El arte de MFST

So my folks have a really cool printer/scanner/copier that can take old photos and scan them directly to the computer. I've been playing around with it, and was able to get my old graff pics from SMCM onto the link on this blog. This photo is just a sample - check the link on the right hand column.

Da Spanish Song

Meridian 2007



Escucho mucho porque esta es
La canción con dos frijoles
Negros y también sabrosos
Bueno para nosotros si comment tallez vous

Yo no puedo caminar en el agua
Porque la cocina está muy blanca
Bananas y papel, siempre soy fiel
A mi guitarra y mis lagrimas can’t you tell?

Quiero decirte que yo te quiero
Que el amor es eterno en el cielo
En la tierra vivimos muy bien
Los sueños tragicos vil du vaere min venn?

Espero que a ustedes les gustó mi canción
Ahorita tengo que ir para romper mi corazón
Pero no se pongan tristes - todavía viviré
En los ritmos del tambor de la Gran Madre

OK, this is absolutely too much technology in one day for a Luddite like me. That being said, I'm embracing it wholeheartedly because it's at the core of my summer project - recording the classic songs from my high school band, Meridian. Today I went over to the Thomsen house and recorded this song with Eric, who's a boss when it comes to studio work. Not only is he an amazing drummer and musician, but he's transformed the basement from the dungeon it was when we practiced there ten years ago into a professional-grade studio, complete with shag carpet! We recorded this in three takes using Pro Tools, which we then transferred into ITunes, and then burned to a CD, and finally posted to the blog. I have to say I'm rather proud of myself, but really it seems that anyone can create and publish their own art because technology is making it so easy.

Clownin' in the Yay

It's my last night in Cali
my time is done
I love the Bay
but this ain't where I'm from

I play the guitar
I beat the drum
People call me mister
but I been known to go dumb

Got my stunna shades on
I'm a push you all in
Be at the casino all night
cuz I'm here to win

Just got a suitcase on Shattuck
Throw some deez on it

I be rollin' in Berzerkeley
with my punked out hair
I ain't no vegan
and I just don't care

Gonna move to Tanzania
where they call me mzungu
you don't know about me
cuz you don't come from where I do -

The suburbs
yeah I'm stacked like that
it don't matter
cuz I'm black like that

Baboukar Sallah
Gambian Boss
I pray to Allah
when I'm at a loss

Yo I'll come to your block
But I'm a stay in my car
and keep my doors locked

Una noche flamenca

So I think I got my flamenco name tonight - obviously enough, it's Alejandro Cerca. One of my fellow guitar enthusiasts hosted a night that began with accompaniment for Roberto Zamora, a well-known Bay Area singer whose story you can read at
SF Flamenco. The six of us played for two hours, and then some more of our friends from the local dance classes came over for tapas caseras. David Gutierrez, my guitar teacher of the past six months, gifted me with a tape (recorded from an LP) of La Familia Montoya from 1970 and Pepe Habichuela from 1983, which we listened to in awe. The roads that led each of us to flamenco are very different, but our love for the music and our desire to continue learning connect us as we strive to improve our technique and style.

Many of us told stories about Spain, and it's amazing to me to hear how I describe my life in Sevilla to other people. It sounds like a dream, but it was only four years ago that I left. What a romantic year it was! The wonderful thing about the flamenco community is how musical and cultural knowledge is passed on through personal relationships, and how careers and adventures overlap. Most of the people sitting around the table tonight were thirty years my elder, and although Sevilla has changed a great deal since Franco's death, the bridges and cobblestones are still the same, and many of the flamenco clubs and peñas have endured. And so we have common points of reference as we share stories and pieces of music with each other. A fascinating example of this is that I played David a couple of Bulerias falsetas that I learned from Juan in Sevilla, and David recognized the "aire" because he had taught another student who also studied with Juan at Taller Flamenco. Juan's compositions are that distinctive, and David's ears are that discerning. Que mundo mas pequeño, no?

Bye Bye Berkeley High

Wow. One day left as a public school teacher in these Disunited States of America. Disenchanted with the system though I am, my idelaism is still intact, and more importantly, my understanding that teaching is all about the personal relationships. Case in point, two of my students gifted me with pairs of socks today - an amusing homage to my collection of crazy and colorful calcetines, which my students always love to comment on and laugh about. We ended our last class with this group photo. The picture quality isn't that great because I took it with the camera on my phone (2007 - what a trip!!) but hopefully one of my students will send pics or even videos of our lasy days together. I'm going to try to upgrade my personal use of technology with a videocamera and some type of music recorder so I can capture all the brilliance of Taznania and hopefully start sharing some of it on the blog. Gotta finish the master's this summer, first, though. I'll keep trying to write regularly, though - thanks for reading, y'all.

Adios a Berkeley

So my two years here are fast coming to a close. A week from today I'll be on a plane back to DC, and in seven weeks - God willing and the creek don't rise - Anette and I will be together in Tanzania. My CAS colleagues, who are also some of my closest friends out here, had a BBQ for me up in Tilden Park yesterday. It was perfect California day, 75 and sunny, and we had an array of platos sabrosos, including Oliver's parrilla mexicana con carne asada, cebollas y tortillas, Leah's cilantro mint cole slaw and grilled eggplant and zucchini, and Elisabeth's authentic Norwegian "kransekake." Leah also gifted me with a half a dozen water filters that proved their mettle on the CAS Tanzania trip last summer. The Halpern, Martinez and Crawford clans brought their kids, who delighted in throwing the frisbee into the poison oak again and again. Bill showed up on his bike in the late afternoon, having already ridden 100 miles up Mt. Diablo and back (he biked across the country before becoming a teacher). We lingered until the last slanting rays of sun lit up the golden hills and transformed the bark of the majestic redwoods to their true color.

Hello again

So it appears I may have more than just a handful of readers - olé! Several of my students recently asked why I haven't posted to my blog lately. Well, let's see, there was Nate and Amanda's North Carolina wedding, the CAS Olympics, mucho flamenco, una noche en San Francisco con amigos, etc. All of these are great topics to write about, but I guess I've just been overwhelmed with end-of-year stuff at work, and therefore not inspired to write. The only point of this post is to say that I've just added a hit counter to this page so I can keep track of how many visitors I have. The more faithfully I post, the more readers? Vamos a ver.