laila's birthday

i saw this excellent film by rashid masharawi the other day, about a taxi driver attempting to get his daughter a present & a cake on her birthday in occupied ramallah. it's a really beautiful film-- an affectionate portrait of palestinians and a compelling reflection on occupation & resistance-- with the perfect dose of dark humor thrown in for good measure. i imagine it's difficult to catch, but do try to see it, ok?

laila's birthday (eid milad laila) : rashid masharawi

¡palestina será libre! ¡que viva la resistencia del pueblo!

patricia

had the great honor last month of meeting patricia isasa. as soon as she started her presentation i knew i was going to like her. there was a video of george bush signing the military commissions act and when it started (re)playing on a loop she took off her shoe and aimed it at the projection screen.

patricia was disappeared in argentina in july 1976 when she was 16 years old. a student organizer in santa fé, she was designated a terrorist and held for more than two years in a clandestine detention center. she is a survivor of torture who has relentlessly fought state violence & its many accomplices for decades, ever since she was released.

lo que mas me ha impresionado about patricia is her unwillingness to let those crimes that happened to her & to so many people, be understood as aberrations in history, as some dark moments when things got out of hand. she traces the legacy of state repression from her torture in argentina by u.s.-trained milicos in the late 1970s to the present-day torture of detainees in u.s. custody at guantánamo, and in occupied iraq & palestine. she insists upon discussing these acts not in isolation (as the discourse on "human rights" so often encourages) but within the context of the economic system that they serve.

she won't let people forget the role of the ford motor company for example. in addition to providing an endless supply of ford falcons, which became notorious as the favorite automobiles for forced disappearances & political assassinations during the argentine dirty war, ford's complicity in persecuting the labor leaders in its own factories there is well-documented. just outside buenos aires the main ford factory housed a clandestine detention center within the factory walls itself, an excellent metaphor for the entire dirty war. human rights violations, yes of course. but human rights violations in the service of upholding capitalism & imperialism, and of protecting the interests of the argentine, u.s., and european ruling classes.

this is patricia's democracy now interview from 2006, in which she recounts some of the details of her case. (her interview starts at 12:00 minutes.)



gracias, gracias, patricia, compañera. por compartir tu historia y por seguir siempre luchando por la justicia y contra la complicidad... 30000 desaparecidos ¡¡presentes!! ¡¡ni olvido ni perdón, juicio y castigo a los culpables!!

eewww!

fuck you, flaming lips! i never did like you or your music...



from the guardian :

The Flaming Lips' 2002 song, Do You Realise?, will be named the "official state rock'n'roll song of Oklahoma". And Wayne Coyne wants everyone to know that the band are not communists.

"Some minority of religious wackos are trying to make it seem like [we have a communist] agenda, which we don't," Coyne told Rolling Stone. His comments came after two whirlwind months, when Do You Realise? was chosen as the state's official rock song, rejected due to the band's "communism", then finally reinstated by governor Brad Henry.

...

The online vote was ratified by the Oklahoma senate and Flaming Lips seemed set to enter the Sooner State's history books. Until, that is ... the T-shirt.

Flaming Lips bassist Michael Ivins happens to own a red T-shirt with a hammer and sickle, symbols of communism. And he happened to wear this shirt on a visit to the state capital last month. And some members of Oklahoma's house of representatives happened to notice.

Livid, these anti-communist politicians rejected the song.

"It's really just a few religious wackos that think they can tell everybody what to do," Coyne told Billboard. "It's not even Democrats v Republicans. It's just a couple of these small-minded guys who are the most popular in their church and their little towns. In some ways it's so absurd, it can only make us look good and them look stupid."

"Honestly, it's just a dumb shirt," he continued. "We're not communists."

eeeeeewwwww!!!!!! los flaming lips me dan asco.

rock en catalán

you know, there has been a lot of good (and left!) music that's come out of the països catalans...


viure sempre corrent
avançant amb la gent
rellevant contra el vent
transportant sentiments
viurem mantenint viva
la flama a traves del temps
la flama de tot un poble en moviment

: la flama


obrint pas : la flama




mesclat : el burgès




brams : brindis







republican militia training. barcelona, cataluña. 1936.
foto : gerda taro

tributo a the clash

llama a tu viejo, llama a tu vieja
y todo, todo, todo va a estar bien
escúchalo, no lo ignores
y todo va a estar bien

: revolution rock


barbican in london is bringing together some musicians (rock en español ++) for a tributo en vivo a the clash.

it's called spanish bombs: tropical tribute to the clash. and this is the description :

In a highly-anticipated world-premiere concert, appealing to fans of both The Clash and Latin music in general - the legendary band’s repertoire is brought to life by guest vocalists and musicians from some of the hottest Latin bands on the planet.

god. really? i'm not gonna lie, if i was in london right now, i would be going to this show. i love the clash, i love clash covers. and how cool to see rubén albarrán (café tacuba) singing joe strummer (sigh...)?!

but... "latin" is a dead language not a musical style, and spain (nor austin, texas nor monterrey, mexico) is not in the tropics, ok?

**


revolution rock : los fabulosos cadillacs (original, the clash)




this is radio clash : the clash

rachid taha part ii...with video and pics!!

i was lucky enough to go with la diabolica to go see the amazing rachid taha. it was definitely a great night filled with the amazing music played by rachid taha and his band. rachid taha played songs that blended rock, drama, traditional music, punk, and ballads in a way that i had never heard live. he played like he was playing in front of thousands instead of the couple of hundred people at yoshi's. he does play in front of thousands, which is why seeing him in a small intimate setting was such a special treat!


tuve la suerte de ir con la diabólica a ver al increíble rachid taha. fue una noche lindísima llena de bella música de parte de rachid taha y su conjunto. rachid taha toco canciones que mezclan rock, drama, música tradicional, punk, y boleros en una manera que nunca había oído. el toco como que estaba tocando enfrente de miles de personas en vez de cómo doscientas de personas en yoshi's. ¡la cosa es que regularmente el si toca enfrente de miles de personas, y por eso fue tan chido verlo en un local pequeño!




and i had a "dancing in the dark" moment! as i was taking a picture rachid taha pointed at me and motioned for me to come up on the stage. i spilled my drink in the flurry of climbing on a chair and a table to get on the stage. we danced as he sang, he hugged me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. then he invited everyone to come up on the stage, and it became a big dance party on the stage!




¡tuve una experiencia como la de la muchacha en el video de bruce springsteen, “dancing in the dark” (bailando en oscuras)! mientras yo estaba tomando una foto rachid taha se dirigió hacia mí y me pidió que subiera al escenario con él. derrame mi bebida en el suelo en el chaos de subirme a una silla u luego a una mesa para subir al escenario. bailamos mientras el cantaba, me dio un abrazo, y me beso en mi cachete at lado de mi cara. ¡luego invito a todos a subirse con nosotros, y el escenario se convirtió en una pachanga!

video: rachid taha and band


tell your friends to visit us at www.rockeras-sin-fronteras.blogspot.com. leave us a comment, chisme,o buenas nuevas!


dile a tus amig@s que visiten nuestro blog en www.rockeras-sin-fronteras.blogspot.com. ¡déjenos comentarios, chisme,o buenas nuevas!


enjoy! ¡que disfruten!

¡¡¡rock en árabe!!!

we saw rachid taha last night! i don't have time now to write very much except to say : 

1. i absolutely loved the show, every single minute of it. he is very roquero, very dramatic, very hilarious, and really an excellent performer. and the music was sooooo good. 

2. he plays again tonight. i would go again if i could, but i can't make it :( if you can swing it you really should! 

3. la pachuquita danced with him!! 

she took a few pictures & video so we'll add to this post later but for now here is the info & a little taste...

rachid taha 

tonight! 

friday, april 24th

yoshi's in sf @ 8pm

$30 

rachid taha : ecoute-moi camarade

Love for my hometown

Anyone who is from a valley town knows that it’s not very often that something great happens there. Not to hate on my hometown, but let’s face it, the myraid of good things that happen in Sacramento cannot stack up to the great things that happen elsewhere. After all, Sacramento is basically on the map so Arnold Schwarzenegger's staff can have a place to call home, which means that Sac is also home to lots and lots of people employed by the state of California, which means that it’s a comfortable place for liberals but that folks with varying degrees of radical politics flee to the Bay Area for sanctuary everyday. Not that I think this is the best course of action for the good of my town, but that’s how it is.

But enough on mediocrity. Here’s the great news: Panteón Rococco is on tour right now, and while here in the Bay Area we will have the pleasure of partying to "La Carencia" after the May 1 march in S.F. (see below), Sacramento will have the pleasure of partying with Panteón the day before…with La Plebe as the opening band! Not only is La Plebe good musically, they’re good politically, and both their music and their politics will be a perfect warm-up for Panteón’s show—and we all know such chemistry is not always the case with opening acts. So, Sac folks, if you want to get your revolutionary mosh on with two great bands on the eve of International Worker’s Day, show up to La Tropicana on April 30.

desapariciones

this video was taken on the 30th anniversary of the 1976 coup d'etat in argentina. in buenos aires the day was commemorated by an enormous march under the banner: memory, truth & justice.

the music is desapariciones (disappearances) by los fabulosos cadillacs (original by rubén blades. gracias, eepdlryed ;) some lyrics & translation below...




que alguien me diga
si ha visto a mi esposo
preguntaba la doña
se llama ernesto y tiene cuarenta años
trabajaba de peón
en un negocio de autos
llevaba camisa oscura
y pantalón claro
salió de noche y no ha regresado
y yo no sé ya que pensar
pues esto ante
no me había pasado

someone tell me
if you've seen my husband,
the lady was asking
he's called ernesto & he's 40 years old
he's a worker at a car dealership
he was wearing a dark shirt
and light pants
he went out at night and hasn't returned
and i don't know what to think
this has never happened to me before

llevo tres días
buscando a mi hermana
se llama altagracia
igual que la abuela
salió del trabajo para la escuela
llevaba puestos jeans
y una camisa blanca
no ha sido el novio...
el tipo está en su casa
no saben de ella en la policía
ni en el hospital

i've spent 3 days
looking for my sister
she's called altagracia
just like our grandmother
she left from work to go to school
she was wearing jeans
and a white shirt
it wasn't her boyfriend...
that guy is at his house
they don't know anything about her
at the police station
or at the hospital

que alguien me diga
si ha visto a mi hijo
es estudiante de medicina
se llama agustín
y es un buen muchacho
es a veces terco cuando opina
lo han detenido...
no se que fuerza
pantalón blanco camisa a rayas
paso ante ayer

someone tell me
if you've seen my son
he's a medical student
he's called augustín
he's a good boy
sometimes stubborn about his opinions
they've detained him
i don't know which force
white pants, a striped shirt
it happened the day before yesterday

...

anoche escuche
varias explosiones
tiros de escopeta y de revólver
autos acelerados, frenos, gritos
ecos de botas en la calle
toques de puerta,
quejas, por dioses, platos rotos
estaban dando la telenovela
por eso nadie miró pa'fuera
avestruz

last night i heard
various explosions
shots from rifles & revolvers
engines accelerating, breaks, shouts
the echos of boots on the streets
knocks on the door
cries of "for god's sake", broken dishes
they had on the soap opera
so no one looked outside
ostrich

en negro y blanco

recently i've come across some photo & film documentation from the dictadura years in argentina, before the restoration of democratic elections in 1983...

the following film was released in 1979 by raymundo gleyzer's cine de base (cinema from below). gleyzer was an argentine filmmaker & journalist and leader in the third cinema movement, and had already been disappeared by the time this film was made.

the narration comes from the text of a famous open letter to the dictatorship by rodolfo walsh, a journalist and militant, written on the first anniversary of the 1976 military coup d'etat. the letter is a scathing indictment of the dictatorship, its repression of dissent and pursuit of neo-colonial economic policies. walsh was shot in an ambush and disappeared the day after writing the letter.

the film is called las aaa son las tres armas / the armed forces are the aaa. the aaa, the argentine anti-communist alliance, began operations as a right wing clandestine death squad in 1973. with the escalation of the dirty war the lines between this paramilitary organization and the official armed forces in control of the executive branch of the state were increasingly blurred.

of course all this had the blessing and assistance of the u.s. government. kissenger in 1976, a couple months after the coup: we have followed events in argentina closely. we wish the new government well. we wish it will succeed. we will do what we can to help it succeed... it is a curious time, when political, criminal, and terrorist activities tend to merge without any clear separation. we understand you must establish authority."


las aaa son las tres armas : cine de la base





**

the following are images from en negro y blanco : fotografías del cordobazo al juicio a las juntas, an excellent archive of photos which trace the development of state terrorism in argentina from 1969 to 1985 (in black & white : photographs from the uprising in córdoba to the trials of the military junta)...



foto: gerardo horowitz, 1975. the military occupies tucumán province.



foto: archivo clarín, 1976. prisoners in the month following the coup, under federal juristiction.



foto: archivo clarín, 1979. military police break the floor of a house, looking for a guerrilla hideout.



foto: jorge durán, 1981. raids in the villas miserias (shantytowns) around buenos aires are commonplace.



foto: jorge rilo, 1982. during a violently repressed public demonstration against the dictatorship some demonstrators reach the door of the casa rosada.



foto : adriana lestido, 1982. various generations participate in demonstrations to demand justice for the disappeared.

la misma porquería iii

tomorrow the obama administration is to name alan bersin as border czar. ¡pero que carajo es eso! i don't approve of czars of any kind, and especially not a czar to police the perimeters of this land that's stolen anyway. the expansion of the drug wars, the taking of more lives, the diverting of more weapons to the corrupt & murderous mexican army & police. ugh. also alan bersin, during his time at the u.s. attorney office, is responsible for operation gatekeeper, which is responsible for the militarization of the us-mexico border and an ever-multiplying number of immigrant deaths. vete al carajo, alan bersin.



foto : 3 mil corazones. between 1994 & 2004, the first 10 years of operation gatekeeper, more than 3 thousand immigrants died or were killed trying to cross the border between mexico & the united states.

**

los de abajo : la fuga



buscando el chivo expiatorio
te van a buscar en el directorio
si no copartes sus ideas
te has metido en un gran problema
encuentra la forma de correr
no importa si eres inocente van a proceder
en plan chingativo
llegan provocando buscando un motivo

Aterciopelados en el Independent de San Francisco, 4.10.09

Las Rockeras Sin Fronteras y compas fuimos a ver Aterciopelados ayer en San Panchito. Aquí están unas fotos y video del show. Aterciopelados son como un buen vino o amor...se pone mejor con el tiempo.



Tocaron como parte de una campaña de Amnistía Internacional que se enfoca en Contra de la Violencia contra la mujer. También tocaron canciones de su nuevo álbum, Rio, cual está disponible para conseguir de cualquier manera cada uno de nosotros consigue música.



Antes de tocar “Bandera” Andrea hablo acerca de las injusticias contra la comunidad inmigrante, y de poner un paro a las redadas de la pinche migra. También hablo acerca de uno de los miembros de su banda que fue forzado a esperar una semana más que los demás para una visa para entrar a los Estados Unidos, cual lo hizo perder la mitad de la gira hasta ahora.

"Banderas"


Nos divertimos muchísimo con los compas de Aterciopelados y esperamos que no sea mucho tiempo antes que regresan a San Panchito.
No se olviden de visitar y comentar en nuestro blog Rockeras Sin Fronteras, www.rockeras-sin-fronteras.blogspot.com. ¡Gracias!

Traveling Songs... Canciones acerca de Viajar

Recientemente estuve en Nueva York para visitar a unas comadres y en Baltimore, Maryland para participar en la conferencia "Ciudad Desde Abajo" cual se enfocó en la lucha contra el desplazamiento y contra el aburguesamiento de nuestras comunidades. Durante ese tiempo estuve viajando mucho, y me hizo pensar mucho en canciones que he escuchado en mi cabeza o en el radio durante mis diferentes viajes sobre los años. Cada viaje que he tomado en mi vida ha tenido su propio tema musical cual siempre me transporta de nuevo a ese lugar con los mismos colores, olores y recuerdos. Aquí les mando algunas de mis canciones favoritas acerca de viajar, ya sea físicamente o mentalmente. ¡Espero que les guste!

Recently I was in New York visiting some good friends and in Baltimore, Maryland to participate in the conference “City from Below”, which focused on the struggle against displacement and against the gentrification in our communities. During that time I was traveling around a lot, and it made me think a lot about music I have heard either in my head or on the radio during my different travel over the years. Each big trip I have taken in my life has had its own musical soundtrack which always transports me back to that specific place with the same colors, smells, and memories. Here are some of my favorite songs about traveling, either physically or mentally. I hope you like them!

Julieta Venegas: Me Voy


El Barrio: Me Voy al Mundo



La Ley: Fuera de Mi


Los Prisioneros: Tren al Sur


Heroes del Silencio: Entre dos Tierras


Panteon Rococo y Julieta Venegas: Skapate Conmigo

bds milan

hurray!! look at this!!! it's one of many boycott-divestment-sanctions actions taking place in supermarkets all over the world in solidarity with palestine and in opposition to israeli apartheid. specifically it is a coordinated call to consumers to boycott israeli goods.

appropriately, the video is set to the ramones beat on the brat. i love it! ¡bravo milán! ¡que viva palestina libre!





i wish more video footage from protests would be set to punk rock and posted on youtube.

beat on the brat
beat on the brat
beat on the brat with a baseball bat
oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-oh.

what can you do?
what can you do?
with a brat like that always on your back
what can you do?
...
with a brat like that always on your back
what can you lose?


gracias, otra vez, mv.

souad massi

liiiiindísima.


raoui : souad massi




hayati : souad massi




khalouni : souad massi



and this very sweet tribute... a cover of le bien et le mal captured on cell phone for the el país movilfilmfest convocatoria.