A Birthday Message

Sending a hella happy birthday hug to the Calitexican. *Hugs*

Rio

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Nacional Roadtrip at the Elbo Room (with animated gifs!)

This past Saturday I ventured down Valencia street to the Elbo Room to see Pacha Massive and Banda de Turistas perform as part of Nacional Records’ roadtrip concert series. I’m a big Pacha Massive fan so I jumped at the opportunity to see them live and in the Mission District no less. I loved their performance and they featured a mysterious new singer who was great (and had awesome style).

The show was my first time seeing (or hearing) Banda de Turistas and I enjoyed them as well. The highlight of the show was when the lead singer and guitarist both jumped into the crowd and finished the last few songs of their set on the floor.

At the show was KPFA’s Rosi Reyes as well as my fellow members of the SMFF Crew: Calitexican and Meligrosa.

To round out the night I shot some animated gifs of the show and post-concert boozin’. Check ’em out:

Peace,

Rio

Day of the Dead Opening Reception Animated Gifs

Wooohooo! It’s been a crazy last 72 hours leading up until tonight. I’ve felt a lot of love and support these last few days as I’ve worked my tail off to get the show up. Tonight was a dream come true. As I type these words it’s almost midnight and I’m still at SOMArts, facing the monumental task of turning off all the multimedia components of the exhibit. To stall for a moment I thought I’d share these animated gifs that I shot tonight.

 

Meligrosa dancin' like a superstar

 

 

Ms. Rosi Reyes and the Calitexican

 

 

DJ Aztec Parrot in the house

 

 

Yawning and Earrings

 

 

ADM! Calitexican and Meligrosa!

 

 

Moi

 

 

Amongst the Clouds

 

Peace,

Rio

Girl in a Coma – Swoons and Shirts

It’s been a few days since I saw Girl in a Coma at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco but my head is still spinning from that crazy night. After getting out of my design class I raced to meet up with my homegirls Katynka and Robynn and we headed to Bottom of the Hill. This was my third time seeing Girl in a Coma and I was as starstruck as ever with being able to hang out with them after their show.

Um, *Swoon* Nina was super nice as always.

Jenn Alva continues to grow as an amazing artist. I already have a Girl in a Coma shirt designed by her but this one takes the cake. Jenn’s drawing of herself as a vampire, Phanie lifting off her own head, and Nina as their screaming victim made me smile from ear to ear. Katynka saved me by loaning me the $2.00 I needed to buy the shirt. Everyone in the band signed it for me and now I just have to find a way to frame it.

I was also super excited to run into Meligrosa and the Calitexican. I’ve followed their blogs and flickr pages for years and it was a thrill to experience the concert with them. These two awesome, energetic ladies made my night. We hopped up and down at the show like old friends. We have a purikura date planned for this weekend and I’m looking forward to seeing the results!

I was also a nerd and busted out my flip cam during the show and shot some video of Girl in a Coma doing their thing. Below are some highlights.

That’s it for now. I was so happy to see Girl in a Coma with old friends and new ones. The very first time I saw them was in 2008 at MACLA in San Jose. There were just a handful of people (including Guillermo Gomez-Pena) at that show so it felt good to finally see them play to sweaty throngs of people.

Peace,

Rio