Joe Bataan made a return to the to the L.A. area for a couple of shows this weekend. My friends and I drove down the 710 to the 91 to get to The Hop in Lakewood where Joe was to perform. Entering the venue, I got one of the most thorough pat downs from the security lady. The dress code was in full effect: no baseball caps, no t-shirts, no white tennis shoes, no jerseys. The message was clear: you can lean like a cholo, but you can't dress like one.

Truthfully, the performance was not as good as last year's show at The Montebello Inn but it was still a great time. The sound at the Hop was horrible and I felt the crappy sound affected Joe's performance. His set list was pretty much the same ("Ordinary Guy,"  "My Cloud,"  "I Wish You Love Parts 1 & 2") which kept all the homeys at the show content. A special bonus for me is that the audience was mostly from barrios of the South Bay (Gardena, Compton, San Pedro,Carson & Wilmington, for those who don't know) which is where I grew up. On top of that many of the Long Beach locals...or shall I say...locos, were in the house.

There were a lot people with tattoos of their children, more than I've seen in a while. Lots of of couples ass-grabbing during the slow jams as well as more women with the pencil thin eyebrows than you could shake a stick at. In short, I felt like I was home again. It was good to be back.

It was straight out of a George Lopez comedy skit. It was Vatos with their ironed Pendleton's and bushy moustaches, Rucas on their arms sporting painted eyebrows and short skirts which some would say weren't "age appropriate." It was a tough looking crowd, to say the least. We waited in line outside The Montebello Inn to see the legendary Joe Bataan, The Afro-Filipino Latin King. In the 60's and 70's he released some of the best Boogaloo and Latin Soul albums on the infamous record labels Fania and Salsoul. Although Joe is from New York, he has been supplying the soundtrack to the slow and low culture of East L.A. since before I was an embryo.

 The Montebello Inn is a straight-up dive. The kind of dive you only see on the outskirts of Los Angeles. All the cleaning in the world couldn't wash away the stains and memories this place has seen. My friends and I quickly got a table in the back. We didn't want to dish out the extra thirty bucks to sit in the V.I.P. area, located a mere 15 feet away from us. So, we ordered a round of the strongest Margaritas I have ever had, in fact it's a good thing smoking is banned in clubs otherwise we would have been lit on fire every time we took a sip.

 After a mediocre opening band, Joe Bataan quickly came onstage. A fifteen-piece band backed him up and I prayed they would retain that old school flavor. He and the band did not disappoint. They started off with I Wish You Love Part 2 and launched into hit after hit. He played Ordinary Guy, Subway Joe, Gypsy Women, Latin Strut and his version of Shaft. Joe sounded pristine. He hadn't suffered any deterioration in his voice that usually comes with age.

 Quite buzzed, I continued to yell out my request for a recent Joe Bataan song entitled, Call My Name. I don't think that the oldies crowd was familiar with this gem, released on the Vampisoul label in 2004. My guess is that they were thinking, "Why does this guy want Joe to call out his name?"

The legendary Joe Bataan is making a rare appearance in the Los Angeles area. You don't want to miss this. Joe, who had retired from live performances for over twenty years at one point, has been doing sporadic shows in the homey hot spots for the last couple of years. He has done shows in San Francisco, L.A., The Bronx and Japan, where the slow and low lifestyle is still going strong.

Many of Joe Bataan albums are still available. Most of what was released on the Salsoul label that Joe Bataan started in the 70’s are still in print. Fania Records has recently reissued Joe Bataan’s classics, Mr. New York And The East Side Kids, Riot, and Saint Latin's Day Massacre. Vampisoul, the retro label out of Madrid has also reissued several of Joe’s classics as well as the 2005’s brilliant, Call My Name, a collaboration with ESL’s Daniel Collás that kept Joe’s funky Latin soul intact.






Both shows are in the hood, so if you really want to see the old school with their elbows up going side to side, you'll won't want to miss these shows

Friday, June 15 @ The Montebello Inn,
Montebello, Ca.

Saturday, June 16th @ La Conga Mexican Bar & Grill, San Pedro, Ca.

For those of you who enjoying kickin' it in a club listening to DJ's spin good music while you get your DRANK on, have we got a club for you!

May 17th is the first ¡de volada! night at 2nd Street Jazz in beautiful Little Tokyo. Three impulsive DJ's playing whatever they feel.

DJ La Luz (Lucas Brause) spins some great jazz, all types of Brazilian music, Boogaloo and Funk. He has a great show on 88.7 KSPC called Bright Moments. La Luz is starting to add Salsa and Cumbia to his repertoire, so as they say, Watchale!

                                                                                                           DJ Pan Dulce is Pati Garcia, who also has a show on 88.7 KSPC called Panaderia. Pan Dulce plays a mixture of Hip-Hop and Reggae En Español, Sonidero and Funk Carioca. Then she hits you with some of the old school Debbie Deb and Joe Bataan jams. You can take the girl out of Baldwin Park, but you can't take the Baldwin Park out of the girl.

Gomez Comes Alive??? hmmm... I like my Salsa and Cumbia, but I never mix them together. I keep them separated like two rabid pit bulls waiting to attack each other. I also like my Reggae and I love me some Old School Chicano jams, especially if it involves a Hammond Organ.