El Rey de Latino Comedy

Thanks Rudy for sponsoring ESW for the month of October!

Don’t forget to check out Rudy Moreno Wednesdays and Thursday nights at the Ice House and Jokers!!

Wednesday Nights
LATINO COMEDY SHOWCASE
The Ice House Comedy Club
24 N. Mentor Ave., 
Pasadena, CA
www.icehousecomedy.com
CA   91106
626.577.1894

Currently in its’ 8th year, Latino Comedy Showcase is famous for discovering new Latino talent as well as hosting many celebrity drop-in sets. Future big stars JEFF GARCIA, GABRIEL IGLESIAS and “Latin Kings of Comedy’s” JOEY MEDINA and ALEX REYMUNDO are just a (more…)

An old Morningwood photo.

Morningwood featuring East L.A. Taiko on
Jimmy Kimmel Tonight!!

When: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
What Time: Midnight
Where Channel 7 – ABC

East LA Taiko founding members, Fredo Ortiz and Maceo Hernandez, are featured on the new song “Best of Me” from Morningwood’s new album Diamonds and Studs. The song is currently being played as a theme song on a VH1 reality show. They will be performing it tonight. The new album is also being released today.

Hernandez has played the Japanese drums known as taiko since his teens. He toured overseas and lived in Japan with the group Zendeko. (more…)

Ominous angels overlook the dark ballrooms of the Alexandria.

As I drove west on Cesar Chavez the downtown skyline stabbed at the heavens and I could see a dark cloud looming from the Pacific, threatening our city, but as Tom Waits uttered maladies on my radio I embraced the ominous cumulus as a good omen. I was on my way to visit some of the darkest hallways and stairwells that exist in Los Angeles. Rumors of spirits lurking have drawn me here tonight.

These “appearances”, along with the tenants in the old buildings, are rapidly changing nowadays but underneath it all is a soul that you cannot supplant. Just take a walk down Spring or Main Street late one night to feel the remnants of the past; spirits of yesteryear still electrify the passageways.

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Herbert Siguenza, Richard Montoya and Ric Salinas

UCLA Live Exclusive

Fri, Oct 30 at 8pm

Royce Hall

$60, 46, 32

($15 UCLA students)

Click here to buy tickets online!
or call UCLA Live box office at 310-825-2101

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Culture Clash has been getting under the skin of America for 25 years now. Digging in with searing satire, cutting comedy and biting drama, this premier Latino performance troupe unsparingly—and hilariously—points out the many cracks and chips in the U.S. melting pot. In recent years they’ve turned their jaundiced anthropological eye on Miami, San Diego, New York and other cities. But for this special anniversary, the boys are back in their hometown for a raucous party with an all-star invitation list: Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine; comedian Carlos Mencia; actors Edward James Olmos, Tony Plana and Lupe Ontiveros; plus other special guests and, as always, East L.A.’s house band Ollin. Audiences will get a sneak peek at the next Culture Clash project, “Palestine, New Mexico,” and Clashers Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza will also reprise hits from their ever-popular “Chavez Ravine.”

Hey y’all below are two shows that I will be hitting up tonight. If you want to come out and buy me a birthday beer these would be the places to do it tonight! (Shameless plug for free beer!)

I am gonna hit Eastside Luv at about 8:30pm to listen to an Eastside legend, Ruben Funkahuatl, jam out. Then at about maybe 11:00pm I will be heading over to Malabomba! for some gypsie music and madness from turntable selector Jason Savvy! I don’t dance too much but this place gets me jumpin’,

See you there! Info below.

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Jammin' at Eastside Luv.

RUBEN FUNKAHUATL GUEVARA
& THEE EASTSIDE LOVERZ
SECOND ANNUAL REBIRTHDAY PARTY BLOWOUT!
FREE!

Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 8:00pm
at EASTSIDE LUV

1835 E. FIRST STREET
Boyle Heights, CA
Phone: 323-262-7442

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TONIGHT!!

MALABOMBA!

THE DOLOMITES LIVE
+ Gogol Bordello pre-show BOMBA party
Free ticket giveaway to see Gogol Bordello LIVE!

Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 9:00pm
at BORDELLO BAR
(Used to be Little Pedro’s)

901 E. 1st St
Los Angeles, CA

A light rain at the funeral.

I can’t remember when the last time was that I went to a funeral. Ever since my brother died in 1993 I am very sensitive to loss and I find it difficult to attend services. But life and the inevitable death keep reminding me of our temporary status on this planet. We can do our best to live a straightforward life, yet we all must go one day. Some go by accident, some by murder. Some are plagued by illnesses that inhabit your body and bring pain as deep as the soul until finally taking your last breath. Such was the cancer that took my aunt’s life last week. She experienced a slow and painful death to the last minute.

Her name was, Maria Ines Chavez, a very young fifty-one year old with a permanent smile, a lovely soul and a can do attitude that she passed on to the five children that she is survived by. Her little body was a strong pillar of support to my six foot tall uncle that I saw cry for the first time this past Monday and Tuesday. (more…)

Click on image to see the Art Park Pooches!!

I’m gonna make this one real quick.

I had a real good time this week at Artwalk and more specifically at Artpark. It was cool seeing a lot of eastsiders!

I shanghied Ruben Guevarra and Xavi Moreno to the back of the Citiezen LA booth. Then I noticed Erick Huerta was right there too!! I swear Erick, you look 18. I know Erick from my very short stint at the East LA College paper. He goes by Random Hero at the blog: www.LAEastside.com

Marisela Norte was selling granola mix at a booth with a good friend of hers. (more…)

House has been vacant over a year.

There’s a house on my block where roosters roam freely. I counted eight this morning. The old lady that once owned the house died. Since then the flowers and grass have been left to fend for themselves. Her family from Mexico replaced the old lady. The grass was left to die and the roses were replaced by cactus. The house and the way it used to look have changed. The only thing left that reminds me of the old lady is her guayaba tree that fills the air with its’ tangy scent in the spring. Currently, they remodel. (more…)

This month Rudy hosts a Friday Night Special!

If you know anything about me, know this: I luuuuvz me some comedy. I’ve been hanging around the Ice House in Pasadena since I was 18. (Dang! That’s twenty years!) I’ve met those with names like Lopez, Garcia, Mencia, Rodriguez, Iglesias and others like Lampaneli, Bodden and Tucker. But there is one name that has always been a constant, Rudy Moreno.

Rudy has been hosting the best comedy nights in town for close to ten years. Every Wednesday at the Ice House in Pasadena and every Thursday at the Commerce Casino.

Rudy and I go back like ELAC!! Not that he went there. I was a student there in 1994 when I saw him and Gilbert Esquivel perform at the ASU. I’ve been a fan since!

Rudy started his career in show business at age 13 , when he formed his first ( of many ) garage bands, he then went on after high school  to be a radio disc jockey , also working as a DJ in many So. California nightclubs.  After years of performing as a mobile DJ, he was approached by Rudy Salas , the leader of the famed rock group TIERRA and was asked if he would consider doing stand up, and that he would let him get started by opening for the band at their gigs,  the response was huge . From there Rudy started to open for several different acts over time , including Ice Cube, Natalie Cole , Los Lobos ,  Lynyrd Skynrd , and the legendary Smokey Robinson to name just a few . (more…)