I had so much fun jamming this past weekend with the Master Congero, James Balseiro Jr. and Miguel Harris from Crippled Pink. They will both accompany me (or vice versa) on Saturday, April 16, 2-4 at SLO Library for the Poet Laureate Celebration. If you’re local, hope you can join us! After performing several poems, I will debut my new cumbia, “Poyita,” which I wrote about a wild, rebellious girl who ran away from her hometown to become a writer! Hee, hee….I always wanted to write a cumbia so here goes, ay, lo siento, it’s in Espanish, you make have to access your Google chingadera to understand it…..
rYesterday I jammed here at home with Miguel and Joseph from Crippled Pink. They came by to help me record the song "Joanne's Song" that I wrote for my Uncle Manuel. I was so happily surprised that they loved the melody of my new song as much as they did, Miguel added his banjo sounds and Joseph was trying to add his guitar sounds, but he decided it was best with only banjo. When I told them I didn't feel I was a real musician, Joseph immediately said, "Yes, you are," which was so kind of him. Then I ended up telling them how my very first guitar was a small requinto that mom and dad brought me from one of their trips to Juarez, Mexico. (Mom and Dad lived in Colorado, of course and would often go there to see relatives) I must've been around 7 years old when they gave me that guitar and I taught myself how to play basic chords and to sing along. To this day, I've always loved singing and strumming one of my guitarrras. I remember I was on a book gig in Texas somewhere and for the first time I played a song to open and the audience loved it. After that, I' decided I would always open with a song and still continue to do that to this day! (I always wanted to be in a band) (Actually I have been in several bands, but that's another story) Over the years, I've written poems, even songs about my love for my guitarras. In the midst of all the tragedies poverty, etc. singing and playing my guitarra, writing songs, gave me hope, it kept me alive, it fed my soul and it still does to this day. In the most recent song I've written about my four guitars, entitled, "Mi guitarra," the final verse states:
"El día en que yo muera juntas nos iremos cantando en la gloria mi linda compañera. Mi guitarra Mi guitarra Mi guitarra yo te quiero Mi guitarra Mi guitarra Mi guitarra eres mía. One of my next projects will be a second poetry/music cd like my Superwoman Chicana CD so that I can record some of my new songs. Crippled Pink said they'd love to go with me to my cousin's recording studio in San Francisco (FLaviani Recording) to do this whenever I am ready! On a final note, I always tell young people that if there is something artistic they love to do, to continue to develop it as I have done. Writing, singing and playing the guitar literally saved my life! I want to share this on my new blog for all my readers. I challenge you to become Educ-accionistas!
My brown-eyed chavalitos de Nogales de Sacra de Colorado de Southside Chicago schools, Edúquense bien. Aprendan bien el inglés So that you can become our future Leaders Teachers Scientists. Nuestros hijos del sol, olvídense de las pandillas y las drogas—“We’re only killing each other.” Sean orgullosos Educ-accionistas daring to challenge leyes que explotan como lo hizo César. Indígena warriors Indígena Adelitas en uds. pongo toda mi fe y mi cariño sabiendo que el día que ya no esté aquí, mi espíritu mis huellas mis palabras en uds. quedarán. ¡Adelante chavalitos! ¡Pónganse trucha con su FUTURO! C/S Gloria L. Velásquez Honorary member of the RCAF Written while in SacraAztlán On April 1, 2004 |
Gloria L. VelásquezAuthor of I Used to Be a Superwoman, Xicana on the Run and the Roosevelt High School Series. Archives |