It’s been a while since I’ve written about the city I love, even though the name of this blog is called Los Angeles Me. Originally, I wanted to write about Los Angeles and the music and cultural scene of the city that you don’t hear about in most Los Angeles publications. Los Angeles has been my home for forty years now and I love it now as much as I ever have. I have been blessed to live and be a part of many communities, geographically and culturally. I’ve met some great people in L.A.; some are still here, some have moved to other cities and some have unfortunately passed on too soon.

The sudden passing of Brendan Mullen over the weekend has much of L.A.’s music community in shock. Brendan, who started The Masque in the late 70’s, was, as Paul Tollett of Goldenvoice said, "The first promoter of punk rock in this town, everything started with him." I couldn’t even begin to imagine a Los Angeles without bands such as X, The Germs, The Go-Go’s, The Weirdos and The Plugz, just to name a few that played at The Masque. The bands that played there influenced many others to not only play music, but to create art and expand their horizons. It could be said that Brendan wasn’t just valuable as far as helping music in Los Angeles grow, but that he helped the entire city grow as well. 

I met Brendan while performing at the L.A. Weekly Music Awards back in 2001. I remember he said some very complimentary things about the band I had at the time and how honored I was that he did. This was a man who not only championed the punk scene, but also all music that had the same rebellious spirit. He had a way of making you feel good about yourself, which is probably why he was such a great promoter of music.

I met DJ Roger Más at Mas Exitos a few months back. I bought a few copies of his new single for Amoeba Hollywood based on the strength of his set that night and the fact that he is a label mate with DJ Lengua. Roger Más is a Bay area-based deejay that has a show on 90.7 KALX in Berkeley. He also spins at a few clubs, including The Make-Out Room and Skylark, both located in the Mission District, and The Missouri Lounge in Berkeley. His single is out on Club Unicornio Records.

Both sides are re-workings of somewhat obscure Cumbia and Salsa songs. “Baila Hihi” has a fat beat over a classic Descarga jam with the catchy “Baila, mulata baila” chorus. Personally, I like what he does with the Cumbia track on side B. “Cumbia Bonita” is a reworking of what I believe is the Pacho Galan Y Su Orquesta version of the song. Roger works the Cumbia percussion breakdown perfectly, which makes the track great for a segue from Hip-Hop to Cumbia or from Cumbia to something else. Deejays, I highly recommend this single.

Check out a Q & A with Roger Más right here, written a month ago for the SF Weekly. Also, check out a video made for “Baila Hihi”:

I tend to go on and on about Mas Exitos and Chico Sonido, so I won't bore you too much. Chico Sonido has turned into one of my favorite deejays. I've been to clubs where he is spinning with deejays with big names and he is blowing them out of the water. His vinyl collection runs deep.

What makes Chico Sonido unique is his mixture of obscure covers en español with the funkier side of Spanish language pop music from the 60-80's. Top that off with some Cumbia and Spanish Dancehall and damn, you got a party! So now you can take that party to your home, car or gym. Better yet, take it to your tiá's house and have her take you through memory lane! "cuando estaba joven..."

Chico Sonido will have his debut album out very soon. I'm sure it will be a funky Mexican freak-out for sure. Meanwhile, you can get his mix CD, Paisadelic, by clicking here.

Carmen Cosoli- Live @ The Santa Monica Pier (August)



Juana Molina- Sound Checking @ Santa Monica Pier (August)



Son De Madera with Martha Gonzalez & Cesar Castro- MacArthur Park (July)



Gomez Come Alive! Guest DJ Set @ KPFK's Travel Tips For Aztlan (June)



Chico Sonido & Toy Selectah @ Mas Exitos (September)

Now that fall is suddenly approaching, I started to reflect on the summer that is coming to a close. This summer was one of my busiest in some time. It seemed that there was always something to do and not enough hours in the day to do it all. Over the summer I played in two bands, did some guest spots on the radio, finished an album and played way too many DJ gigs. All the while, I went to work full time and tried not to fall behind on the Amoeba blog (Which I did…sorry.). With the economy being what it is, everyone is out there hustling. The days of making art for art’s sake are a luxury most cannot afford. Many of us are surviving on every penny we make outside of the nine to five. Extra money goes straight into the gas tank or to food rather than buying records or getting new equipment, where it had gone in the past. Still, I can’t really complain because most people who have two jobs do a gig that they don't enjoy and my work I consider to be fun and always a learning experience. Nevertheless, I could use a vacation.

These are some highlights from my summer. Not all of it was work related. Some of it was a welcomed relief from my hectic schedule.

1. Worldwide Underground
(Sundays @ Amoeba during July & August)

For a few years I had the idea of having a World Music DJ series at Amoeba. One day I proposed the idea to Jim & Karen, our bosses here at Amoeba Hollywood, and to my surprise they liked the idea. I was the “curator” so to speak, and I got together some of L.A.’s best club DJ’s to play the music that they love but don’t necessarily get to play at the clubs. The DJ’s that rocked our turntables were Anthony Valadez (KCRW), Jeremy Sole (KCRW, Afro Funke), Sloe Poke (Descarga, Sonido), Lady Sha (Lioness LA), Nnamdi (From KPFK’s Radio Afrodicia), Coleman (Firecracker), Chico Sonido (Mas Exitos), Drez (way too many clubs to list!), Rani D (Soul In The Park) & all the way from England, Andy Votel (B-Music, Finders Keepers). Each DJ brought their own flavor to the mix; from Afro-Beat to Zouk, the DJ’s took us around the musical globe. I also got to play a couple of sets as well. It was an honor to be associated with the DJ’s I listed above. Hopefully we will get to do it again in the years to come.  Thanks to Jim & Karen, Jayme, my sound person extraordinaire and my good friend Sasha Ali, who pushed me in the right direction by getting phone numbers of some of the DJ's I didn't know personally.