Ramon Ayala en Concierto!

Since we are Rockeras sin Fronteras, today I will exercise the "Sin Fronteras" part of our blog.

I went to see Ramon Ayala y los Bravos del Norte rock the house in Portland, Oregon, commemorating Ramon Ayala's forty five years with the band. It was an amazing experience to see the him and the band, all decked out in shiny blue matching vaquero suits, and vaquero hats. As soon I heard the opening accordion beats to "Un Rinconcito en la Cielo", I felt the urge to cry. I have heard Ramon Ayala's songs since I was able to decipher music from common noise, since I knew what music was. My parents dedicated his songs to each other when they were dating, my grandfather was buried to "Un Puno de Tierra", and his songs also helped me mourn my grandfather's death. Ramon Ayala sings the experience of the poor, working class Mexican people and how we love, bury our dead, bury our sorrows, and live our lives. His appeal is multi generational, with the grandmas standing next to teenagers singing "Que me Entierren Cantando" ("Bury Me Singing")

" Y ese dia que yo y me muera,
yo no quiero oir los llorar
lo que quiero es que lleven guitaras
para oir los a todos catar"
"and the day that I die
I dont want to hear you cry
What I want is for you to bring guitars
So I can hear you all sing"


Throughout the show they kept taking shout outs from audience members ("saludos a la familia Sanchez de Nayarit de parte de Rosita") probably dedicated to other audience members.

Ramon Ayala and his trusty accordion (red, black, and white), have paved the way for musicians like Julieta Venegas and Fuga who have incorporated the accordion into rock, punkchera (punk/ranchera mix), and pop.

Once the show was over, my sister and I took pictures with Ramon Ayala. So did hundreds of parents, grandparents, and teenagers who all see themselves in Ramon Ayala y los Bravos del Norte. Todos somos Ramon Ayala!