Lending A Hand - Let's Unite To Help Japan

Image Courtesy  Of  Steve Bocaranda

We are all still being haunted by the horrendous images from the earthquake that hit Japan last week. The devastation left behind, the tens of thousands of people dead and missing and the possibility of a nuclear radiation are all reminders that no country is exempt from a tragedy.

It is during this difficult time for all of our brothers and sisters in Japan that we have to be grateful that we are alive and well and that despite all of our financial problems we can still lend a hand to help out. Although we all have financial problems, every little cent counts, even if you can only donate $5. If every person in the country donated $5 it will be of great help for a country that will take years to recover from such a tragedy.

I was reading earlier of the two UCLA college students who posted horrific videos on youtube mocking what had happened and going as far as showing no remorse. I am disgusted by individuals like them and refuse to give them any more attention. We must all ignore the stupidity of individuals like them and instead show our compassion and help those in need.

After the earthquake happened, the internet was flooded with sites asking for donations for the “aid-relief.” Let’s be careful and not fall for the fake sites.  I have compiled a list of the most trusted sites where you can make your donation. In addition to monetary donations, local venues in the Bay Area have also offered to help. 

The Red Devil Lounge has launched a series of concerts and is donating the proceeds of the tickets to Doctors Without Borders. Papalote Restaurant & his owner Miguel Escobedo (who is also a well known DJ in the Bay Area) will have an event at Milk Bar on April 9th and proceeds will also benefit the victims in Japan.

The music world has also stepped to the plate, Lady Gaga designed a bracelet and 100% of the sales will help the relief aid. Blink 182 has just started selling a limited edition t-shirt to help Japan as well.

Here are the links to all the sites, check them out and please help out. As cliché as it sounds, every penny counts!

Hoy por ti, mañana por mi <3

1. Red Devil Lounge – In The Name Of Love 


2. UNICEF




3. World Vision 


4. Salvation Army - Text QUAKE or 80888 to donate $10

5. American Red Cross - Text REDCROSS or 90999 to make $10 donation by text message.

6. Doctors Without Borders

7. Lady Gaga – “We Pray For Japan” Bracelet

8. Blink 182 – Help Japan Now! T-Shirt  

9. Free Calls To Japan - check to see if your carrier is offering the free service

HopPo! Brought Earthy Sounds To The Bay

How many bands do you know that take a sabbatical year and their members decide to embark on independent projects?  They usually do it to fulfill the creativity which they can’t express with the members of their band and that is how HopPo! was born.

Café Tacvba is currently taking some time off which was the perfect timing for one of the members of the band, Ruben Albarran  to start an independent project with fellow musicians Rodrigo Aros Gho,  Juan Pablo Villanueva, Alejandra Flores & k´kame. The result, a project called HopPo which means “let’s go.”

The band stopped by the Bay Area this past weekend and had two very successful shows, one at The New Parish in Oakland & also at the Red Devil Lounge.  I checked out the show at the Red Devil Lounge and I wasn’t very sure what to expect. I think Café Tacvba is one of the greatest Mexican bands ever and I know how creative Ruben Albarran is but I definitely had no idea what was in store for the show.

The opening acts were Cuevo (a musician from LA with a very melodic acoustic vibe) and Torreblanca ( a band from Mexico City whose sarcastic lyrics talk about issues like infidelity, parents relationships and other typical issues from your daily life.)

Once the opening acts were done, the crowd was ready to see Ruben, the expectation was building up since the people in attendance had never seen what this project HoPpo! was all about. The sound had such an earthy quality to it, the mix of sounds and the tone of his voice were different & refreshing, the show turned out to be quite magical.  Ruben interacted with the audience throughout the whole show.

 

He also talked about how a lot of the songs that HoPpo plays are covers of songs that have had many covers done in the past, but Ruben’s take of each song was very different.  My personal favorites were La Llorona and the very different version of Mercedes Sosa’s classic Gracias A La Vida.

Overall I was extremely pleased with the show and Ruben’s decision to do this side project was definitely a fantastic idea.

Credits: Club Mercy

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) :)