From Coachella To The Bay And Back To Coachella – On The Road With Ximena

I have seen Ximena Sariñana what seems to be about a million times (her song "Un Error", was my go-to-break-up-song. I would cry while singing along to all the tracks on the album Mediocre.)  I was lucky enough to have interviewed her once before when she performed at the Red Devil Lounge a few years back. Ever since that performance, Ximena has been busy touring all over the United States.

Fresh off her performance at Coachella (Weekend One), she made her way up to the Bay to perform at The New Parish in Oakland, CA. Although the show took place on a Sunday night, that did not stop her loyal fans from coming to see her perform.

She had an opening act, Diana Gameros, a soulful-Spanish-flare singer from Juarez, Mexico. She was on stage with her guitar and a trumpet player. I could not help but to compare her voice to that of Julieta Venegas. Diana addressed the crowd and one of the songs from her set was one called "SB1070" – a song that she wrote in protest of the tough immigration law that was implemented  in Arizona.

When Ximena came on stage, the fans were ready to sing along, not only to her emotional break-up songs, but also songs from her English debut album Ximena Sariñana. She was wearing the cutest outfit- a flowy floral-print dress, accessorized with tights and combat boots. She addressed the crowd in both English and Spanish, she has slowly opened up more to her fans and is less shy than the first time I saw her perform - towards the end of her performance, she even gave a fan a copy of her set-list.

Ximena performed a lot of the songs from her English album such as "Different", "Shine Down", "Echo Park", "The Bid" and of course she also performed fan favorites like "Mediocre", "Las Huellas" "Normal" and "La Tina".

Ximena is paving her way to becoming a phenomenal artist, her sweet voice, relatable lyrics and humbleness while addressing the audience is quite refreshing. She is heading back to Coachella for (Weekend Two), so if you are heading out to the festival, take the time to check out her set.









Credits: Parish Entertainment Group

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 

Ximena Sariñana (a singer you ought to know)

My liking towards Ximena Sariñana started when I was a tween and I used to watch novelas with my grandma. I had to be around 11 or 12 and here I was glued to the TV watching the Mexican soap operas Luz Clarita & Gotita de Amor (soap operas she was part of.) Who would have ever thought that some 15 years later I would be interviewing her?

She disappeared from her soap operas momentum and I came across her again when in 2002 I watched the movie Amar te Duele where she played a part and had also written and sang for the movie soundtrack. Well, fast forward to the year 2008 and I stumbled upon her latest facet, a CD titled Mediocre. If you haven’t checked it out I definitively recommend it! She has that jazzy, mellow vibe and her voice is worth listening to live.

Ximena performed at the Red Devil Lounge on May 18th and I was lucky enough to interview her (courtesy of UNION ROCKER) right after her sound check. She talked about her miniseries of acoustic concerts which brought her to San Francisco. Ximena also talked about how excited she was to perform these types of concerts which are more intimate and bring her closer to her fans. She has been working on a new album which is due to be out early next year (and to you all my non-Spanish speaking readers, her new CD will have songs in English.)

Ximena is all about twitter and myspace (yes, she still personally checks it) and is very into writing blogs to keep her fans updated about what she is up to, her time off, the things that inspire her songs and the music she listens to. On her myspace blogs she is known for letting her readers know about specific bands she is listening to at that moment, her taste is very eclectic, from Led Zepellin, Gorillaz, The XX, Little Dragon and even Gustavo Cerati.  When I asked her how is it that she decides to listen to a particular band, she told me that she is a very visual person. If she likes the artwork on the cover she is most likely to buy the CD (yes, the actual hard copy, no itunes here.) 

  
She was so sweet to interview and I must say that I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, what if she was a mean one like the characters she portrays in her movies and before in the novelas she was part of. To the contrary she was humble and willing to talk to the UNION ROCKER crew even though she had been on the road for the past 8 hours coming from LA. The concert was simply breathtaking, her voice is so gorgeous; I was so pleased to have been there and I cannot wait till her new CD comes out, yes, I will have to wait for almost another year but I know it will be worth the wait.

From her past CD Mediocre here are the songs I recommend: Vidas Paralelas, Un Error, Medicre, Un Error (my absolute favorite), Reforma, La Tina and Monitor (a cover/duet with Mexican band Volovan.)
 
You have to check out her pages (facebook, myspace & twitter) :)




 

If you dig Bob Dylan, John Mayer or even Juanes, you will enjoy Gustavo Galindo

How many times have you attended a concert and have missed the opening act? Be honest, we all have done it. We wait till the end of the opening act to get to the venue; meantime you are probably enjoying some cold beers at the bar or perhaps barely finding parking.

If you recently attended the Ximena Sariñana concert in San Francisco and missed the opening act, then you MUST read what you missed out on.

I have to admit that I was not familiar with Gustavo Galindo, being the good reporter/ journalist that I am it was my duty to familiarize myself with him. Here are some quick facts about him: Mexican American descent, sultry looks, he performed at the well known SXSW, featured in Latina magazine and under the wings of Gustavo Santaolalla, want more? Well, keep on reading.

Thanks to his go-getter management company Autonomy, the UNION ROCKER crew and I scored an interview with him shortly before he went to stage as the opening band for Ximena Sariñana.
Like with many up-and-coming artists, he was a bit nervous and tired from being on the road coming from the shows in SoCal but was nice enough to talk to me for a bit.  
 
Gustavo grew up in a bilingual household, went from Sacramento and ended in LA, listening from Mexican music, English rock and everything in between. He learned to play the guitar at a young age and slowly but surely is making his way up the difficult music industry. He recorded an LP in 2007 and by 2009, Gustavo Santaolalla had signed him to Universal/Surco.

Although his CD which is set to be titled Entre La Ciudad y El Mar is not even out yet, he already has tons of fans, some who have been following his gigs since when he first started. Let me tell you that he had a huge crowd when he performed at the Red Devil Lounge.

While his fans (and future ones) await the release of his CD, take a moment to check out his music on myspace, follow him on twitter, or "like" him on facebook (yes, he personally replies to the comments) trust me, it will make you regret all those times you missed and opening act. So, now you know, get to the venue early or you might missed out on an awesome performance.