR city? 

Concert Season Kick-Off With MUSE!

Every January I feel extremely excited because that is the glorious moment when I start getting press releases about up-coming shows, or I get reminders about shows for which tickets went on sale months before, and are coming up.

My very first concert of 2013 was none other than Muse (one of my favorite bands in the history of blissful music.) The band was kicking of their The 2nd Law World Tour, and one of the Northern California shows was at the Oracle Arena in my hometown of Oakland.

I attended the show as a fan, I didn’t have to tweet about it, or take pictures. I was just there to enjoy the incredible show that Muse puts on every time they are on stage (the last time that I saw them was back in 2010 when they played at Coachella.)

If you have never seen them live, oh my! You are missing out! There is something extraordinary that happens when they go on stage. Take for instance the show in Oakland – Muse opened up the show with Matt Bellamy and a kick-ass instrumental rendition of the Star Spangled Banner (what band does that? MUSE! They do!)

The whole night was magical, colorful and musically mesmerizing – the way the stage was utilized, the lights, the screens, and how the band engaged with the fans. My only itty bitty complaint, they kept saying “San Francisco”, when the show took place in Oakland. While I understand that they are doing a world tour, and they are tired from playing numerous shows back to back. I think that the city where the show is taking place deserves respect and recognition. 

In all, the show did not disappoint! The guys played songs from pretty much ALL of their albums, here are some of the songs that were part of the repertoire for the night:
Origin Of Symmetry: “New Born”
Absolution: “Hysteria”, “Our Time Is Running Out”
Black Holes And Revelations: “Supermassive Blackhole”, “Starlight”, “Knights Of Cydonia”
The Resistance: “Uprising”, “Resistance”, “Undisclosed Desires”
The 2nd Law: “Madness”, “Follow Me”, “Panic Station”, “Unsustainable”, “Supremacy”

Photos Courtesy: Placebo1988

Introducing: El Gavachillo – Listen Now, Thank Me Later

Photo Courtesy: Claudia Guzman

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a show at the Elbo Room in San Francisco, where Will Abers (Wil-Dog) from Ozomatli was set to perform. But this wasn’t an Ozomatli show, oh no it wasn’t, Wil-Dog was ready to take this stage as El Gavachillo.

Can you imagine Wil-Dog singing rancheras and norteñas? Well, he does, and quite well if I say so myself.  I had already seen El Gavachillo performed once before, and I became a fan! If you like the Regional Mexicano music genre, you must check out what he is doing as El Gavachillo.

Photo Courtesy: Claudia Guzman

The show at the Elbo Room was terrific, El Gavachillo played for a crowd that (for the most part) had never heard this kind of music. He brought along El Regimen Sinaloense (a local band from the Bay Area that I recently interviewed.) Even Caipo from Bang Data got in the mix and was on stage with El Gavachillo and the guys from El Regimen Sinaloense.

I sat down with El Gavachillo to talk about his project away from Ozomatli, check out everything we talked about, you can also visit El Gavachillo’s youtube page for more info on his music.

El Regimen Sinaloense: A Band You Oughta Know!

A few years ago, a friend told me about a local band formed in Hayward, and that they were doing weekend shows at a restaurant/bar near my place. It was back in early 2009 when I found out about El Regimen Sinaloense.

The guys who are members of El Regimen Sinaloense, are all from around the Bay Area, and they came together to create a harmonious blend of music, and pay homage to the traditional Regional Mexicano music genre. These guys were not only exposed to “American” music, but thanks to their multi-cultural upbringings, they were able to grow up loving a terrific, yet sometimes underrated music genre.

I have seen the guys play several times, most recently at their show in San Francisco where they joined Will “El Gavachillo” (from Ozomatli on stage.) I had the opportunity to crash one of the guys’ rehearsals, where I got them to talk about their latest CD album titled  "En Vivo Rancheras Con Tololoche Vol.1.”

Check out my interview with the guys, and download their latest CD. You can also learn more information about the band, their up-coming gigs and more on their website, facebook or twitter.

Victoria's Secret Angels Strike Again

Victoria's Secret Fashion show has become not only a fashion staple, but a pop culture phenomenon as well - the pre-taped telecast aired on December 5th, and like every year, it did not disappoint!

I watch it every year, for several reasons actually. I absolutely LOVE all of the fabulous couture outfits. I resent not being ultra tall with skinny legs, Adriana Lima is my absolute favorite angel, and of course, being the music junkie that I am; I look forward to the performances, and the music that is part of each “trends segment” planned for the telecast.

Let’s break down some remarkable moments from the show, shall we?

The show kicked off with the trends segment called Circus – during the segment, the gorgeous, stunning and statuesque Adriana Lima graced the runway as a ringmaster. I died! I say this every year that she is the most gorgeous angel, PERIOD! She did not appear on the runway as much as I would have liked (neither did Alessandra Ambrosio), so I will assume that they are getting ready to hang their wings, and let the young rising angels take over.
 
The music that graced the segment played as follows:
1.    The Doors - Welcome to the other side
2.    Missy Elliot – Get Your Freak On
3.    Billy Idol - Rebel Yell

Rihanna was the musical choice for the Dangerous Liasons segment, seduction and sexiness galore! All while Miss Riri performed Diamonds, wearing a high slit black ensemble, pearls and all.

For the next segment, titled Calendar Girls, Bruno Mars performed Locked Out Of Heaven. 12 angels dressed appropriately embellishing every month of the year. Candice Swanepoel dawned Valentine’s Day (February) while Lily Aldridge dressed as a 4th of July goddess (her husband is Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill.)There was one model that did not make it down the runway. Karlie Kloss who wore a magnificent Native American headpiece – the outfit was controversial, and while you can find photos online, the outfit was axed from the telecast. 

 Bieber Fever hit the stage next – Justin Bieber performed an acoustic version of As Long As You Love Me, followed by Beauty And The Beat for the PINK trends segment. Justin kept a wandering eye as the hot models strut down the runway.

Bruno Mars came back to the stage for the Silver Screen Angels segment and performed Young Girls. This was the most couture & intriguing segment – jewels, draped fabric and itty bitty outfits. 

For the last segment of the night titled Angels In Bloom, Rihanna came back on the stage to perform a brand new song called Phresh Out The Runway. This was the segment where Alessandra Ambrosio wore the 2.5 million dollar bra.

If you want to check out more about the show, be sure to check out he behind the scenes videos.



Photos courtesy: CBS ©2012 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.