Jaguares at the Fillmore 9.16.2010!

I don't consider myself a Nationalist. I am very proud of being Mexicana, but will more often than not prefer to be in solidarity with someone, to find a common ground under which to build a movement, a friendship, a good conversation, a connection.

I would say that there are only a few exceptions to this rule:
1. The World Cup before Mexico inevitably get eliminated. After that I am game to support non-imperialist countries.
2. In the presence of a Mariachi or a Conjunto, especially when there is an accordion involved.
2. September 16, Dia de la Independencia de Mexico. On this day I am consumed for my love for Mexico, yelling "Viva Mexico" to anyone within earshot and will give more than a few "gritos" to vocalize my Mexicanismo.

So imagine my sheer joy and excitement when I found out that Jaguares was playing at the Fillmore on September 15. In Mexico people usually gather the night of September 15 to begin celebrating Mexico's Independence.



Within the frenzy of the mosh pit I was able to take a couple of videos of the show, especially of "La Martiniana", which I had never heard live before.



One of the best part of the show was when Saul (lead singer of Jaguares) talked about joining the struggle to make Mexico the country it needs to be for its people, and reminded everyone that California was part of Mexico, and in a way still is.



Power to the People y Que Viva Mexico!

Viento, amárranos...

Five weeks ago, on May 22 my daughter was born. I used to sing “Viento” by Jaguares to my nephew, Jacob, when he was an infant. Being one his primary caregivers, I found the lyrics sweet and appropriate for the purity of baby-love. Now I find myself singing the same song to my daughter and not being able to even get through it (ah, those postpartum hormones). And I’m thinking, was Saúl Hernández ever a nursing mother? Because a more perfect expression of motherly love/obsession I have yet to encounter. I’d like my daughter to remember this song as her earliest lullaby, that is, if I can ever stay dry-eyed enough to sing her the entire thing in key.

Nayáhuari Meza-Martinez

"Viento" - Jaguares

Préstame tu peine, y péiname el alma /lend me your comb and comb out my soul
Desenrédame, fuera de este mundo /unwind me far away from this world
Dime que no estoy soñándote /tell me that I’m not dreaming you
Enséñame, de que estamos hechos /teach me what we are made of
Que quiero brincar planetas, hasta ver uno vacío/ I want to jump between planets until I see an empty one
Que quiero irme a vivir, pero que sea contigo /I want to go live there, but only if it’s with you

Viento, amárranos /Wind, tie us together
Tiempo, detente muchos años /Time, hold still for many years

Préstame tu peine, y péiname el alma /lend me your comb and comb out my soul
Purifícame, no me abandones /purify me, don’t abandon me
Préstame tu sueño, y duérmeme /lend me your dream and help me sleep
Embrújame, volvámonos eternos /bewitch me, let’s become eternal
Que quiero brincar planetas, hasta ver uno vacío /I want to jump between planets until I see an empty one
Que quiero irme a vivir, pero que sea contigo /I want to go live there, but only if it’s with you

Viento, amárranos /Wind, tie us together
Tiempo, detente muchos años /Time, hold still for many years
…

Now playing - the latest from Jaguares, Babasonicos, and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

La Cumbaimbera shares a bit about her most recent acquisitions:

45 (Sept 2008) – Jaguares – If 45 were a painting it’d be hanging in a museo madrileño between a Picasso and a Goya. Exhibiting the same obsession with pain and fragmentation as well as with possibilities for redemption, 45 takes us back to the Jagaures of old. Saúl Hernández’ newest material picks up where El Equilibrio… (the original Jaguares collection) left off, that is, soaking in contemplative moodiness and dark sentiments. With its floating musical interludes, raucous guitar action, and even piano and orchestral arrangements, 45’s real distinguishing feature is that it’s just plain good. So good, in fact, that it hasn’t and won’t be getting any mainstream radio play. But who cares? After all, it’s art.


"Lobo" - Jaguares



Mucho (May 2008) – Babasonicos – Compared to Jaguares, Babasonicos definitely falls on the easy listening side of the rock spectrum. Part electronica, part Hombres G, part classic rock-and-roll, Mucho tackles it all with a good dose of pop sensibility. With this album Babasonicos achieves what Mana seems bent on avoiding, that is, delivering a collection that is tasty and at the same time textured. With its lighthearted musical approach, Mucho will leave you feeling like even your momentos mas rabiosos are something to sing about.


"Pijamas" - Babasonicos



La Luz del Ritmo (Nov 2008) – Los Fabulsoos Cadillacs – A more appropriate name for this album would be “El Buffet de los Ritmos.” Listening to this CD gave me visions of everyone from John Travolta to Gloria Estefan. Disco, salsa, love ballads…you name it, La Luz del Ritmo does it. About half of the material is remakes of previous Fabulosos tunes, including a version of “Mal Bicho” complete with scratching and a funkdafied bass line. There are also (bilingual) covers of “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and “Wake Up and Make Love With Me.” The most intriguing track, “Condenaditos” is aptly described as a “Nueva Orleans Funeral Pop.” And…wait…is that Los Pibes Chorros I hear? Nope. It’s just Vicentico praying un “Padre Nuestro” a lo Fabuloso.


"Padre Nuestro" - Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

Dime, Jaguar

In order to catch los Jaguares on their 45 tour—the album so named for the 45 million people living in poverty in Mexico—I found myself once again at the Nokia Theater in Times Square (doesn’t anybody in New York ever book anywhere else???). The first bit of news, which those of you who have been watching TV know, is that Saúl has cut his hair. It makes him look, um, old, and as some audience members suggested, fresa. But he is still the same Saúl with that same entrancing voice which deftly sneaks in poetic quotes and political observations between songs in order to encourage audience members to get off their asses and do something to improve the world (that is, after they recover from their hangovers). As usual, there was a mix of responses from the audience. One guy next to me shouted out, “¡Que no se olviden de los compadritos del ’68!” and others just made their annoying “culero” calls while demanding particular songs.

* The Set *

Mostly Caifanes and early Jaguares songs and just a few from the new album, which nobody sang along to, although according to a People en Español interview with Saúl, the day after its release 45 made the “no 1 spot on I-tunes,” whatever that means. The encore consisted of a wonderful Caifanes set of 4 songs that ended with “No Dejes Que,” which may have been meant to slow things down, although if that was the intent the locos in the mosh pit didn’t seem to notice.


“Me salvé del mundo y de su furia pero no de ti…”

* The Mosh Pit *

Let’s begin by saying that the venue was so crowded that it took a good half a dozen songs for the moshing to even get started. There was simply no room. But when it did get going, it was, well, crazy. I was one of maybe, maybe, four women in there. I can’t remember the last time I was in a mosh pit that was so overwhelmingly male. The gender imbalance made for some interesting near-death experiences. After a certain point, it seemed like the slower the song tempo, the harder the moshers worked to keep things riled up. I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I spent most of my time on the sidelines, but considering the overrepresentation of shirtless moshing dudes, I feel justified in my self-preservation tactics.

* The Verdict *

The show was awesome. The popularity of the 80’s and 90’s compositions, it seems, will never die. They just get better with time, and the band still performs them with all the love and electrified energy they deserve. And while the merits of the new songs is a subject of debate among fans, nearly all the songs on the new album are composed by Saúl, which is to say, they can never really be bad.

* P.S. *

The chisme mill here in Brooklyn has it that the new 4th member of the band is a paisa who used to work at a restaurant in Manhattan. The band used to invite him to play live with them whenever they came to town until they finally picked him up and gave him a new (and presumably better paying) job.

So many albums, so little wireless access

Yes, folks, I am currently in a limited wireless access situation, which means that I have totally L-A-G-G-G-E-D on downloading the slew of new albums by some of my favorite artists. Some of these albums I know I need to have (Julieta’s Unplugged) and others I am curious about (Beto Cuevas) and others are yet to be released (Aterciopelados). But the bottom line is, if you can get to them before me, you should. Here they are, my wishlist:

Julieta Venegas - MTV Unplugged (released in June)
Jaguares - 45 (released Sept 2)
Enrique Bunbury - Hellville De Luxe (released Sept 30 in Spain)
Beto Cuevas - Miedo Escénico (released Sept 30)
Volumen Cero - I Can See the Brite spot (released Oct 7)
Aterciopelados - Río (release date Oct 21)

In the meantime, check out Café Tacvba’s collaboration with Calle 13 on “No Hay Nadie Como Tú.” Like the song, enjoy the video, LOVE the Tacubos plunking and strumming away on their acoustic instruments as they groove!