La Musica de Los Angeles

Every where you live, there are bound to be local bands and performers that create sounds that prompt nostalgic thoughts of your neighborhoods. For me, Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Jurassic 5, People Under the Stairs, Native Guns, Kim HIll are local acts that remind me of Los Angeles.

Growing up in my little corner of NorCal, I was first introduced to Los Lobos through the La Bamba soundtrack released way back in the day. I can't recall if the Lou Diamond Phillips' voice was dubbed over by Los Lobos' lead singer. The whole soundtrack was great. I loved when their acoustic guitars. They're mix of rock and Latino sounds always holds me captive and reminds me of the type of music I'd hear at parties in the 'hood. One of my favorite albums of their's is "Good Morning Aztlan." It's filled with acoustic folk tracks, my favorite! I blame my dad for making corrupting my ears with the Beatles and Everly Brothers' acoustic guitars as well as the philippines' haranas.

Ozomatli first came into my conscienceness during the late '90s. It was one of the first groups I had encountered that fused hip hop, Latino beats and all sorts of sounds from various ethnic traditions. Listening to them reminds me of my college years, hanging out with the homies in the PMC wing of Phelan Hall. One of the best concerts I'd been to was their performance at SF's Maritime Hall during my sophomore year at USF. A friend and I got pushed up to the stage to dance with the band. I also fondly remember trekking to Downtown LA's California Plaza with a friend to watch another Ozo concert during a warm summer evening. The band performed on the stage that is set apart from the crowd by a big pool of water. The audience got so into the music, a group of people began dancing in the pool - good thing it was close to the finale or else we would've really witnessed a riot.

LA represents a mix of so many different cultures, each with distinct qualities - no melting pot here. The region's native sounds embodies this mix. It's nice to be reminded of where you really are. Don't expect to hear bland music when you're here. People live so close and are forced to interact with each other so often, you can't help but to be influenced by all the different sounds.