Tijuana bands and Tijuana DJs you should know about
July 25, 2008
Photo by Damian Gastellum
Lhabia: http://www.myspace.com/lhabiatijuana
Unsexy Nerd Ponies: http://www.myspace.com/unsexynerdponi
LoudNoises!: WWW.MYSPACE.COM/LOUDNOISESMUSICA
Astronauta Jackson: http://www.myspace.com/astronautajackson
Latinsizer: http://www.myspace.com/latinsizer
Orlando: http://www.myspace.com/orlandoespop
Falopia: http://www.myspace.com/falopia
Madame Ur and Sus Hombres: http://www.myspace.com/madameur
Audioguns: http://www.myspace.com/audioguns
Tijuana Moods
April 2, 2008
The brassy sounds of the trumpet used to cut across the cold Tijuana nights — that’s according to Tijuana Moods, a documentary about Jazz and Urbanism in Tijuana, from the 50s through the 70s. Created in part by San Diego architect Rene Peralta, the story is carried through by interviews with old-time scenesters whose charm and humor makes the historical overview exciting and inherently hip.
I’m talking with Peralta next week. I’ll know more then. For now, check out the short YouTube promo video above.
Tijuana tranny show
March 14, 2008
I have a tattoo on the back of my neck that will forever remind me of my perhaps strange, but definitely strong love for transsexuals. But you don’t have to be as obsessed as I to enjoy the vocal stylings and stage theatrics of Zemmoa, a beautiful boy in girl’s clothing who sings over live guitar mixed with Daft Punk and other electro songs while dancing around and just generally being fabulous. Last night at Tijuana’s Tentaculo Bar, Zemmoa put on a quick but powerful performance for a small but extremely dedicated crowd of TJ’s more flamboant gay boys. Her singing? Not the best, but it really doesn’t matter. She parades around with the kind of confidence and swagger most older drag queens take a lifetime to perfect.
Get out your glitter, boys and girls, and head to Younite Lounge, at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 15.
Manu Chao, old but good
June 7, 2007
Manu Chao’s music isn’t mind blowing. The songs are far from original, leaning more toward a poppy little combo of punk rock and reggae than rythm-heavy world music, which is what it could and probably should be.
Nonetheless, the show at the Tijuana bullring in Las Playas Tuesday night was pretty damn good. Had the show gone on at the Embarcadero in San Diego as originally planned, I’m sure I wouldn’t be writing the same rave review. A San Diego Manu Chao show would have been boring. The band would have jammed out a quick, quiet set before being kicked off the stage at 9:45 p.m., minutes before Coronado’s uppity residents reached for their phones to call the noise Nazi.
Tijuana, on the other hand, came through Tuesday night with its dependable mix of fun-chaos-burgeoning-on-horrible-disaster vibe. The place was packed. Kids, mostly young kids with glossy eyes and dread heads, piled into the dusty ring right in front of the stage hours before the show started. As soon as the band bounced into the spotlight, the fleshy mass started swirling and whirling in two distinct mosh pits. My friend, a huge styrofoam tequila and coke in hand, pointed to the circles with a smile.
“They look like boobs,” he said.
I think they looked more like devilish little eyes, peering out at those of us who were either too old, too lazy or too scared to go down into the pit. A few times during the show, a shirtless dude managed to clear out his own little circle amid the chaos by wielding a huge flaming baton then sucking in karosene and breathing out a gigantic ball of fire. That shit would never fly in San Diego!
Anyway, by the third encore, I couldn’t take it anymore. My friend and I made our way to the dusty underland, pushed our way through the mosh pit and immediately got sucked in by Manu Chao’s almost tangible charisma. During the last few songs, a little studded-jacket wearing teen managed to make his way on stage. A guard eventually went after him, but Manu Chao pushed him away and let his new little friend do the standard punk dance. Elbows flying, feet stomping — it wasn’t long before two other little punks pushed their way on stage and joined the fun.
El Poeta keepin’ it live
June 1, 2007
Pictures of the border line by Kinsee Morlan
Two of my favorite things: El Poeta and Radio Global. Listen up folks: http://s8.viastreaming.net:7670/listen.pls
El Poeta takes over the internet waves every Friday from noon to 2 p.m.
Radio Global is a Tijuana-based online radio station and production company that’s behind so much of what’s cool in TJ.
