bands for a young punk

Frausto 1 Comment

One of my favorite things has always been to recommend bands to younger people. As I’ve been getting older, sometimes they recommend music to me, but for the most I have still been able to keep with new bands and new music, but still I think it’s important to get a taste of the range in different genres, and especially to learn what has come before.

Below is a list of bands I like that I’d burn or recommend to a student that told me he liked punk (whatever that really means now) music. In no particular order…

1. Sex Pistols 

So I will admit that anytime I sang in high school with the Scrubs and later Crying Laurel, I was always pretty much just trying to sound like John Lydon, (Johnny Rotten). These guys have been written about enough, and love or hate their attempt to continue to tour while being the same age as my parents, their emergence was prolific.

2. The Clash 

As I got older, I really began to appreciate the Clash more and more. Once I became politically aware, the Clash’s message becomes much more radical than that of the Sex Pistols. The Clash also managed to age much more gracefully probably because of their point of view is much more informed and mature.

3. Bad Religion 

I love this band. They’re intellectuals. They’re political. Greg Graffin is a college professor, and his solo album Cold as Clay, was also pretty damn good. I used to ride the train in high school, and while I listened to “Stranger Than Fiction”, I felt like I was listening to stories about the future that we are still all becoming.

4. At the Drive-In 

This band became Mars Volta, which is also an awesome band, and a lot of the newer stuff that Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is doing is just way ahead of its time. But there was a certain energy to At the Drive-In that is only found in those albums.

5. The Jesus Lizard 

Being that they never reached the success of Nirvana, those of us from Chicago always felt like the Jesus Lizard were our own secret. The energy. The angst. The noise. And a hint of weirdness.

6. The Blood Brothers 

The combination of vocals is freakin’ awesome. They’re from the Seattle area for whatever that’s worth, and though I found about this band pretty late, they quickly became one of my favorites.

7. Nirvana 

Perhaps over-rated for some, but I was 12 when Nevermind came out and barely discovering music. Nirvana changed my life, and made high school so much more tolerable because those that identified with not identifying could easily identify each other because of our identification with the band and what they stood for.

8. Green River 

This band determined who were the posers, and who was really into grunge and punk for my friends and me. The members went on to form Pearl Jam and Mudhoney. Anyone interested in what was going on in Seattle in the early 90’s had to check these guys out to understand the full story.

9. Rage Against the Machine 

Rage Against the Machine’s members all had roots in hardcore scenes. So it was easy for someone like me that really didn’t like rap music at the time. Rage changed all of this for me. The music still had the energy and edge of the bands I liked, but I was also able to appreciate Zack de la Rocha’s rapping style, which at moments had more in common with hardcore screaming than rap. Their politics also introduced me to the history of the world.

10. Iggy Pop 

Without sounding too much like a punk snob, but if you don’t check out Iggy Pop then you have no business saying you like punk rock music. Yeah he’s old, but this is where punk started, especially his work with the Stooges. Fortunately, the movie, Trainspotting, helped him become relevant again.

I know there are a bunch of other bands I could have named, but these are the ten bands that I chose today, maybe if someone had asked me yesterday or two days ago, I would have said something else.

portrait of the artist

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as a young man

1996 – Somos Latinos Aspirantes assembly

color stupid (out of lines). 

“hello students,
you have a new classmate.
he is red.”
teacher called me red,
and i
didn’t know why,
but i
should have realized
it meant i
would die.
kids were all different.
violet was mean and violent.
yellow- shy.
pink- sweet but silent.
but no one got along
because the teachers wouldn’t let us.
teachers pointed out differences.
and what the teachers taught us would only end up killing us.
the kids made fun of everyone.
yellow-green was a mutt,
but didn’t understand what that meant.
blue and green were always fighting,
but didn’t understand why they fought.
didn’t understand why no one got along.
and in school had a friend,
they called him purple.
and teacher said,
we couldn’t play because we were different.
teacher said colors weren’t supposed to mix.
so when i got home,
got an eraser and erased myself.
and now i am invisible.
and now i am invincible.
1996.

1997 – Somos Latinos Aspirantes

stolen treasures.

ancient temple,
burning city,
heart of tenochtitlan
mutilated and raped into mexico city.

quatemoc says,
“we face rainy weather,”
as screams fill the air while his feet burn,
and ashes float through empty heaven.

men in guns and suits of armor
riding beasts that travel fast.
cortez the leader steals
the riches for his mistress.

the young warrior wonders,
“father, where do we go now?”
father responds,
“follow the sun west,”

“people of the sun have hope
until the sun is gone.”
but now, nighttime comes,
sun has disappeared,

moans and screams resonate.
sound of spanish leather
whipping against the once strong warrior.
the clouds no longer allow view of the sun.

so awake.
aztec blood
robbed of its dignity and pride.
european blood lost all power.

mestizo blood’s been dying.
and so, now swim
in pool of silence
with no escape but drowning

that when i look in the mirror, see
an ancient figure, which makes me,
feel so sad with its
bleeding wounds and lost ways.

and in the end this empty dance
for rain turns into pain,
genocide, mass suicide, more priests-
assimilated hopes and dreams.
1997.

1999 – Fiesta Assembly

can i feel it.

can i feel it? 
what do you mean, can i, feel it? 
yeah, i can feel it, see it, hear it, smell it, taste it. 
i can feel it like whiplashes on my back, like mental chains around my brain cells,
like handcuffs on my wrists. 
i can see pride hanging from a flag demanding freedom for its heroes,
demanding self-determination for its mother nation through ideals of revolution. 
can see heroes turned into murderers and terrorists through history’s pages. 
i can hear it in the songs of a colonized people, hoping to erect a new steeple. 
hear it in the voices of citizens that only want what ‘s theirs. 
i can taste it like blood on my lips mixed with anger, hatred, and a love for
freedom, like arroz con frijoles, so natural to parents, unlike freedom,
which is a daily struggle. 
i can smell it mixed with southern winds, with tales of rebellion of a proud
people. 
so yeah, i can feel it. 
can feel the rage of a nation colonized by an imperialistic united states and set up
as a commonwealth for big brother. 
but you, can you feel it?
4.29.99.

my year in lists – topics of interest

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So I will be compiling random lists of tens. I guess until I run out of ideas. Each list will be about a specific topic. None of the lists will be extensive, but merely reflect the mood I am in. All of the lists will be presented in no particular order, but probably more or less the order in which I thought about them.

If anything these lists are meant to help me keep mental inventory of my interests.

Topics of Interest

1. Graffiti 

piece by Blu

I love the city, and am an urban brat. With that said, maybe it’s because of the neighborhoods I’ve grown up in, but graffiti has always intrigued me. The level of expression and the level of illegality make the art form attractive to all urban rebels, especially since many of its messages have yet to be deciphered.

2. Yoga

Viribhadrasana

I know it’s trendy as all hell, but for someone who grew up disliking jocks, yoga is a happy medium. The stretching is something that gets me going, and ready to head out into the city streets. The fact that I can practice yoga anywhere I have my mat is something, which ensures I maintain my yoga practice. Plus the meditation aspect of yoga is perfect to help shut off the city noise when so desired.

I’m personally a big fan of Rodney Yee, and watching his DVD’s really helped get my practice started which has now lasted over two years.

3. Shamanism

Shaman vision

My initial interest began with Jim Morrison. Eventually, I read Carlos Castaneda books. In my travels through Mexico, I have at several times attempted to connect to my indigenous past through shamanism and my ancestors magical past.

Anyone with a little of consciousness can sense that something is very wrong with the world. You don’t have to be an economist or rocket scientist to have a feeling that we are heading in a very dangerous direction. Perhaps, now more that ever, we are in need of the Shaman. Our rock stars no longer fulfill that need, the way the Doors intended to do.

4. Indie–DIY

As someone that grew up on punk music, this is just a further extent of the culture into adulthood. I am glad that the DIY movement is extending outside of the music scene and into very pragmatic everyday things like generating one’s own electricity. The mainstream will never know where it’s at until it’s too late because the kids are all doing it for themselves.

5. Environmentalism

Being green.

This is a no brainer. The planet is on everyone’s minds, well at least those of us who believe in science. I’m really excited by the do-it-yourself aspect of a lot of environmental initiatives, especially those in the inner city and in “underdeveloped” countries.

6. Mexico

painting by Orozco

Mexico is the country where my parents came from. In order to better understand who I am, I have had to learn about where they came from. This has helped me understand them better, but also myself. The country to the south is like a grandparent I hardly knew growing up, but with which I have become very familiar with as an adult. Mexico is for all intents and purposes still a post-revolutionary state.

corazon Zapatista

7. Education

 

Let me be clear, I am interested in an education of liberation, and not simply in a liberal education. Until that distinction is made clear, all conversation and dialogue will be futile.

8. Poetry

Saul Williams

"Coded Language" on Def Poetry Jam

Poetry is my passion, my friend, my retreat, and my weapon. Poetry fills a lot of spaces in my world. I first started writing regularly when I was 12, but I didn’t think of myself as a serious poet until I was 16. Still I wasn’t able to refer to myself as a poet until I came up with the moniker, po’ E.T. about 4-5 years ago.

Will post a post about my favorite ten poets later, or at least my ten favorite that day.

9. Vinyl

not just for hipsters anymore

I got into vinyl into seeing something on the history channel. They found these vases that had grooves on the outside, which they tried to play with a needle and a speaker. They explained about how if we were to lose access to all technology, we’d still be able to play vinyl as long one had a needle and something to use as a speaker. It made me think, “I better get some vinyl to ensure I got some tunes for the apocalypse.”

10. Black & White Photography

Beatriz's great grandfather

Nothing beats being able to process your own film and develop one’s own photos. I miss having access to a darkroom, but digital photography compensates for it, and requires much less space and no inhaling of chemicals.

dream # 7: surrounded.

Frausto 1 Comment 
sept. 22, 1998.
dream #7: surrounded.
     there is a church that i think i've seen on past visits to mexico. it's so big that it blocks everything behind it like it's blocking off the rest of the world. it's one of those great huge stone churches that looks like a castle. very well decorated with flowers of all colors. the people must have had a festival a few days earlier. there are remnants of fireworks on the floor. my younger cousins are running around and laughing. these are cousins that i haven't seen for a long time, but i recognize them all. my surviving grandparents are sitting in front of me. we are sitting in the middle of this park where the church lies in front of me. we are sitting on the inside of two u-shaped benches. my dad is sitting next to me. my mom and sisters are sitting across from us, next to my grandparents. i'm happy. i haven't felt safe near a church for a while. these people dressed in black robes with black pointy hoods approach us. all the trees in the background disappear. the hooded people become the background. they tell us that we don't belong there. they could almost pass for monks or nuns because they're wearing big crosses around their necks. most of them are women. they begin to make racist remarks against us. they're telling us, but i think they're talking more to me, that we're stupid. i start to cry. there's nothing i can do, and i hate that. their big bodies tower over me. i'm so small compared to them. i start shaking. i'm not sure if it's out of anger or fear. i decide to confront them but my dad holds me back. everyone else is just sitting there. no one is reacting. i'm not sure why the rest of my family is just sitting there, emotionless. all this while i keep shaking and crying, clinching my fists.
sophomore year. creative writing class assignment.

freestyles.

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freestyles from the last two weeks.

there’s a hole in the ground.

recorded on 06.27.11.

don’t exist, in this country.

recorded on 07.04.11.

soldiers @ heart.

recorded on 07.11.11. additional instrumentation and vocals beAtreez.

learning to be like everyone else.

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recorded and written on 05.28.11.

   in amsterdam 2008        in amsterdam 2008      
tell me how i’m supposed to be.
tell me what i’m supposed to see
as i drown ever deeper into the sea
of an ever overflowing memory.
where exactly is it that you and i exist,
and what exactly is there that still persists?
how after hundreds of centuries,
do humans still resist
the universe’s pull back into mother nature’s womb?
is this ground space for growing seeds or just our tomb?
and i’m not sure how we make any more room anymore,
so then we got to learn to get along, don’t we?
and who exactly do we listen to?
well, not no fool on tv that’s for sure.
the world revolves and it turns.
the sun expands and it burns.
and children go to school, but never learn
anything that’s really reflecting their reality.
simply expected to fit in a box,
connect the dots, filling in bubbles,
but never to express their thoughts.

oh, but i forgot, but just for a second though
that this government’s run so corporate,
and deals get made behind closed doors
of which most of us will never know,
since records won’t get released till everyone’s gone,
and most of us will simply follow along.
seems so much more simple to just follow along
than drag my sorrow through the streets,
and go out and start screaming what it is i’m thinking,
what it is i’m feeling
about how we need to start listening to children’s poetry,
and find the young that have been the real victims of decisions
made by governments and their dissidents,
and find the young and instead of guns
hand them a camera and microphone,
so that the whole world can know
what’s become of their community and their home
because of all the violence around domestic and abroad.
we are all so far gone and already feeling so done,
but what exactly is there to be won.
05.28.11

 

 

waking up to terrorists on the front lawn

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yo, this country’s killing everybody. 
starting with you and me, 
and how we got sold to some entity that’s corporate- 
all based on who had the highest bidding in your state. 
how many tax breaks can we afford to make 
for people and companies that just want more and more to take? 
how much more can i take before 
i feel like just another corporate whore? 
and really when i stare at the future, 
i’m not sure what it is that we have in store 
as everything becomes a giant grey blur, 
and it’s at times like these when one needs love more and more 
than ever before. 
man, they got me feeling like an alien being 
cause i’m not understanding their thinking or reasoning. 
it’s like it’s not even the same language that we’re speaking. 
it’s like we don’t even exist on the same planet, 
and all these fanatics on a pulpit 
got me feeling like a maniac. 
man, i swear to god, 
i think i’ve had it with the chaos that surrounds, 
that’s created in this country. 
why is it my country produces so many weapons? 
and am i just its orphan son cause i disapprove? 
and where exactly is it to that zealots expect i should move? 
am i just the prodigal son 
that never learned to get along, 
but why is this the only way the west can be won? 
and was mao right, 
does all power come from the barrel of a gun, 
or was he simply stating a historical observation and analysis? 
leaving it up to us to learn the lesson 
and change the basis for what progress is. 
man, they got me feeling like an alien being 
cause i’m not understanding their thinking or reasoning. 
it’s like it’s not even the same language that we’re speaking.
it’s like we don’t even exist on the same planet.

recorded and written on 05.23.11