The only truth is music....
The only truth is music....
Kerouac's words echo in my consciousness almost as in a familiar air; after all, for as long as I can remember, I've had the wildest dreams about music.
Long before I even flirted with the idea of being in a band, I had been slowly embracing my own role in the open mic poetry scene. Verse & Harmony helped me grow familiar with a new community of poets and musicians. It wasn't long until I met some cool cats who shared my passion for poetic expression through music. This put me on track to start entering a unique kind of music scene featuring many creative, talented, and passionate individuals.
I wanted to write a blog in order to reflect and share some of the groups I've had the pleasure of playing with these past years. So here it is!
First up....
The Stanton Street Collective -- Coffee house fusion - blend of original bossa nova jazz improvisation with the poetry of starry-eyed dreamers.
We are a performing group of artists from El Paso/Juarez who believe in the power of art and performance to create communities. We have been referred to as several things but we just simply love to have a good time and invite everybody along for the ride. Some of my favorite memories with The Stanton Street Collective include driving to Albuquerque at 3 in the morning in order to play at a Buddhist Convention. We played in front a crowd of 200+, one of our best audiences ever.
We've played coffee shops, art galleries, street corners, yoga studios, academic conferences,, peace rallys, border fences, and mountain tops.
Our mediums for expression are: music, poetry, spoken word, storytelling, art, dancing, chanting, singing, laughter and love.
Take a Listen:
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| Live at the Percolator, 2010 |
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| Tony Melendez on the Mic, RAS with the BEAT |
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| The Stanton Street Collective at Medallion's Restaurant |
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| Yours truly at the helm, SSC at Medallion's Restaurant |
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| Stanton St. Collective w/ Chrissy Gurrola at The Root Yoga Studio |
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| SSC plays at The San Carlos Building |
Check us out, on facebook: The Stanton Street Collective
Through my work in SSC, I was able to partake in an original performing group known as...
Echoes in the Park -- drum circle magic, jam band, folk, go-go, beatnik, bebop, surf rock, etc.
Launching off of the growing success of our Friday night drum circles, several of us decided to create a unique performing group of live drumming and other miscellaneous instruments including the shakuhachi and the saxophone. We went on to perform several shows including the Free Hole Slam open mic as well as UTEP's Union Breezeway.
A drum circle is a very powerful event, for every motion, every utterance is the music of the soul made visible. Stephen Nachmanovitch writes, “There is an old Sanskrit word, Lila (Leela), which means play. Richer than our word, it means divine play, the play of creation and destruction and re-creation, the folding and unfolding of the cosmos. Lila, free and deep, is both delight and enjoyment of this moment, and the play of God. It also means love. Lila may be the simplest thing there is---spontaneous, childish, disarming. But as we grow and experience the complexities of life, it may also be the most difficult and hard won achievement imaginable, and it's coming to fruition is a kind of homecoming to our true selves." The spirit of the drum circle is in essence the invocation of that very concept, Lila.
An effective drum circle then, can bring us into a state of Samadhi – absorbed, selfless, absolute concentration.
Through rhythm we can temporarily leave the plane of language and concepts. This process of liberation allows us to enter a realm of risk, instinct, and improvisation. We are living in the now, the present-moment. It is then that our bodies talk to us, manifested in the form of dance and music.
More importantly, we are connecting to others through rhythm and music. As Nachmanovitch suggests, “Shared art making is, in and of itself, the expression of, the vehicle for, and the stimulus of human relationships”. Therefore, we must liberate ourselves through self-expression while also relearning how to listen to one another. This promotes the integration of the different parts – of the individual or of the group – that moves together from silence into a cosmic dance.
Take a listen:
more from Echoes in the Park
While Echoes in the Park and The Stanton Street Collective were familiar with one another, my next venture was a bit more daring. Thanks to RAS, I was invited to take part in the next up-and-coming band in EP...
The Hypocrite Orchestra -- Afrobeat, Reggae, Ska, Jazz, World Pop
The Hypocrite Orchestra started as one, now there are many. Their sound spans the globe as West Africa, Jamaica, Latin America, Europe and The Middle East fuse into a danceable World Pop Hybrid. Alex Garcia, band leader has created some very catchy and original music. Alex loves to recount his days drumming for the band, Outernational, who are heavily praised in this article from MTV due to their work with Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello. If you're into the whole "degrees of separation" thing, then I can say I've played with a band several degrees away from the iconic, Rage Against the Machine.
Playing with The Hypocrite Orchestra has given me the opportunity to play some really fun and exciting music at amazing shows, including several times playing in front of hundreds of troops and their families (thanks to USO). Below is a video of the time we rocked the entire joint into dancing:
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| Western Technological College: T-Robo Competition 2011 and Geek Fest |
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| THO playing UTEP's Wednesday Music Cafe |
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| THO live at The Hoppy Monk |
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| THO live at The Lowbrow Palace |
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| Live at The Hoppy Monk |
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| THO playing a USO show for the troops |
for more of The Hypocrite Orchestra, follow us on facebook.
Endangered Language -- experimental improvisational group featuring spoken word/Live drums/ a DJ/ Hip-Hop/ and Jazz!
Once upon a time, Rob Ni Se, Mauz, and Josh decided to create a socially conscious performance group (think along the linds of The Last Poets). Now the membership has slightly expanded to include the likes of DJ Gambol, Chris Serrano, Danny Tarango, and Myself. We have a solid sound that just needs a little bit of refining - but we're going to rock out either way.
Check, check, check. Check it out:
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| Rob and Rich busking downtown El Paso |
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| The people behind the music |
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| sax and drum, live |
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| Rich, Mauz, and Josh |
Espectacular Vernacular -- blues, folk, spoken word, comedy, rock
This is the stage name that I use whenever I end up jamming last minute with a new group of people. It is supposed to be fun and playful (notice the parallel to Endangered Language).
It's happened a couple of times, so I suppose I can just call this one of my bands.
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I hope to keep on making music.
BONUS: In addition to the main bands I've mentioned, I've also had the enjoyment of playing with a couple of other acts. Here they are:
Toca Tono -- cumbia/rock/reggae/dance
Formed in the summer of 2011, Toca Tóno (aka Touch Tone) is a three-man ensemble that is sure to get your hips shaking. Incorporating upbeat dance rhythms with cumbia and reggae flavors, this trio brings the organic momentum to the independent music scene.
Drummer Jesus Saucedo, as the backbone of the trio, brings with him the punk/rock beats he cultivated in Run Rabbit Run. Xuck Espinoza, having established himself as a melodic and soulful guitarist as part of Tape Incident and Sons of Villa, will get your fist pumping with his powerful Chuco-town anthems featuring the distinct sound that can only come from the border. Avian Eddy, on the low-end, provides the artful harmonies he experimented with in Evolote, and the jazz-influenced lyrics hatched from his days in the Stanton Street Collective.
TT is a fusion of the garage rock energy and the mexican norteña sounds that permeate the El Paso / Ciudad Juarez area. Their songs of chicano pride and love of the border and its people are sure to get you on the dance floor.
Check them out here: Toca Tono
The Order of Blue Poet Souls -- folk/R&B/acoustic/blues
I've also had the opportunity to play with Grant Collinsworth a couple of times. Grant, leads a little project he likes to call The Order of Blue Poet Souls. We had made plans to record some tracks, but unfortunately I was overbooked at the time being. Hopefully we can still continue to work in the future.
Check out some of the music here.
Cheers!
- Rich
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