What/who was the inspiration behind your book?
As the oldest of eight children, I thought my mother told me everything…when I turned forty, I asked her “how did you cross the border, Mami?” Silence. Golondrina is based on this secret.

What books are on your nightstand now?
Anacaona by Edwidge Danticat, The Hummingbird’s Daughter, by Luis Alberto Urrea, Burgher’s Daughter, by Nadine Gordimer, and People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks.

If you were casting for the movie version of the book, who would be your picks for the main characters?
Hollywood doesn’t always equal great actresses for this kind of role. For Amada Garcia Mistral – a very very good Tejana actress from the world of theatre. Jesse Borrego (from San Antonio) to play Lazaro and a superb Latina actress from Los Angeles to play Lucero.

For anyone planning a trip to your state, what’s on your “must see/must do in Texas” list?
1. Salute! Bar International on St. Mary’s Street (where the great accordionist Esteban Jordan played for many years) and the music on Friday nights will get you dancing like a loca, inspired by the fusion of conjunto-jazz. You don’t need boots to dance here.
2. You must go down to Brownsville and walk across the International Bridge (and the Rio Grande) to Matamoros.
3. You must go to Huntsville, to the “Walls” and see the prison industry. More than a quarter of a million –mostly men — are in prison in Texas today. Then you’ll understand #1. And start over.
Forget the Alamo!

About the book:
The golondrina is a small and undistinguished swallow. But in Spanish, the word has evoked a thousand poems and songs dedicated to the migrant’s departure and hoped-for return. As such, the migrant becomes like the swallow, a dream-seeker whose real home is nowhere, everywhere, and especially in the heart of the person left behind.

The swallow in this story is Amada García, a young Mexican woman in a brutal marriage, who makes a heart-wrenching decision–to leave her young daughter behind in Mexico as she escapes to el Norte searching for love, which she believes must reside in the country of freedom.

About the author:
Bárbara Renaud González, a native-born Tejana and acclaimed journalist, has written a lyrical story of land, love, and loss, bringing us the first novel of a working-class Tejano family set in the cruelest beauty of the Texas panhandle. Her story exposes the brutality, tragedy, and hope of her homeland and helps to fill a dearth of scholarly and literary works on Mexican and Mexican American women in post-World War II Texas.

______________________________________________________

Article written by Aurora Anaya-Cerda,
owner of La Casa Azul Bookstore

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lacasaazulbookstore
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LaCasaAzulBooks

Having creative parents may open the door to being creative, but as you’ll read in this feature, it’s apparent that creativity gave Ila direction, solutions and opportunities in her life, not to mention, the insight to see a series of green lights as a sign of destiny.

_____________________________________________________________________

BFC: I read that your parents worked as a filmmaker and author. What type of films and writing did they create? How did they influence your early years?

I was born in Boston, MA in 1984, and raised (after 1990) in Westchester, NY. In Boston, my parents worked together at their production company called CANTOMEDIA. When we moved to NY, my dad, Frank Cantor, continued to make documentary films, and my mom, Esmeralda Santiago, put her focus on writing. As I was growing up, she came out with her first book: a memoir called When I Was Puerto Rican.

My mother’s books and several  lectures about Puerto Ricans in the states amplified my pride for having Puerto Rican roots. Not only was she Puerto Rican, she was publicly representing our culture. I admired this growing up and always loved seeing all my Puerto Rican aunts, uncles and cousins, (and always meeting a new one each time!) and of course visiting the island, which we did about once a year.

Because my dad is American, we spoke English at home. Before school, I spoke to my mother in Spanish, but once I started interacting with kids, me daba verguenza hablar en español, so I never did. I’ve met many people who grew up in this situation. Ironically, as I grew older, I was embarrassed that I DIDN’T speak Spanish, so at age 18 I moved to Barcelona.

BFC: You said you began in the arts as a visual artist but switched to the guitar. What was it about the guitar that compelled you to make the switch?

With my mother steadily becoming more present in the public eye and my dad constantly working on interesting and sometimes quirky projects (from his documentaries to his sculptures hanging in the trees), I grew up with artistic prospects. Never in my childhood did I consider growing up to work in an office. I devoted my time to drawings which my proud dad would hang all over the walls, and my child artwork soon became the wallpaper.

Around age 11, I became more interested in music. I tried many instruments until I settled on the guitar. I took some lessons, viewing it as a hobby at the beginning, but then my older brother (also a guitarist) got a tape of The Doors for his birthday, and that changed my life.

I became obsessed with classic rock. I listened to bands like The Doors, Pink Floyd, Credence Clearwater, The Who, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin… at age 12 I was deeply upset that I wasn’t growing up in the 60’s and I couldn’t have cared less about most pop music of my years. Later on, the kind of jazz that appealed to me was traditional and my favorite jazz guitarist was Charlie Christian. I also immediately got into tenor players: Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Lucky Thompson, Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson, etc. Eventually, my inspired brother practically forced me to take a lesson with his new teacher, Bob Hansmann. Bobby proved to be a blessing. His method was valuable, concise, and creative. I had been against lessons because I wanted guitar to just be for fun, but after one lesson I was hooked and was, as described by my dad to his friend, “constantly practicing in the basement like a crazy person.”

BFC: You mentioned in your bio that you decided to forgo college and study the guitar in the real world. How did you come to make this decision? Was it at this time that you decided to go to Spain?

I started lessons with Bob Hansmann at 15. At 16 I was playing solo guitar weekly in a local restaurant. I basically quit all my other hobbies, including getting top grades, and practiced. My brother was going to SUNY Purchase for jazz guitar, so I played with him and some of his friends. I went to a Wednesday night jam session every week to meet more musicians, and I was sure music was what I wanted to do, so I applied to the jazz program at the New School University. After graduating high school a semester early in December 2002, my parents sent me as a graduation present to stay with family friends in Barcelona.

It was by chance that I fell in love with Barcelona and during my 2 weeks there played more jazz with people than I ever had before. Also, learning Spanish touched something deep inside me, and communicating with a whole new world of people was exciting. It’s no surprise that I came back to go to New School and all year long was dreaming of Barcelona. By my second semester I was a part time student, and by summer, I was accepted to a study abroad program in Barcelona for the fall semester of 2004.

BFC:What was it like when you first arrived in Spain? Did you speak Spanish before you went to Spain?

I came to Barcelona with a student visa and dorm-style place to stay for three months. I took classes in advanced Spanish, and some other electives I don’t remember or attended. Theoretically I was supposed to stay for a school semester like the other kids, but I knew I would stay longer, so after three months I found my own place to stay: a converted four bedroom an old building with wonderful, young, fun, Spanish artists.

I loved it: my room was windowless, my door was a curtain, and sunlight dangerously shone through the cracks in the wall, but my roommates were like family. Plus my rent of 115E allowed me to focus on music (and not worry about visa issues for working). By that time, I had a weekly gig opening a jam session with a Cuban drummer, and I was doing little gigs of my own and subbing lessons for my friends (which ultimately resulted in my steady two days a week teaching guitar). This was more than enough for my cheap rent, so I played at jam sessions almost every night. It wasn’t until the following year that I finally got a steady group together with my great friends: Joe Smith, Tom Warburton, and Fredrik Carlquist, (yes, we were a group of foreigners!) and we played gigs and rehearsed until I left.

BFC:You describe yourself as a Jazz/Experimental/Alternative musician. What drew you to this type of music?

By the time I was playing with my own quartet, I had already written several tunes. Composing has always been fascinating to me because I get the feeling that one can do anything and that freedom is inexplicably beautiful. That’s why I would consider my music to be experimental, even if it has elements of mainstream music. I remember first hearing the music of Reid Anderson (amazing bass player/composer/member of the Bad Plus) and seemed to understand something essential for the first time. His music is deep, playful, accessible, and intellectual at the same time. I like that. Another jazz composer I’ve admired and briefly studied with is Guillermo Klein (Argentino, based in Barcelona and leader of “Los Guachos”). I think he also has those elements. Some other of my composing heroes are Hermeto Pascual, Frank Zappa, and Igor Stravinsky. The latest is Dmitri Shostakivich.

BFC:You’ve recorded a CD. What can people expect to hear from your music?

One’s own sound is hard to describe but I’ve heard some entertaining attempts. One friend said: “Your music’s like Tom Waits meets Bill Frisell… no wait, Pat Metheny, cause Frisell actually might have played with Tom Waits.” Names like Frank Zappa, King Krimson, John Scofield, Thelonious Monk, and more seemingly unrelated masters have been mentioned to me when people hear my music. Everybody makes their own connotation which I think is cool; everybody has a personal relationship to any art they come across. I guess they say: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder… or something.

But to try to explain it myself, I think my music can be simple and catchy, but it holds surprises. It has an element of trickiness that is amusing to me (and I hope it’s amusing to every one else!) Some tunes are consistently inconsistent… or intentionally unpredictable for the sake of expressing an idea. I’ve always been trying to write (and improvise) music that brings an idea across, literal or emotional.

BFC: You mentioned that you just came back from Spain. What brings you back? You even released your first CD on a Spanish label, will you continue to work in Spain in the future?

My life in Spain had turned into focusing on a band, playing, and teaching, but I didn’t think I was ready for that. There was still more I wanted to learn, and that’s what I’m doing in New York. There are countless musicians here that are inspiring and extremely unique. I meet more all the time, and for that reason I’ll probably be here until I just can’t take it anymore (my heart lives in the country).

However, I have already gone back to play in Barcelona 3 times in the past 2 years. Every time I go our band gets stronger and I get new ideas to bring home. I hope to bring my New York friends over on tour sometime also.

BFC: Where do I see my music taking me in the next 5 years?

Interesting and hard question, but it reminds me of something: A few days ago I was biking home in Brooklyn and as you know, there are a hundred ways to get from one place to the other in a grid-map city. I found myself (just like anyone might do) turning where there were red lights and going straight where there were green lights. Pretty obvious, but I realized simultaneously that just as I was letting the lights decide my route home on a bike, I am letting the signs and clues of life decide my destiny. In other words, in 5 years I see myself playing and writing music. Besides that I’m not sure but it really could be anything!

BFC: What advice would you give someone pursuing a musical career and going to a foreign country to play music?

Be open, be intuitive, play with everybody, learn the language, be around and available, practice a lot, have a good time, and if it doesn’t work go somewhere else.

*Visit Ila’s myspace page to listen to samples of her incredible music.

PM08/08 [repost]

What is culture? More specifically, what is Latino culture? I ask because as I see more Latino social sites gaining membership I wonder if anyone can pinpoint, or more importantly, expound on Latino culture.

I ask because not only is culture the glue to a group of people with common ideals, practices and patterns but culture also makes a statement about these same ideals, practices and patterns to the world. So here again, I wonder what is Latino culture and its statement?

To find an answer I’m starting with the obvious and the basics. What is culture?

The dictionary defines culture as:
1. the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group
2. the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.

Or as listed on Wikipedia:
1. An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning.

As diverse as Latinos are in their knowledge, beliefs and behavior it can be tricky to look for a definitive answer for Latino culture. As my mentor Magu Lujan said to me, “ask a Chicano what is a Chicano and you’ll get a different answer from every one you ask, and they’ll all be right”. The same may be asked of Latino culture, as every Latino may give a unique reply and every reply will be valid!

We are such unique people in that we are able to pinpoint our ethnicity as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Panamanian, etc., but we also are able to fold ourselves under the Latino collective. Because we bring our own unique heritage customs and traditions, we could get easily confused and lost in trying to define what identifies the broader Latino culture.

In other words, while we all may have the same human values and beliefs, our unique heritage values may differ to the point that we begin to disagree. For example, a tamale is nothing more than masa, pork meat in a red chili folded in a corn husk, while others may say a tamale is not a tamale until it is made with vegetables or chocolate or with sugar or wrapped in a banana leaf and so on! In keeping with this tasty thought, how do we combine all these unique recipes for a tamale and create just one that represents the definitive, single “Latino” tamale? Is it even possible to define Latino culture with such a mixture of ethnicity and cultural differences among us? It could be said that it’s not impossible if we take a broad view.

At this point, let me back track and define a “Latino” as someone whose daily cultural beliefs is a result of a Spanish speaking culture. For example, although I am Mexican-American/Chicano and my culture reflects American practices, my culture is an evolution from my grandparents’ more traditional Spanish speaking Mexican culture.

In saying that our mother tongue is what binds us, we can certainly bypass the elusive talks about skin color, food or the ability to speak Spanish as the basis to define Latino culture. Simply, if we are descendants of a Spanish speaking culture, and identify ourselves as such, then it allows Latino culture to be inclusive of all of our unique ethnicity experiences.

For the sake of brevity lets say, Latino culture is an accumulation of all Spanish speaking cultures and experiences. Simpler yet, Latino culture is a melting pot of all Spanish speaking cultures. Simple? Yes, but there is a problem with this open-ended definition too.

It’s almost as if the boundaries may be too open and vague to get a solid grasp on what is and what is not Latino culture, if one does exist.

For instance, if a darker shade of brown Mexican, who doesn’t speak Spanish, doesn’t eat Mexican food, doesn’t participate or practice any Spanish traditions or customs but identifies themselves as a Latino, in fact be a contributor to Latino culture? For all intended purposes this person is not really practicing the ideals, traditions, and patterns that contribute to Latino culture, but still is in fact, may be considered a contributor.

In contrast, what if a non-Latino speaks Spanish, lives in Spanish community, and eats and lives Spanish culture; can they be accepted as being Latino contributor? According to our definition stated above, the answer is yes to both scenarios, both individuals are accepted as Latino culture contributors.

Again, as a descendant or active participant of Spanish speaking culture, and all levels of experiences are accepted, then both individuals are valid. However, as the boundaries in defining Latino participation, ideals and patterns are now obscured, a final definition of Latino culture may prove to be elusive.

While the above scenarios are polar, real life examples, my point is that it may not be in our best interest to get caught up in who is really Latino and how much we participate as Latinos or non-Latinos, but rather, our focus should be as a collective, in the message of what Latino culture is stating! Again, for those that claim to be Latino, the perception is that we welcome the identity, form groups and thereby, have a culture, whether we intended to project one or not.

While I stated a solid definition for Latino culture maybe elusive, I do believe one can be found. My aim is to find it. My aim is to call attention to the big picture and be accepting that Latinos come in all shapes and sizes (like a tamale), levels of participation, and realize the time may have come to start asking the bigger questions.

My aim is to open the discussion and ask; do we really understand that we are creating a culture as a byproduct in proclaiming and grouping ourselves as Latino? Do we understand that we have an opportunity to send a message of unity to help promote and develop society, as we become the new majority? Do we know culture is a powerful tool?

My aim is too call attention that we shape Latino culture, nurture it, and evolve it every time we proclaim or be viewed or labeled as Latino! We put it on display when we say here is my art, my song, my written word and my film! We grow it when we gather or ask for support from other Latinos!

My aim is simply to ask… what are we saying as “Latinos”? What is the message? What does Latino culture say to the world and are we saying it with intelligence, efficiency and self-empowerment?

Thank you. Please feel free to comment.

Pablo Papas

In my next entry I will touch on how corporate America uses culture to market and sell their products and touch on a couple Latino celebrities, who have used Latino culture to sell themselves.

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(”Run Away”, by Corina Katt Ayala, Directed by Pepper Negron)

BFC: Where did it all begin for you?

I was born in Yauco, Puerto Rico. When I was an infant, we moved to the south Bronx. I grew up in areas near third ave., and when I was 11 years old my grandfather took me shoe shinning with him around the neighborhood, this is my first working gig.

My dad did several different types of jobs, but spent many years as a board of education custodial engineer. My mom was a housewife but was very resourceful and took odd jobs to help make ends meet.

Culture in my home growing up centered around food and music, as was the case with most Puerto Rican families. My mother would spend hours at a time in the kitchen perfecting traditional recipes for pasteles, alcapurrias and arroz con gandules.

BFC: When did your creativity begin to shape your life?

Art was the only thing that captured my interest in school. The classroom structure was always a struggle for me. My comfort was in art, and it was during the early grammar years that a few teachers recognize my talents. I would design stage scenes for theater plays, decorate classrooms for the holidays with drawings, cut outs, and paintings.

I was always interested arts, and it was one teacher during my junior years who early on recognized my talents and bought it to my mother’s attention … he was the one person who really believed in my talents, so much that he prepared me for the entry exams to get into high school of art and design in NYC.

BFC: What drew you to pick up a camera?

The way the camera captures every little detail; how it makes the simplest thing seem intricately beautiful, as opposed to seeing something with the naked eye; the camera let’s me take a step back, refocus on what’s really there and see a completely different perspective.

The details of what makes something beautiful. I’ve learned there is beauty in literally everything.

BFC: What’s been your experience in fashion photography and do you see a trend for Latina models?

I really don’t consider myself a fashion photographer, although I love fashion. I have covered fashion shows, runway events, and promo cards for designers and models.

I would say my love for fashion photography would be in the craft of fashion it self.

I think for Latina’s today there’s a lot more opportunities. There are local and mainstream model agencies and agencies looking for real people whether is for print or TV commercial work.

Latina’s come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Our women tend to be shapelier and voluptuous in ways that wasn’t necessarily embraced by the Anglo American’s perception of beauty.

Now we have the likes of Eva Mendez, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Alba and Penelope Cruz gracing the covers of major magazines.

At one time I too was guilty of the more Anglo features in the women I photographed but it was based on the images I grew up seeing as a child in every magazine, TV and movie. I’ve worked on broadening my idea of what beauty really is, my new view is broader in scope, which has brought me a tremendous amount of creative inspiration.

BFC: After directing a few short films, do you see your filmmaking as an extension of your photography or is this a new venture for you?

It is absolutely an extension with almost no difference for me except the movement (motion pictures) and to capture and bring forth a vivid life.

BFC: Do you see filmmaking as a different art form than photography? For example: commercial vs. noncommercial?

I’m sure they are very different to most filmmakers, but I keep the common link, which is my passion, so to me in the end it’s all art coming through me.

BFC: How about collaborative vs. individualistic?

This can be tricky, myself as a writer/director my idea will come with my own vision, but in the end, it is about collaborating and coming to a common ground. Filming is a collaborative art form. You have to be open with other talents and their views; influence, inspire and support each other, that’s how you create magic.

BFC: Where do you see your filmmaking taking you in the future? Do you have any projects in the works?

Yes! Several feature screenplays in the works but I will not diffuse their energy by discussing them before they’ve come to fruition. I will say that where it will take me is on an endless journey of beauty.

Currently, I’m working on a DVD project titled “Dark Tales of Tortured Souls”, which is a collection of seven to eight short films I’ve written and will be directing.

The first few shorts “In Stillness I Lie” and “Blood Drips” are making their rounds into film festivals while, “me, I’m Not Dead” and “So Quiet” are in post-production.

Currently I’m preparing to shoot the next few shorts, “Asphixia”, “Buried Dreams”, “Broken Whisper” and “Greshen” to complete the collection.

During a film screening of “Blood Drips”, I was approached by an A&R person from a record label, who heard the music track on the efilm and asked if I would be interested in working on a music CD. My partner (Capri) and I composed music for our films, so now we’re in the studio cutting tracks for our first music cd titled “gothic melodies” and we call our selves … “dark composers”.

I’m also shooting a dark glamour calendar of my work.

To view more of Pepper’s work:
www.myspace.com/PEPPERNEGRON
www.facebook.com/pepper.negron

PM01/10

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BFC: Your documentary is about 13 years girls, what are you memories from that age?

KRISTY
I grew up in Silver Lake, Echo Park and Los Feliz. My mom was a high-school teacher and taught Drama and English. She was very creative but often frustrated with what she had to work with (the limitations of being a high-school teacher and not a Broadway director). She instilled in me a deep love of reading and an expansive appreciation for art and it makes me proud that I can today live the artist’s life that she couldn’t as a working, single mom. She was also the kind of teacher who changed her students’ lives by her unbridled passion. My step-dad (when she remarried) worked in television and was, subsequently, frequently unemployed. I remember waiting every Friday in line with him at the unemployment office down on Sunset which seemed to take forever. I definitely knew about the vagaries of the industry from a very young age.

At 13, I was curious about everything. I read insatiably. And I was ready to discover things for myself. I remember really needing to distance myself from my parents. And I remember them really not understanding what was (to them so suddenly) going on. I used to lie to them, just for the freedom of the lie. Growing up in an urban metropolis like Los Angeles meant I had access to just about anything, both a scary and awesome circumstance for a curious, adolescent girl to find herself in. I took the bus everywhere, traveling from the zoo to the beach to the garment district and then to the mall, loving every minute of it and discovering my Los Angeles.

DAWN
My early adolescence was really difficult. My parents separated when I was 12 and I was both happy and sad to see my father move out. I was going to local public school and I remember my first dance. I was both horrified and excited to attend it. It was at an old club (like the Lyon’s Club) on Vermont across from Barnsdall Square in Hollywood (later I went to see punk shows there); I don’t think it exists anymore. I remember dancing to “brick house” and having a lot of boys both laugh at me and want to dance with me. It was freaky in that LA teen kind of way. I begged my parents to send me to a catholic girls school for middle school because I had seen some cholas fighting at the middle school I was supposed to go to (King Jr. High)…once I got to the catholic school I hated it and by Jan I was at King…By March a boy who liked me that felt spurned by me wrote a petition to get all of my friends to not talk with me. 20 people signed it. I kept it until I was 25 then burned it. Suffice to say the time between 11-13 was really challenging–but as they say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I am still alive!

I grew up in LA–between Hollywood, Los Feliz and Silverlake…one of my best friends lived in Echo Park. I spent a lot of time there. I lived in a one bedroom apt on Vermont and Franklin with my mom, dad(until 12), brother, and various aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members from Mexico. There were always tons of people sleeping over! Fun and crazy and crowded!

Neither of my parents made it past 8th grade. My mom and her family were migrant farm-workers and settled in Delano. My mom made it to LA to get her GED and a better job. She met my dad in night school. My dad was the youngest of 19 in and Irish family from Chicago. He came to LA after serving in the Marines in Korea. After getting his GED my dad was a printer at the Director’s Guild on Sunset Blvd. Being able to go to Disneyland with film producers and directors as a young child must have had an impact on me…they used to close the park for the families of the Director’s Guild. It was very exciting! I know I must have ridden on the rides with the kids of the great film directors of the late 60’s and 70’s but as a kid I just wanted to have fun and had no idea who was with me, and didn’t care. I am sure there are pictures somewhere…(the only one I remember is with Glen Campbell at a christmas party in 1971). The culture was a blend of Mexican, white, Californian and LA/Hollywood! My parents had friends of many races/ ethnicities. It was a very mixed environment.

My parents both encouraged me to be creative. My mom read to me every night, especially poetry, and she sang. I was into theater and music immediately and performed from elementary school through college. I used to take pictures and took a number of photography and animation classes at Barnsdall Park and at City College when I was older and then at UCSC and UCB in both undergrad and grad school–
that’s how Kristy and I met. I made super 8 films with my friends and my dad. My mom took me to museums, the opera, theater, and symphony. We were always doing something creative or experiencing something new. I have no idea where my mom got these ideas from, she never really experienced any of this growing up in the fields.

BFC: You mentioned on your web site that you picked up a Super-8 camera. What was so magical about the camera that kept you in filmmaking?

KRISTY
In a funny way, it was more about my filmmaking teacher then the tools itself that changed my life. He was the first adult to listen to me and talk to me as an equal. He encouraged all of my ideas no matter how corny or goofy and merely helped me realize that vision. What an amazing experience! Of course, as a curious kid by nature, I loved the excuse of wondering around, observing the world and recording what I saw. I loved that taking pictures was a discovery of a moment. I couldn’t draw or play an instrument, but in taking pictures I didn’t have to start from a blank canvas which seemed so intimidating.

BFC: Directing documentaries can be a challenging endeavor. What do you find most challenging or does every project offer unique challenges? On the other end, what do you find most rewarding after finishing a film project?

KRISTY
Certainly every film has its unique challenges and documentaries can be especially unwieldy. I think the hardest part is always the editing, because it could go in so many different directions. You spend a lot of time in our case years collecting footage. You have an idea in mind, of course, but it takes a lot of time, patience and discipline to carve from that footage a provocative and meaningful film. And with documentaries there is so little money to be made, you can never support yourself just making the films. So it becomes a juggling act with how you pay the rent and how you will make your film and you end up wearing a lot of different hats: fundraising, writing, accounting, producing, directing, shooting, editing, not to mention promotion and distribution.

AND the biggest reward comes so late in the game: sharing with your audiences. It takes many months and most often years before that point comes, so it can be frustrating to keep going when you feel like the end is so far away. But then it does come and it is wonderful to have people from all different walks of life respond to the movie. It is an amazing experience to see the film that you have been working on for so long play on an enormous screen or broadcast on television to millions of viewers and then you really do realize the film has a life of its own. And that you have contributed something special.

DAWN
Every project has it’s own challenges. I think all films are collaborative efforts and collaborations are tough! It is difficult to work with other people when everyone has their own agenda. I think partnerships are perhaps the most difficult and the most rewarding. One the one hand we need each other to complete something as ambitious as this on the other hand we have different ways of looking at things, different personal challenges and different ways of tackling challenges and problems. Without respecting each other’s differences and making room for these differences (not everyone can do it MY way) we can fall into problems, conflicts and misunderstandings. At the end of the day we do have to ask ourselves, did the means justify the ends? In creative endeavors that are truly collaborative this question has to get asked repeatedly.

For me personally being a mom and working at really challenging social service/ non-profit jobs while making this film was excruciating. Balancing personal life with work, children and making the film was really a lot to manage. Unfortunately my personal relationships really suffered.

However, having GOING ON 13 land in the hands of the people that need it the most–girls, their families, teachers, youth workers–is very satisfying! The film has a home and a purpose and will give help to girls for years to come. This is the most rewarding aspect of the completed film, plus it is beautiful and we can all be proud of it.

BFC: We noticed you won a Golden Spirit Award for your documentary on Cecilia Rios. What drew you to this story?

KRISTY
I actually was a middle school teacher in Richmond, when Cecilia Rios, a young high-school Latina was killed, so the story felt very close and personal to me even though I hadn’t known her. A year later I went to get my MFA at San Francisco State University in film and the idea came from one of my first assignments: to observe a place and record it. I went to the site of her memorial which was in the stairwell (in an elementary school) where her body had been found. It was a year later and there were all these letters, cards, and grafitti from the community to her. I was really impressed by all the messages from her peers and from the younger students and I decided to interview them about her death and about the impact her death had on them. That was really when the idea for the film came together and I decided to juxtapose their responses to the more disaffected reporting of the murder from the nightly news.

BFC: What type of films or stories do you find interesting? Do you look for stories with females as the main subjects? If so why?

KRISTY
I AM drawn to gender issues as the main subject of my films. I see so many one-dimensional portraits of women on screen and it can be very frustrating. As a viewer, as a teacher, as a filmmaker. And I like to make different kinds of films that explore ideas of gender from a variety of lenses: from straight forward cinema verité-style documentary like GOING ON 13, to more abstract thought-provoking pieces like my short BLOW THEM UP. As a film teacher I am consistently discouraged by how many student film treatments involve a woman getting assaulted, raped or murdered. It’s a high number every semester and its something that I don’t fully understand. But women on screen are more often than not the foil to a male character’s journey of exploration and development. For that reason alone, I prefer to put women center stage. For women of color, the breadth of stories is that much more narrow!

DAWN
I am interested in women’s stories. I think that the vast majority of films, fiction and non-fiction, are about men and men’s experiences. I think that there are so many stories to be told about women and girls and especially women of color. I am interested in the stories of everyday people–I think the ordinary is extraordinary when framed from a historical, political and social perspective. Stories about people overcoming obstacles by just being themselves and brave inspire me.

BFC: “Going on 13″, is a story about four girls you follow four years, without giving away too many surprises, what surprised you most in filming the girls?

KRISTY
I thought the film would be able to cover more of the specificity of puberty. But no one wanted to talk about getting their period! What was I thinking?! What did come through over the years in which we shot was a very intimate portrait of how each girl comes into her own self and discovers her independence, her power and and her self-worth. Each girl discovers that in a very real and subtle way after many challenges put in front of her. For for each girl that process and the challenges were very different depending on her personality or her familial circumstance or just timing! But its all there in the film. They are resilient and powerful and vulnerable and growing every step of the way!

DAWN
For me the biggest surprises now don’t seen that surprising! I think the girls are fully engaged in their own development–they are active participants, not blank slates waiting for adults to fill them up. They are living dynamic lives regardless of the circumstances of their home, income, race or ethnicity or gender. They want to grow up to be healthy, strong, contributing members of society. They want to do the right thing–from their cultural and social perspective. Their parents influence them but they spend so much time in school their teachers, classes, school environment and friends have a huge influence on them as well. We ALL need to interact with girls and youth in general to support them in their efforts to grow up strong, healthy and whole.

BFC: Would you say the girl’s culture influenced their daily lives? What do you think people take away (learn) from seeing the documentary?

KRISTY
There are many styles of parenting shown in the film and in every case, the family cares deeply about their daughter and wants to give her the best opportunities. I love seeing that diversity and audiences really respond to that, too. People who work with girls also love seeing the family life in such close-up detail. They may see one face of the girl at school, but there exists a totally different daughter at home. This film is really able to show that in a way that more fully represents the girl herself and the family.

DAWN
ABSOLUTELY[culture is an influence]! I think the film clearly shows that and hopefully gives viewers from all cultures and backgrounds insight into that truth!

That girls need YOU to keep talking with them, to listen to them, to be in community with them. Our actions in our society whether that is as a parent, teacher, media maker, politician has an impact on girls lives. Yes, they are resilient but they also need us to provide them with decent fully staffed schools, health care that works, respect for cultural and gender differences, etc…

BFC: Do you have any new projects in the works?

KRISTY
I am currently in production on the feature documentary, THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE AS TOLD BY WONDER WOMAN, and as you may expect it is about female superheroes! The film is really an inquiry into the very American concept of superheroes, and the role women have played in the superhero genre. The film not only looks at our evolving values about women as agents of strength, authority and leadership, but also reminds us of the need, no matter our gender, race, class or sexual orientation, for stories that tell us we can all be heroes.

DAWN
I am working on two projects that are collaborations. I am associate producer on a film by Hima B (Straight for the Money) that is a workers rights film about strippers called Licensed to Pimp (2011).
The other one, Library Girl, I am Producer/ Director with Robert Arnold (Key of G), featuring Penelope Houston of the famed punk rock band of the late 70’s, the Avengers (she’s a librarian!). The focus is on the patriot act, and the fate of our right to privacy and access of information via our libraries (due 2012).

Visit this web site for more information or to purchase the DVD. www.goingon13.com

PM11/09

Having had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Big Joe Hurt perform, we were very excited to feature on Big Joe in the Cafe. And now, after winning the Single of The Year, we know Big Joe will get all the attention he and his band deserves! Listen to Big Joe’s award winning song…
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BFC: Having grown up in the high desert, I’m familiar with the lack of arts and music there, can you describe your experience growing up in the desert?

Growing up in Hesperia was like living in Alaska. People move there for cheap land, or they want to isolate themselves or they were running from the law. Racism was a way of life. But good people always seemed to seek each other out.

My sister and I are first generation US citizens, my parents come from the state of Sinaloa. Mazatlan to be specific. So here was my constant question whenever Hesperia got to me, “Mom how the heck did you guys grow up in a beach city and then decide to settle in town that has zero water with extreme heat and extreme cold?” …lol!

BFC: Your parents must have brought some Mazatlan with them. What was it like in your home growing up?

My house was divided by the music of my parents and the music coming from my room. My parents listened to cumbia’s and rancheras. My pops was always listening to Chalino Sanchez, and my mom Laura Leon. My mom use to think I was so wierd when I would listen to blues growlers like BB King, Howlin Wolf, and Tom Waits.

BFC: So you were always interested in music? Did you always want to be a musician?

My uncle Mike performed one Christmas for the family. Picture this my uncle my a product of the 60’s Hippie movement and Vietnam Vet (Gringo married my aunt Cathy) programmed drums, bass, keys and played guitar to it all. My uncles watched it with there head slightly tilted in to the left with that question mark on their faces. Mike was playing Jazz fusion grooves that were planting seeds in me like mad but completely going over my uncles and aunts heads. After that performance I knew I wanted to be on a band stand! I waited until I was in my late teens before picking up the guitar.

My influences were Mississippi John Hurt, BB King, U2, Bob Marley and all the while appreciating everything. This is one of the reasons I feel lucky to have grown up in Hesperia. I was exposed to a variety of different music from Folk, Bluegrass, Rock, to Country. I believe a musician shackles him/herself if they narrow their listening to one genre.

BFC: When did you decide to make music your career and how did you get started?

After my first year of living in the San Francisco Bay Area I met a session guitarist and he made things very clear. Steve Sage an amazing guitarist and mentor showed me the light. From that point on I decided this was my path for better or for worse. Since that day its been a focused desire to improve the craft. The bay area provided me with the education of how to lead a band, what it takes to produce a successful show and most importantly how to respect the stage. Old timers in the Bay always made it a point to tell show me etiquette, and I am truly thankful for that.

I started with a 3 piece and we experimented with a layered sound that attempted to fuse blues with alternative. I played in a Spanish Rock band but it wasn’t until I formed Mojo Filter a blues and soul band. It was with that band that I began to test the waters as a songwriter and performer. Mojo Filter found success in the Bay area but the band came to end as well.

I had lived in the bay for a long time and felt it was time to head back to southern California and give Los Angeles a shot. What I learned in the Bay was that the music landscape had enough room for everything. Los Angeles has taught me that the saturation of music here only benefits those who stay true to themselves as songwriters. The more you shift your sound to be more like the masses the more you blend in. Believe in your talent and so will other.

BFC: Now that you are making your music, what do you like best, the writing process, recording or performing your music?

In this order performing, writing, recording. Performing is a direct link to the energy of people. Performers and audiences exist in a symbiotic state each should work as hard as the other in a show. Which is why I love performing the most.

Writing is awesome because your like a chemist. You write something you test it. You take the gauge the tune add and omit to refine. When you find the right formula for a tune you know it by the way a crowd reacts. Are they engaged or are they more interested in the color of the curtain on the stage?

Recording is a unique beast for independents. We go into the studio and record and have very little room for experimenting in studio. The goal is to capture the song at it highest quality in the least amount of time. The stress can really weigh on you. I look forward to the day when my band mates and I can go into a studio not worry about those things.

BFC: How does your cultureinfluence on your music?

Hesperia and desert themes constantly creep into my lyrics. Cumbia melodies find root in neo soul fusion tunes. As a group we have so many ingredients that make up the sound of the band. Each member bringing their influence in to color the live performances.

BFC: You describe your music as being a fusion of soul music with a hint of blues and reggae. How do these styles influence your music or rather how do you utilize these styles to create your own sound?

Blues is a deceptively simple form of music. Sometimes it utilizes two chord changes but the amount of soul that is squeezed out can not be compared. Reggae is to groove like blues is to soul. Reggae squeezes out immense amount of groove from its progressions. As a song writer I try to find the soul in the melody and the groove in the chord progression.

BFC: Congratulations on winning a Los Angeles Music Award Single of the Year “WAR”!

The lyrics for WAR are an attempt to express the frustration I think we all felt with the way 9/11 and Katrina were handled. It was so frustrating to read the final reports on both and see how poorly they were handled. The lyrics try and take you through the events. The music was intentionally written to mask the heavy topic the lyrics were offering. When you listen to WAR it feels smooth and relaxing. It has that feel like you can put it on when you sit down with your loved one with a candle and a bottle of wine. Its sexy, political, and groovy!

BFC: How did you feel when you first heard about the award?

I felt overwhelmed, any performing artist in LA will tell you that rejection is the name of the game. We must not let it affect us and our art. So as a defense mechanism we learn to not get to high on the highs and no to low on the lows. Most importantly we learn how to pat ourselves on the back, because LA will not 99% of the time. So when I got the call I got off the phone with them and sat in my car in the dark finally allowing the emotion in. I instantly thought of my bandmates, and felt so blessed by the ones who have stayed with this project.

It is such a hard thing to stay focused in this town, and my band is now in its 3rd generation of players. Juan Martin has been with me the longest followed by Alana Lee and Chris Trujillo. I felt an overwhelming feeling of appreciation for the bandmates that helped move the band through the tough times too! The first person I called was Alana she is the band cheerleader. Los Angeles is a place that requires songwriters to have some proof of legitimacy. Whether that be awards or venues played. Its just the way the game is played unfortunately. That being said the band now has a marketing point when to promote when we release our up coming album While You Were Away. We are working towards getting the songs placement on Television and Movies.

BFC: What’s next for Big Joe Hurt? Any plans for a tour of live shows or new material coming out?

The next thing to do is Release the new Album and begin planning the promotional tour of the album. After I released my first album the year following the release saw us play over 100 shows! Playing coast to coast north and south. It was awesome, I love the road. I know people get sick of it but I was meant to be in a bus with my drummers stinky feet waking me up:) We also will begin to meet with management companies. I have run the band for so long with the help of the street team that we are at a point now where we are ready to turn those reigns over to a management company that has our best interest at heart.
We are currently discussing the album release party for “While You Were Away,” with a few major venues here in Los Angeles and of course the band walks the red carpet Nov 12th at the Avalon to accept the Single of the Year Award.

New Material will be forthcoming I am working on collaborations for an album that focuses on Acoustic tunes.

Be sure to visit www.bigjoehurt.com

PM11/09

Have you ever been in a place and wondered how you got there? The photo above was such a moment for me.

How I came to stand next to brilliant minds discussing Latino culture and arts was bit of a puzzle for me. Although looking back, my path to this photo started when I simply walked into a gathering billed as “Mental Menudo”.

A few years ago, in a basement converted into an art gallery, about thirty people of all ages and every shade of brown sat in the circle of chairs. The central figure or rather the Sheppard of the group was a respected man, topped with white hair, with a laugh like a cartoon character and a name to match. The man, who I learned of few meetings later, was Gilbert “Magu” Lujan, a member of the luminary “Los Four” group.

Unsure of what was going to happen in the gathering, I was soon intrigued and pulled into the dynamics of the meeting. Everyone was allowed to speak as long as the current speaker was shown respect and courtesy to speak their mind. As the discussion grew, people began to open up and voice their thoughts. Soon, too many hands were raised, as people were biting their lips to hold their tongues. The dialog bounced like a heated molecule. The energy intensified and pulled everyone to the edge of their seat.

The subject of this particular ” junta”, as Magu refers to the dialog, was focused on graffiti. Specifically, the question was posed… is graffiti art? Now having graffiti artists and muralists in the same room is like throwing lit matches into a box of dynamite, at some point a fuse is going to get lit!

Sure enough, someone got lit! One determined and passionate muralist stormed out of the meeting in a huff, fuming and slamming doors. A few people, like myself, drew our breath anticipating mayhem, but as any good Sheppard would do, Magu corralled the meeting back into a path of enlighten and ponderance. Needless to say, I was hooked on Mental Menudo!

The meeting had worked my nerves into frenzy. I was fired up with creativity, passion and a call to take action for my community.

After the discussion, I excitedly called Angel. It was about this time that we were wondering if we should launch Bullfighter’s Café, and I told Angel that the Cafe was on! I told her it was going to work, and more importantly, it was needed!

I had witnessed a call for Latinos to have a platform to express their ideas, concerns, and experiences. Latinos needed to share, evoke and understand each other’s perspectives and commonalities. While questions were asked, some answers didn’t come to light, but nevertheless, it was critical and beneficial that Latinos had communicated with each other.

In other words, it was Latino culture in the process of evolution. It was American Latino culture being displayed, exercised, develop and broken down all at once! Culture is what brought us together in the art gallery, which gave us a foundation to relate, communicate, and in the end, rejoice in our common fibers of being Latino!

After attending many more Mental Menudos and a few reconfigurations of Bullfighter’s Cafe, my resolve remains but my mission has expanded. I am going to do my best to reflect my experiences from the Mental Menudos so that my fellow Latinos can share in the communal dialogs.

Perhaps it’s not really a mystery as to why I am in the photo with writers, educators, artists, politicians and community leaders. The universe brought me to the Last Supper so that I can bring your voice to the table, as well as pass the expressions of Latino culture to you the reader.

with gratitude,
Pablo M

(TOP LEFT in photo: Daniel Cano, Pablo Martinez, Andres Montoya, Mario Guerrero, Manuel Urrutia, Serge Hernandez, BOTTOM: Mario Trillo, Diane Hernandez, Gilbert “Magu” Lujan, Angel Guererro, Michael Sedano, and Naiche Lujan. Photo by Gil Ortiz)

In celebration of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, we could think of no better person to feature than Edwin Pagan. A master of Latin Horror! If you enjoy frights and scares you’ll want to visit www.latinhorror for the latest news on horror films.
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Latin Horror! If you’ve never heard of Latin horror, don’t be scared, we had never heard of the phrase either until we met Edwin Pagan at the NALIP Conference last summer.

At the conference, we were so immediately impressed with Edwin’s knowledge and passion for the horror genre, that we knew we had to do a video feature with Edwin for the Cafe.

Well, as with all horror related activity, the dark forces worked against us and for unexplainable reasons (insert scary music here), our primary camera did not record the interview! However, thankfully for us, goodness prevailed and Edwin graciously granted us a phone interview and our second camera had managed to record a portion of our original interview (triumph music here).

One of the most interesting facts that Edwin told us, was that a Latino was responsible for creating one of the most recognizable and copied horror subgenre of all time! We would tell you but then we’d have to kill you horror style! Kidding aside, Edwin tells the story with so much more flair than we ever could, so listen and watch the video to find out who the Latino is and we guarantee you’ll be screaming in shock – in shock!

Seriously, even if you are not a fan of horror, you’ll want to hear about Edwin’s journey into filmmaking and how he hopes Latin Horror becomes a genre into itself.

It certainly is our belief that someday in the future, people will look back and wonder how Latin Horror came to be, and we’ll all be thankful and pointing at Edwin for being the mad scientist that started it all! Then of course will run him out of town with pitchforks and stones for creating such a monster!

Listen to Edwin’s audio interview and be sure to visit, and bookmark, www.latinhorror.com for more Sangre!

NOTE: Thanks again Edwin for giving us your time for two interviews.

pm10/09

by Angel Aviles-McClinton
As most of you know, I was the Program Director for the 2009 Other Venice Film Festival. When Ruby De La Casas asked me to take over this position, I gladly acquiesced. After all, festival programmer is a film lovers dream. Right? I must admit, I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. Over the last couple of months, I have probably watched around 400 films. I’ve had stacks of dvds piled high in my office, as good, bad and ugly films from all over the world took up every spare moment of my life. We had meeting after meeting about how the fest should run, who should do what, when and how. There were arguments, bouts of hysteria and many laughs that all lead to 4 days of perfect bliss…lol! The days were not perfect but they did yield some major highlights.

# 1 The Poker House by Lori Petty. Lori and I have know each other for close to 20 years. She’s a no nonsense Venice artist who has gotten into a bit of trouble at times. Her film is based on her own True Life story and it is DEEP. At her QnA, Lori described her film making process. From casting to working on set, her perspective clearly comes from having spent years in front of the camera. Her young cast agreed that she is an actors director. Poker House now has distribution and can be rented at Blockbuster.

#2 Meeting the amazing women behind The Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC); an arts center that produces, preserves and conducts educational programs and uses public art (like murals and graff) as an organizing tool for addressing contemporary issues, fostering cross-cultural understanding and promoting civic dialogue. SPARC makes it’s home in the Old Venice Police Station. The Venue is awesome, especially since there is still an old cell in tact, in case anyone decides to get tricky.  I couldn’t elaborate on all that SPARC has done to promote peace in Venice but an in depth interview is sure to follow.  Judy Baca, Deborah Padilla and Pilar Castillo are nothing short of SUPERHEROS!!!

#3 Vicious Circle Directed by Paul Boyd, and starring Paul Rodriguez Jr., Emily Rios, Robert Zepeda, Richard Edson, Perrey Reeves, Paul Rodriguez.. This film was Best Picture Winner at the NY Latino Film Festival and it is visually stunning! Shot in Venice Beach and starring a talented, young Latino cast, it was the perfect movie to screen at the OVFF. Vicious Circle has been picked up for distribution and will be coming to a Blockbust around your way. I HIGHLY recommend watching it.

#4 The Food, The Art, The Music and the People!  We had three venues going for 3 days and most of them were full. Thank you to Venice locals, Todd Hallberg from Jaguar Spirits serving up Metl Tequila Margaritas, Sassan Rostamian bringing the most unbelievable appetizers and Prima Tivo serving up Paella, just to name a few.

Everyone was just laughing and having a great time.  I’ve heard Venice described as grungy, artsy, edgy, to me it will always be a gem; my refuge from all the surrounding squeaky clean Westside towns where I still feel a little too “Out there” to call home…So, the OVFF was a lot of work, sort of like a wedding where the bride is planning and I was a BRIDEZILLA! I may have lost friendships, severed business partners, squashed my chances of working with some filmmakers but in the end, it looked fabulous and was a success!!!

am/10/09

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• Lori Petty’s Directorial Debut to Hit Screens on July 17 (cinematical.com)

Silvia Soto aka Silvia Soul says she is “a woman that has a passion and mother that has a dream…just like you”. Fortunately, Silvia is sharing her dream with us and after her hearing one song we are sure you’ll find yourself lost in your dreams.

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BFC: You come a long way from home…
I grew up in Chile, that thin long country at the south of the world… I had a great childhood surrounded by family and friends…

I remember as a child I put shows together with my twin sister Gloria (one of my 5 other siblings) and would force our relatives to sit and watch the show… ha ha ha, they were so patient!

Always dancing, socializing and having a great time, our culture is very much like in Latin America, very warm welcoming people, with a lot of fresh seafood and wine on the table…

We always had music playing… all kinds of music since Gloria and I are the babies of the house all my older siblings would play from60s music like Zeppeling, Pink Floyd or Doors to Heavy Metal like Metallica, Iron madden to Salsa and Latin like Celia Cruz, Juan Luis Guerra and many others…

I specially was so intrigued by the Latin pop movement like Soda Stereo, Fito Paez, Charlie Garcia, Los Prisioneros, etc… while being in Chile. As you can see I had a very musical life with a lot of different styles… “Música para todos los gustos”!

BFC: Did you always want to be a musician?

I think as you grow you experience so many paths but my true love for music came as a teenager… I got a guitar and started composing and it came naturally… I have taken painting and drawing for years, flamenco, make up and hair… but music always made me feel like no other activity, this passion that I love to share with others. It’s so personal for me… It’s kind of the way I connect with the universe and our creator…

Who were your musical influences while you were growing up?

Soda Stereo, Charlie Garcia, Mecano, Bjork, Joe Vasconcellos, Celia Cruz, Juan Luis Guerra, Fito Paez, Raffaella Carra, 70’s music like the Bee Gees, Nat king Cole and Nathalie Cole, Pat Metheny, my mother loved Jose Jose, Julio Iglesias of course and Jose Luis Perales, so many more bands…. I could spend the whole day naming bands…. Ha ha ha…

When did you decide to make music your full-time career? how did you start?

My passion started when I moved to Mexico when I was 18 and started going to school there, I was living surrounded by musicians in Mexico City and Cuernavaca in Mexico, I felt this was the path, my path…

I decided to do it all the way after having my kid, I took a break after graduating recording school to stay with her home and after of being home with her for about 2 years I said to myself, well I gotta show Imani how to make things happen in life, how to achieve your dreams even when you have obstacles, work around them with a vision clear and never forgetting where you are heading… Let her know that dreams are achievable, there is always a way when you want to do what you love…

About 3 years ago I started looking for help and through this wonderful journey I have encounter wonderful new musician friends and inspiration to continue doing what I love… I am just like any other woman out there, a mother, a wife and a dreamer with a dream!

BFC: Now that you are making your music, what do you like best, the writing process, recording or performing your music?

I love the process of creating, writing and feeling the songs allowing them to evolve into something beautiful.

The recording process it’s so much work so it takes me a little but I think mixing and the end part of the process is what I love the most, because I see the final product and it’s an amazing feeling to say… “I love it”! To feel so emotional… Even though we “independent artists” don’t get paid the big bucks to do this we do it with so much love and effort… its almost like the birth of a child you have waited for so long to finally see and it’s here now! Of course without the pain… LOL… It’s so so gratifying to finally say it’s done…

My culture will always influence my music… I am Latina and that’s always going to be me, no matter where I go. I love my culture and it’s all over my music, some samba, Bossa Nova touches and Spanish flamenco, a little jazz here and there, it’s a fusion of all this forms of wonderful expressions… all those sounds I grew up with while being home in Chile.

BFC: how would you describe your music?

My music full of Latin flavor and adventurous sound, immigrating from the souls of these creative musicians. Truly a world sound to inspire your soul…

Enter my world, listen to my soul and let me take you on this journey of dreams, love and good music…

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to present my music to you and for allowing me to be an instrument of art, reflecting the space I live in… But most of all my message is the daily grind. And my music reflects a simple and sometimes complicated story….The life of a Latina inspired by my family, my people, my dreams, my fears, my life and you… Baking while programming, taking my kid to school while laying down some tracks… In other words I am a woman that has a passion and mother that has a dream… Just like you!

Dream with me… Enjoy!

www.silviasoul.net
www.facebook.com/silviasoul

PM09/09