About El Random Hero

Bailo tango, masco chicle, pego duro, tengo viejas de a montón, tururú...

Sinceras

 

Sinceras is a great zine coming outta East L.A./Monterey Park for the last few months now. They just recently put out issue #5, and they’re still going strong.  They describe themselves as “a Los Angeles based collective organizing in a movement toward conscious living, creative freedom, unity & action. We organize music/art events and publish a zine; it is an outlet for Artists, Writers and Activists.”

I’ve met folks who work on the zine, but I forget who they are until I run into them, and I’m all like “hey !! wazz up?” (Sticking my tongue out, like in those old budwieser commercials) all awkwardly, but it’s cool cause we don’t remember each others names or when we first met, but we recognize each others faces, you know?

Anyway, just wanted to share it, since alotta folks contributing/reading this bloggito here, come from the school of DIY punk rock zines. The zine itself features everything from original poetry/art to articles about healthy eating and living, all from local folks and East L.A. College students. (That’s probably where I’ve met all these folks!! Duh pendejo!!) I also really dig the fact that they put it up online for folks to read and share, but sometimes I still prefer the physical copy 😀

They’re always looking for folks to contribute, so get at them at SincerasVoice@gmail.com and you can also keep up with them through their facebook page. You can check out pics from release parties, get updates and find out when the next zine is coming out.

Undocumented and Living in Alabama

Victor Palafox is a 19 year old, undocumented resident of Alabama, pre/post HB 56. He was interviewed by dreamers adrift, a collective that documentes the undocumented, in Dallas, Texas a few weeks ago. In this candid interview, Victor describes what it’s like to live in the south, what it means to be undocumented there, how the community has changed for the worse and what the future holds.

Last Chance to Catch “Blu” this Weekend

From left Blu (Xavi Moreno) and Lunatico (Phillip Garcia) Photography by Graham Kolbeins

Through an amalgamation of poetic proses and bits of Caló, Virginia Grise’s play “Blu,” conveys a romanticized view of the life and times of a family living in the barrio. Following the story of a queer Chicana/o mother, that despite their best efforts to keep her family together, is challenged at every turn by the every day violence that manifest itself through gang life, police abuse, the prison industrial complex, militarism and the continued abuse toward women of color. It’s hard no to feel bombarded and lost for split second, when trying to deciphering the multiple themes in the story. Which slows down the momentum of the play at times. Continue reading

Dia de los Muertos 2011 Event Listings

It’s that time of the year again folks !! Time to dress up as everyday people and add the word “sexy” to it to make it a Halloween costume. At the same time, it also means that Dia de los Muertos is just around the corner as well. And as has been the tradition for the last 2 years, I compiled a list of Dia de los Muertos events happing in L.A. starting this weekend, continuing through November 5th.

I made the first post over at LA Taco because they asked ever so nicely. And since I was already working on the post, I figured what the hey. But rather than copy and paste all that info on here again, and upload a BUTT LOAD of pics, again, I’d figure I’d link that post and share some Eastside Dia de los Muertos highlights with ya’ll. My top pics if you will.  Continue reading

Out the Window

L.A. Woman from Out the Window on Vimeo.

A while back, Victoria wrote about the Freewaves project, “Out the Window.” Well, the videos are finally up and running on Metro buses and they’re online for folks to check out as well. I hate riding the bus, so I’ve been checking them out online instead. Way easier and with none of the awkwardness that comes with public transportation.

Aside from VD’s “L.A. Woman” vid, other submissions that made the cut include a piece on the Maravilla Handball Courts,by Manuel Huerta, Raul Baltazar as Tochtli 7 (the Aztec Bunny) and his adventure at the Chinese New Year Parade and Boyle Heights, as seen by Allen Colombo.

There are 60 different artist participating in total and the videos will be featured from October to November. A different 2-minute video will play each day, appearing once per hour, every hour. Check out their website to stay up to date on the newest videos they feature, an interactive map of L.A. that highlights where some of these videos were produced and the subjects in them. The project was a collaboration between Freewaves and UCLA REMAP.

Randoms Weekend Art Run Down

It’s been a good while since I’ve done one of these. Come to think of it, I haven’t really posted anything all summer. (I was too busy doing an internship) Well I’m slowly making my way back to bloggertitlan now that I have some extra time here and there. With that being said, there’s a ton of great art shows and events happening this weekend that are worth a mention and a glance of your eyes. A lot of them people are already going to, but a little friendly reminder here and there doesn’t hurt. Continue reading

New Bike Lanes on 1st Street

Since early Saturday morning, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation has been putting in new bike lanes in Boyle Heights. The lanes are 1.6 miles long and start at Boyle Ave and finish off at Lorena. Not a bad start, but Boyle Heights still needs more lanes. The 7th street bike project will add more bike lanes in the future, but what Boyle Heights needs is lanes on Chavez. That would be the ultimate commitment in making BH bike friendly. Joe Linton has a write up and a map of the route here tambien. With more and more bike riders taking to the streets, I’m glad the city is, slowly but surely, meeting the demand for safer roads. Even with the new lane, riders still gotta be cautious because there are some crazy drivers in BH, believe you me. Hopefully folks will now ride down 1st street vs Chavez.

Libros Schmibros at the Hammer Museum

Photo credit: Anne Cusack/LA Times

Literature pimp David Kipen and his libros volunteer crew are making their way west, as the newest artist in recedency at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. From now till October 9, the lending library will be posted up at the lobby gallery pretty much doing the same thing it does at the eastside store front, sharing the gift of literature with folks across town. According to the museum, “Westwood has also seen the closure of several bookstores recently, as well as a reduction in some hours at nearby libraries. Libros Schmibros at the Hammer will increase Westwood’s access to books, while serving as a public square where visitors can check out, acquire, or donate books, and interact with Kipen, his team of volunteers, and other visitors.”

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“Precious Knowledge” Screening at Self Help Graphics Tonight

Tonight at the new Self Help
Graphics location in Boyle Heights, come suport the fight to save ethnic studies
in Arizona
with a screening of the documentry, “Precious Knowledge.”
The screening is free, but donations of any kind are always
welcomed, because as many of you know, the fight to preserve and
continue to teach ethnic studies is a fight not just for
Chicanos/as, but all tribes and peoples in this world. All the hate
and pushing comes from those who don’t understand what it means to
have more than one identity, to be learn and be part of traditions
hundreds and thousands of years old. If you can’t make it to the
screening, you can still support the fight online with donations
and spreading the word. The screening will be at 8 pm and students and maestros from AZ will be at the screening to talk about their experiences making the documentry and how things have progressed since it wa first made.

SELF HELP GRAPHICS & ART 1300 East
First Street, Boyle Heights,CA 90033 www.selfhelpgraphics.com
323.881.6444 Take the Metro Goldine and exit at the Pico/Aliso
stop. Free Street Parking alongside Anderson and Utah
Streets.

Intersecting Realities: Visions of Immigrant Narratives

Save the date for June 18th 6 p.m. for what will be one of many art shows that looks at the Dream Act movement from the point of view of the individuals who make it up. This is a show that has been a long time in the making and through a collective effort of individuals and artist, a space has been created in which the movement will be seen a little differently that the normal political context. Seen the way we see it ourselves everyday going to work, school, being activist, artist, brothers, sisters, daughters,sons … human beings making the best of what was given to us.People see us as the students, dreamers, activist and youth, but rarely do those same people get to see the other sides of our lives outside of these spaces. Truly, a persons personally is like a kaleidoscope, perpetualy changing, sometimes too fast to notice.

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