Talented, Beautiful & Beyond Artistic

It had been a little over a year and a half since I last saw both Ximena Sariñana & Julieta Venegas. A lot has changed since they last performed in the Bay. When Ximena last played, she was still working on the material which eventually became her self-titled debut English album, and Julieta Venegas was pregnant and exuding "mommy" glow.

These beautiful and talented Mexican singer-songwriters played a show at the Fox Theater this past Sunday. Ximena opened the show, wearing a remarkably relaxed style which consisted of skinny jeans, Uggs, a plaid shirt and a sweater. Ximena did not need a fancy outfit or excessive makeup, her music did all of the work. She delighted the audience with songs from her English self-titled album, some which included Different, Echo Park and the Spanish song Tu Y Yo and of course she had to sing one of her fans favorite songs, Mediocre. She addressed the audience throughout her whole set and went back and forth between Spanish and English. Her set was a bit shorter than I would have liked, but she made the very best of the short time that she had.

Shortly after Ximena’s set concluded and after a relatively quick stage re-arrangement, Julieta came on stage accompanied by a six member band. Unlike the last time that she played at the Fox Theater, this time around, a skinny Julieta donned the stage wearing a fabulous fringed and long black dress, hair down and styled straight.

She performed for almost two hours alongside her band. From just singing to playing the guitar and the accordion (which has been her staple musical instrument of choice). Some of the songs that were part of Julieta’s repertoire from that night included: Canciones De Amor, Me Voy, Limon Y Sal, Eres Para Mi, Amores Perros, Seria Feliz & La Jaula De Oro. It seemed like the concert went by way too fast, but I was extremely pleased. It does not matter how many times I get to see these talented women perform, it is never the same.

Do not forget to check out Ximena’s latest CD, if you have enjoyed her Spanish music, her English album will not let you down.


Credits: Another Planet Entertainment 

Political Activism & Great Music With Calle 13

I was thrilled to see Calle 13 perform at the Fillmore this past Saturday, the last and only time that I had seen them was last year when the band played the main stage at Coachella.

I tried reaching out to their camp, and possibly arrange an interview with Rene but, unfortunately, I was unable to finalize something. I did what any other fan would and bought my ticket three days before the show. The night the concert took place the show was officially sold-out.

The ticket stated that doors would open at 7PM, and the show was to start at 8PM. I was not sure if there was going to be an opening act or if Calle 13 was going take the stage past 8PM. By 8:30PM, there was no sign of the band and instead, a DJ played in the background. In a typical concert night, I would have been more than happy to listen to a DJ while I mingled with friends and sipped on some cocktails, that is if the DJ had been any good. This was NOT the case with the DJ playing the night of the show. I’m usually not one to complain, and I always try to provide a positive attitude to a not-so-ideal situation, however, being the fact that I paid for my ticket I feel the need to vent out and simply say that the DJ was AWFUL! Not only was he ONLY playing old music (mid and late 90s songs) but his way of mixing the songs was just downright BAD! 

I heard a lot of people in the audience complain, and I took to facebook and twitter to vent my frustration. I was also frustrated that it was almost 10PM, and there was no sign of Calle 13. Visitante had waved at the audience from the balcony when he first got there, and that is why, it took me by surprise that the band was still not on the stage by 10PM. At around 10:15PM, the band finally took the stage, the crowd was eager and, in Calle 13 style, they did not disappoint! (The next morning I found that Rene had messaged me on twitter apologizing for being so late to the show.)

Their performance brought the entire Fillmore down the fans sang along every single song. Not one person stood still. Being the political activist that he is, just before performing Pa’l Norte – Rene mentioned Arizona’s Governor Jane Brewer and her abusive and anti-constitutional immigration law, currently implemented in the state.

He also took time to talk about how the governments of many, many countries choose to glorify violence over education, his approval of the “occupy” movement, sexuality and more. Some of the songs that delighted the audience were: Vamo'a Portarnos Mal, Se Vale to-to, Un Beso De Desayuno, Muerte En Hawaii, Fiesta De Locos, Atrevete, Latinoamerica, Pa’l Norte, Tango Del Pecado, La Cumbia De Los Aburridos, La Bala, Hormiga Brava & No Hay Nadie Como Tu, amongst others.

Photo Courtesy: Claudia Guzman

By the end of the show, the crowd had forgotten that Calle 13 played later than anticipated; it was a fantastic, politically & sexually charged show. The following night, Residente, Visitante, Peje13 and the rest of the gang headed to perform in Las Vegas, to then to embark in the South American part of the tour.

Abs & Brains – That Is Mike Posner For You

This past weekend, Mike Posner performed at USF for a fall concert alongside Iyaz & Cali Swag District. Mike Posner is a singer, songwriter & producer from Michigan who is also a graduate from Duke University.

I was unable to arrange an interview with him, but I knew I wanted to see his performance and report about what the show was about. I did some investigative research, and found out that he was going to have a second show at a smaller venue in Redwood City (about 30 minutes away from San Francisco.) I showed up to the location early, and waited for Mike Posner to show up to stun the crowd (it was quite a young crowd.) A relatively new company called KNOXX Events organized the show, so it was truly humble of Mike Posner to agree to do this small show.

 
 
There were DJs playing throughout the night and an opening act, a young rapper from South San Francisco called Pmac. His performance surprised me quite a bit, despite being so young; he was confident on stage and pumped up the crowd with his set.

Mike Posner's performance moved from 11PM to 12:40AM, due to unforeseen circumstances. The real Mike Posner fans stuck around till the very end, and the long wait was worth it! He took center stage and started singing his lungs out. He apologized for being late and his performance ended up being longer than anticipated. At one point during the performance, the sound guy did not have one of the songs, fortunately a young lady in the audience happened to have Mike’s CD in her purse and handed it to him. In Mike Posner’s words, “Dalia saved the show.” He went on to play songs such as Drug Dealer Girl, Cheated, Cooler Than Me, Please Don’t Go, Bow Chicka Wow Wow and more. He took off his shirt to reveal an extraordinarily defined set of abs, and the girls in the audience went INSANE! 

Despite the fact that he had no rest prior to the show, Mike Posner performed his heart out and pleased his fans throughout the entire show. He showed what a true artist is all about; humble, caring and exceptionally professional.

Mike Posner will release a new mix tape titled The Layover, as well as his sophomore album Sky High, set to be released sometime in 2012.