Border Crossing Diosa
MamaCoatl
Border Crossing Diosa, Mamacoatl’s stunning debut, is an innovative fusion of diverse musical traditions. For those who demand comparison, she’s somewhere between Lila Downs, Ani DiFranco and Nina Simone, incorporating a fearless, feminine rearticulation of trova (Latin American protest song) and spoken word infused with jazz, funk and traditional Mexican sounds. MamaCoatl tells stories from both sides of the border in a time when the streets across America are filled with people using their voice to demand immigration reform.
MamaCoatl’s silky voice lures us into her world where culture, poetry and jazz live side by side and where there is room for articulated anger and the need for a just solution in a time of rabid globalization. It’s impossible to remain indifferent to MamacCoatl’s tribute to the women of Juarez or demands for social justice. Listening to “Testimonio Madres de Juarez en el D.F. 2004”, an excerpt of women describing the disappeared daughters of Juarez, is sobering.
The diversity of provocative soundscapes blend to form an amalgamated record. Listen closely to the darkly haunting “Predator” (“You can be my father, my lover, my teacher, my preacher, my employer, my elected official. Predator. Or are you this love that kills, this desperate need for an emotional fix?”) or the Native American music crossed with funk on “Hey, Macho”.
What a powerful 27 seconds on “Adicta” as MamaCoatl invokes the earth mother as she recites: “Holy Mothers of Mole, who beat and blend the flavors together. Your hands, your canas, you laughter, your fuerza, your daughters. Womanhood a fuego lento, simmering in great mud ollas.” From here she immediately launches into the jazzy “Holy Mothers”, attacking the Frankenfood prevalent on most plates in America: we’re eating poison thanks to transnational corporate greed. Food is indeed a weapon.
She creates a passionate postmodern son that laments violence against women (both economic and cultural) on the rhythms and English/Spanish poetry of “La Guerra de Ser Gacela”, while her plaintive cry of “perdóname” with Gothic chant on “Tu Santa Madre” is heartbreaking.
“I Need A Man” is one of the best songs ever written about the feminine need for an emotional, intellectual, carnal and economic relationship with a man. From seductress to revolutionary to Earth Mother, MamaCoatl’s music is a prism of a woman whose voice is so needed in these turbulent times where too many search for commercial solace in American Idol wannabes and blonds with Chihuahuas and not enough seek funk ranchero....
Anji Gaspar-Milanovic
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
MamaCoatl & Alfonso Maya Live @ Solart Gallery
I'm really excited that MamaCoatl is coming to town on April 22! Her new record is amazing and timely as people prepare to march on May 1.
“Border Crossing Diosa is a fearless, feminine rearticulation of blues, poetry and protest song, telling stories from both sides of the border. A fusion of diverse musical traditions, it’s impossible to remain indifferent to MamacCoatl’s tribute to the women of Juarez or demands for social justice." ---Anji Milanovic, www.plume-noire.com
“Border Crossing Diosa is a fearless, feminine rearticulation of blues, poetry and protest song, telling stories from both sides of the border. A fusion of diverse musical traditions, it’s impossible to remain indifferent to MamacCoatl’s tribute to the women of Juarez or demands for social justice." ---Anji Milanovic, www.plume-noire.com
La Peña del Sapo Cancionero presents:
Border Crossing Diosa MAMACOATL & ALFONSO MAYA
performing live at solart gallery & café
Saturday, April 22 @ 8:30pm
tickets $15 (seating is limited)
2202 north main street, santa ana
(corner of main and buffalo)
www.solartgallerycafe.com
Border Crossing Diosa MAMACOATL & ALFONSO MAYA
performing live at solart gallery & café
Saturday, April 22 @ 8:30pm
tickets $15 (seating is limited)
2202 north main street, santa ana
(corner of main and buffalo)
www.solartgallerycafe.com
for more information call me at 714-675-1930
http://myspace.com/sapocancionero
“…Eclectica e intensa, mezcla de ritmos y generos musicales de resonancias arquetipicas, ‘BorderCrossingDiosa’ no nos deja mantener una actitud indiferente al escucharla…[el album] es una incisiva expocision de la psicologia del poder y un reclamo de justicia social…” -Jazzimientos /Alterna FM Cuernavaca, Mexico.
“Mamacoatl’s sound carries a unique urban edginess. Her spanglish musical syntax –using spoken word and traditional Latino soundscapes, creates a sassy avant garde sonido.” -El Tecolote, San Francisco, CA
On her new provocative record BorderCrossingDiosa, MamaCoatl deals with themes like the women of Juarez, social justice and the multidirectional transformation of culture. BorderCrossingDiosa is a fusion of poetry and song and a mix of diverse musical traditions and rhythms. She rearticulates Latin American protest song with a fearless feminine voice and tells stories from both North and South of the border. Alfonso Maya, who produced BorderCrossingDiosa, once again returns to Southern California to delight us with his stories and songs.
El Sapo Cancionero is an organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting Latin American music in Southern California. For over 5 years, El Sapo Cancionero has brought diverse singers and groups such as Viola Trigo, Fernando Delgadillo, Mexicanto, Luis Jahn, Ismael Garcia, Gabino Palomares and Alejandro Santiago to Orange County.
“…Eclectica e intensa, mezcla de ritmos y generos musicales de resonancias arquetipicas, ‘BorderCrossingDiosa’ no nos deja mantener una actitud indiferente al escucharla…[el album] es una incisiva expocision de la psicologia del poder y un reclamo de justicia social…” -Jazzimientos /Alterna FM Cuernavaca, Mexico.
“Mamacoatl’s sound carries a unique urban edginess. Her spanglish musical syntax –using spoken word and traditional Latino soundscapes, creates a sassy avant garde sonido.” -El Tecolote, San Francisco, CA
On her new provocative record BorderCrossingDiosa, MamaCoatl deals with themes like the women of Juarez, social justice and the multidirectional transformation of culture. BorderCrossingDiosa is a fusion of poetry and song and a mix of diverse musical traditions and rhythms. She rearticulates Latin American protest song with a fearless feminine voice and tells stories from both North and South of the border. Alfonso Maya, who produced BorderCrossingDiosa, once again returns to Southern California to delight us with his stories and songs.
El Sapo Cancionero is an organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting Latin American music in Southern California. For over 5 years, El Sapo Cancionero has brought diverse singers and groups such as Viola Trigo, Fernando Delgadillo, Mexicanto, Luis Jahn, Ismael Garcia, Gabino Palomares and Alejandro Santiago to Orange County.
Our Brand Is Crisis Opens This Weekend in LA!
Sandra Sarmiento from Aztec Gold TV has a LIMITED amount of FREE tickets for this hilarious documentary THIS WEEKEND. Please read her message below and come out and support this film.
"It's like "Thank You for Smoking" set in Latin America. Absolutely delightful and thought-provoking. To "qualify" you must be a MEDIA Representative (tv, radio, print), a Film Festival Staff (Director, Programmer, Coordinator) , University Faculty or a Politician (yes, you politicos NEED to see this). I also have Beta + DVD versions of trailer for on-air promotions (tv & radio). Send your REAL NAME in an email to me by Friday 4/14 @ noon and I will put you on the Laemmle Box office guest list located on the Santa Monica prominade in LA. Send names to pocharte@aol.com. "
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2006
Media Contact: Sandra Sarmiento
pocharte@aol.com, 714.417.0073
AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY OUR BRAND IS CRISIS OPENS THIS WEEKEND IN LOS ANGELES
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is a thrilling and bittersweet documentary hailedas a "sequel" to THE WAR ROOM. It details the rise of current Bolivian President, the indigenous and controversial Evo Morales, and the fall of Goni, his Harvard educated predecessor, through the aid of one of the world's most powerful political advisors, James Carvill (who also handled US President Clinton's campaign). This delightful and thought-provoking film is a cross between THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and FARANHEIT 9/11.
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS opens this weekend at the Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex this Friday - 4/14 with DAILY SHOWTIMES of 1:00pm, 3:10pm, 5:30pm, 7:50pm & 10:00pm. Please support this well-crafted independent doc by joining us for opening weekend 4/14 through 4/16! For more info, visit: http://www.ourbrandiscrisis.net/
* * * Winner of the 2005 IDA Best Feature Documentary Award
* * * Nominated for the 2005 "Truer Than Fiction" Independent Spirit Award
* * * Official Selection at the 2005 South By Southwest Festival
* * * Featured Screening at the 2005 AFI/Silverdocs Film Festival
* * * Official Selection at the 2005 Edinburgh International Film Festival
http://www.ourbrandiscrisis.net/
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR BRAND IS CRISIS
"Riveting, unravels like a political thriller!"--- Slant Magazine
"Absurdly funny, sometimes horrifying! ...Let everyone watch OUR BRAND IS CRISIS!" Stuart Klawans, The Nation
"A riveting and intellectually provocative tale of clashing ethics and ideologies." Matthew Ross, Filmmaker Magazine
"Hilarious! Would be even funnier if the well-paid American strategists weren't helping to decide the political fate of an impoverished Third World nation. Boynton's film ultimately reveals as many disturbing facts about our own backroom political process as it does about Bolivia's."
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
"Exotic location notwithstanding, Rachel Boynton's riveting political documentary Our Brand Is Crisis is a sequel to the Clinton-era campaign, The War Room. Call it spin-meisters abroad: Boynton chronicles the further adventures of ace political strategist James Carville and his associates at GCS as guns for hire in the 2002 Bolivian election."- J. Hoberman, The Village Voice
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS SYNOPSIS
For decades, U.S. strategists- for- hire have been quietly molding the opinions of voters and the messages of candidates in elections around the world. They have worked for presidential candidates on every continent (in Britain, Israel, India, Korea, South Africa, Venezuela, Brazil,to name a few). Without the noise of tanks or troops, these Americans have been spreading our brand of democracy from the Middle East to the middle of the South American jungle. OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is an astounding look at one of their campaigns and its earthshattering aftermath. With flabbergasting access to think sessions, media training and the making of smear campaigns, we watch how the consultants' marketing strategies shape the relationship between a leader and his people. And we see a shocking example of how the all-American art of branding can affect the "spreading of democracy" overseas. Shot in classic verite style, OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is the first documentary to take viewers into the rooms where the strategies and decisions are made, giving audiences access to some astonishing realities. We watch Americans employing the same imagery and techniques used to marketMcDonald's to change the political future of another country.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
I got the idea for this film when I first heard about a group of Americans (not the ones in the movie) who had run an ad campaign to oust Chilean dictator Pinochet. For two years I'd been looking for the right idea for my first film. I wanted to find a topic that would let me explore America's relationship to the rest of the world, and here it was “ political idealism meets the profit motive. What could be more emblematic of us?"
"It's like "Thank You for Smoking" set in Latin America. Absolutely delightful and thought-provoking. To "qualify" you must be a MEDIA Representative (tv, radio, print), a Film Festival Staff (Director, Programmer, Coordinator) , University Faculty or a Politician (yes, you politicos NEED to see this). I also have Beta + DVD versions of trailer for on-air promotions (tv & radio). Send your REAL NAME in an email to me by Friday 4/14 @ noon and I will put you on the Laemmle Box office guest list located on the Santa Monica prominade in LA. Send names to pocharte@aol.com. "
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2006
Media Contact: Sandra Sarmiento
pocharte@aol.com, 714.417.0073
AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY OUR BRAND IS CRISIS OPENS THIS WEEKEND IN LOS ANGELES
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is a thrilling and bittersweet documentary hailedas a "sequel" to THE WAR ROOM. It details the rise of current Bolivian President, the indigenous and controversial Evo Morales, and the fall of Goni, his Harvard educated predecessor, through the aid of one of the world's most powerful political advisors, James Carvill (who also handled US President Clinton's campaign). This delightful and thought-provoking film is a cross between THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and FARANHEIT 9/11.
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS opens this weekend at the Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex this Friday - 4/14 with DAILY SHOWTIMES of 1:00pm, 3:10pm, 5:30pm, 7:50pm & 10:00pm. Please support this well-crafted independent doc by joining us for opening weekend 4/14 through 4/16! For more info, visit: http://www.ourbrandiscrisis.net/
* * * Winner of the 2005 IDA Best Feature Documentary Award
* * * Nominated for the 2005 "Truer Than Fiction" Independent Spirit Award
* * * Official Selection at the 2005 South By Southwest Festival
* * * Featured Screening at the 2005 AFI/Silverdocs Film Festival
* * * Official Selection at the 2005 Edinburgh International Film Festival
http://www.ourbrandiscrisis.net/
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR BRAND IS CRISIS
"Riveting, unravels like a political thriller!"--- Slant Magazine
"Absurdly funny, sometimes horrifying! ...Let everyone watch OUR BRAND IS CRISIS!" Stuart Klawans, The Nation
"A riveting and intellectually provocative tale of clashing ethics and ideologies." Matthew Ross, Filmmaker Magazine
"Hilarious! Would be even funnier if the well-paid American strategists weren't helping to decide the political fate of an impoverished Third World nation. Boynton's film ultimately reveals as many disturbing facts about our own backroom political process as it does about Bolivia's."
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
"Exotic location notwithstanding, Rachel Boynton's riveting political documentary Our Brand Is Crisis is a sequel to the Clinton-era campaign, The War Room. Call it spin-meisters abroad: Boynton chronicles the further adventures of ace political strategist James Carville and his associates at GCS as guns for hire in the 2002 Bolivian election."- J. Hoberman, The Village Voice
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS SYNOPSIS
For decades, U.S. strategists- for- hire have been quietly molding the opinions of voters and the messages of candidates in elections around the world. They have worked for presidential candidates on every continent (in Britain, Israel, India, Korea, South Africa, Venezuela, Brazil,to name a few). Without the noise of tanks or troops, these Americans have been spreading our brand of democracy from the Middle East to the middle of the South American jungle. OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is an astounding look at one of their campaigns and its earthshattering aftermath. With flabbergasting access to think sessions, media training and the making of smear campaigns, we watch how the consultants' marketing strategies shape the relationship between a leader and his people. And we see a shocking example of how the all-American art of branding can affect the "spreading of democracy" overseas. Shot in classic verite style, OUR BRAND IS CRISIS is the first documentary to take viewers into the rooms where the strategies and decisions are made, giving audiences access to some astonishing realities. We watch Americans employing the same imagery and techniques used to marketMcDonald's to change the political future of another country.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
I got the idea for this film when I first heard about a group of Americans (not the ones in the movie) who had run an ad campaign to oust Chilean dictator Pinochet. For two years I'd been looking for the right idea for my first film. I wanted to find a topic that would let me explore America's relationship to the rest of the world, and here it was “ political idealism meets the profit motive. What could be more emblematic of us?"
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Day of the Dead 2005
These are some images from Day of the Dead in SanTana in 2005. I've been working on them the last few months and am finally satisfied with a handful of them. Mucio and Josefina organized the event, creating altars for all to enjoy, along with some pan dulce and hot chocolate.
Josefina lies down on the path to her altar. The path is covered in eucalyptus and marigolds and all of us took off our shoes to walk the path to visit an altar decorated with sugar skulls, flowers, corn, photographs and more.
Isabel has a quiet moment at the altar.
Sitting with Mucio. His idea was to bring people together to honor the dead as well as culture.
Enrique plays his guitar, once his father's, in front of the altar he created in his memory.
A gorgeous view of the altar created by Josefina and Mucio.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Solart Celebrates 2 Years in SanTana
Who were the April Fools on a cold night in April in SanTana? Not us! We were too busy celebrating Solart's second year of bringing art, music, culture and a mean Argentine tea to Orange County.
Sali Heraldez's exterior may say "Peace" but her interior is saying "Huh?". Give Gustavo Arellano a few tequilas and off comes the prom dress.
There are so many things to say about Gustavo Arellano, but he's no mike hog!
Just Ask a Mexican! Nothing like Gustavo Arellano taking requests for Beatle songs.....
Two French Connection suspects stand nonchalantly, looking guilty.
Aztec Gold TV creators Victor Payan and Sandra Sarmiento mix and mingle with El Sapo Cancionero founder Enrique Gaspar.
Solart owner Sali Heraldez is beautiful, isn't she?
Gustavo Arellano shows off his good side.
Two French Connection suspects stand nonchalantly, looking guilty. 
Aztec Gold TV creators Victor Payan and Sandra Sarmiento mix and mingle with El Sapo Cancionero founder Enrique Gaspar. 
Solart owner Sali Heraldez is beautiful, isn't she? Gustavo Arellano shows off his good side.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)