Calle 13 & ChocQuibTown Concert

Urban beats, huh? Yeahhhh...not exactly a part of my cute singer/songwriter boys with guitars genre that makes up 90% of my iTunes. However, a pretty rockin' concert experience if I do say so :)

Last night a group of us headed over to the Centro de Eventos del Valle del Pacifico for the Calle 13 with ChocQuibTown concert. After a long day at school (Sports Day...full of all day madness and babysitting), I needed coffee and an hour of serious down time to psych up for the concert, but it was totally worth it! We got there around 7 PM and the doors were scheduled to open at 6 PM, so with our VIP section tickets (only about $45 USD), we figured we would have no trouble getting in.

As with most things in Colombia that relate to organization, crowd control, logistics and large groups of people in general, we were dead wrong and the scene outside the concert venue was a mess. After some discussion we decided our plan for getting in efficiently was to push through the crowd of waiting people, play the "were just innocent gringos who don't know what's going on" card and be on our way. This sounds absolutely ridiculous, but seriously, after 1.5 years of living in a country of disorganization, where no one respects the line, why were we about to go wait in the back?

The plan led to some awkward moments, like when Kelsi and I were stuck for about 10 minutes in the men's security line and very clearly in the wrong place. But we made it happen, following Kelsi's lead by climbing a barrier to the girl's line in front of a very amused crowd of Colombians. Winners. After three very through security searches and the confiscation of Kelsi's apparently lethal bobby-pins, we were in!

The waiting game began with Miller Genuine Draft beers for Angie and I...served in plastic beer glasses, some Aguardiente (AKA Colombian licorice flavored liquor), and an opening band during which the lead singer busted out a flute. When ChocQuibTown took the stage we were more than ready! Recent winners of the Latin Grammy for this song, this group originates from the Choco region of Colombia, which has a high Afro-Colombian population. Their music is a unique blend of hip hop, reggae, funk and more. They definitely got the crowd into their show and looked like they were having a blast up on stage, an element which always makes a concert more fun for the audience!

$4 for an MGD to pass the time.

Opening band numero uno.

Opening band numero dos: ChocQuibTown in action!

A video of the song (as performed at the concert) that has become the group anthem - Somos Pacifico. Basically the lyrics are about how we are people from the coast and we are united together. People in Colombia take a lot of pride in the region of the country they are from, the same way people in the US take pride in the state they are from.

ChocQuibTown left the stage around midnight and we still had to wait for Calle 13 to set up. However, the wait was well worth it and when they took the stage around 12:30 AM the place went absolutely crazy. Lead singer and songwriter Rene Perez Joglar rushed on stage, took his shirt off halfway through the opening song (and kept it off for the duration of the show), and began with the band's popular "Baile de Los Pobres" The song is basically a social commentary on the differences between the lower and upper social classes everywhere, but specifically in their home country of Puerto Rico. Needless to say this song ignited the crowd and I literally could feel the ground shaking below me from all the dancing and jumping. The lead singer doesn't hold anything back when he sings and this was evident throughout the entire concert.

Backed by his stepbrother and sister, the singer fuels the energy of the group and the entire band and audience fed off this energy all night. For two other songs during the night he brought girls from the crowd up on stage, which is something I love when musicians do, and you could tell by the reaction of the girls and those still in the crowd that this was a pretty big deal. This group has also earned global recognition since their beginning in 2005, performing at the Latin Grammys in 2007, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2008, a concert to commemorate Ecuadorian Independence in 2009 and Cuba in 2010. While sometimes criticized for their harsh commentaries and strong (sometimes unpopular) social stance on many issues, they are a band with something to sing about, that is for sure.

Calle 13 takes the stage.

The whole band.

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

The waiting is the hardest part,
Everyday you see one more Yankee,
You take it on faith, you take it to the field,
The waiting is the hardest part.

While reading yesterday's postseason breakdown in the New York Times, one section particularly stuck out to me. Embedded with wisdom from these Tom Petty lyrics, the article mentions that, of the 13 metropolitan areas with teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, Minneapolis - St. Paul has the longest active streak without a championship. The last time we won a championship? 1991 World Series. I WAS FOUR!

I mean....1991, great. But it's 2010. Minnesota sports fans need something to believe in again - we need a reason to remember why we built a new stadium to brave the elements of April and October in Minnesota. We need a reason to remember why we signed Joe Mauer to the largest contract held by a non-Yankee in all of Major League Baseball. We need a reason to defend our state when we try to claim "No, really, not every sports team in Minnesota chokes when the stakes get high."

That being said, let's get it done tonight Twins. Go out there and show those stinking Yankees that baseball isn't just a game for over-paid and over-rated jerks from the Bronx. After all....we have this little tidbit on our sides:

Two of the last four World Series have been won by teams that opened a new ballpark that season. The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals clinched their championship that October at the new Busch Stadium, and the Yankees won the World Series in 2009 to cap their first season at the new Yankee Stadium.

GO TWINS!

Copa Mundial de la FIFA (World Cup 2010)

Today marks the official beginning of the 2010 Copa Mundial de la FIFA (FIFA World Cup)! Despite the fact that I am not really a soccer fan...and by that I mean don't play it, watch it, follow it, or really appreciate it fully...I am still super excited!  My students have been collecting stickers for the 2010 World Cup sticker album for weeeeeeeeeeks now so I am psyched that the day is finally here!

I love the fact that it is being played in Africa for the first time, and I love the pride that so many South Africans have expressed based on that fact. Kelsi and I watched the opening night concert last night (yay for Direct TV hookups!) and it was absolutely stunning. If you missed it look here for links to some of the performances from Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, Alicia Keys, K'naan and Juanes.

I love stuff like this - lots of people coming together, celebrating life, happiness, sports, etc. People coming together to celebrate our infinite commonalities as human beings rather than discuss the things which divide us. We were totally getting teary eyed last night when K'naan came on to sing the world cup anthem song, Wavin' Flag. I have been listening to it on repeat since I heard it in February, and I love the lyrics just as much today as I did 4 months ago, even if the song is totally overplayed by Colombian radio stations. :)

Check out the official video here and see how they used the song with images of Africa. Some great marketing went into this video!

I also totally loved Shakira's performance of Waka Waka "This is Africa" because the whole song seemed like such a great celebration of the first World Cup on African soil. And she is Colombian so yay for countries coming together :) Also, as we observed last night, the woman can dance like nobody else - please check out her hips and shoulders and just everything in the video. Out of control.



With a mountain of finals in front of me to grade over the weekend, I am sure I will have plenty of time to check out some of the games happening this weekend.  The US plays their first game tomorrow versus England at 1:30 pm central time, so check it out! Happy Friday!

p.s. Unfortunately, today is definitely not all fun and soccer games. My thoughts are in South Africa as the World Cup opens and Nelson Mandela, former president and liberation hero, is unable to attend the opening ceremonies due to the death of his 13-year-old great-granddaughter Zenani in a car accident last night, on her way home after attending the opening concert in Soweto. FIFA acknowledged her death with this open letter to Mandela as posted on their website. What a terrible tragedy on what should have been a day filled only with glorious happiness for this country.

Life. Love. Baseball. Music. Twitter.

be a best friend

tell the truth

over use i love you

go to work

do your best

dont out smart your common sense

never let your prayin knees get lazy

and love like crazy

[lee brice, "love like crazy"]

I cannot get this Lee Brice song out of my head this week! Not so much because I am loving anyone person lately (not so much in land of Colombia - zero dateable men), but so many things are just making this week ROCK! In no particular order...

• Had a little phone chat en espanol with a man from Direct TV. He ordered me the MLB Extra Innings package in less than 5 minutes on the phone (a miracle in Colombia). Within an hour we had three glorious channels of all MLB Baseball, all the time. Oh, and it cost $59.000 or $30 USD. FOR. THE SEASON. Colombian cost of living = awesome. The same thing in the States is over $100.
• This means I have watched TWO Twins games this week! During those game Joe, JJ and Justin all hit homers. LOVE seeing JJ Hardy in that MN jersey!

• BUT if I can't watch the Twins? Don't worry, I will still know the result thanks to some genius person who had the insight to set up this helpful and appropriately named website.

http://didthetwinswin.com/

• After a somewhat hesitant start in joining Twitter a few months ago, of course I am now loooooving it. The information in small tidbits is perfect to quickly scroll through, and I can always click on a link if I want more information. Also, even though I am not currently looking for a job, the networking opportunities are awesome! Great people I am enjoying following???

@TeacherJobsMPLS - Staying up to date on the teacher scene in the Twin Cities.

@lonelyplanet - Great travel tips, advice and articles!

@nytimes - Gotta see all the breaking headlines from a reliable source.

@TwinsNow - Self-explanatory :)

... and so many more!

• Going apartment hunting with Kelsi this weekend! I am super excited to live with her next year. Mainly cause right now I feel like half of all commuting time is spent going to see her or do something with her, so living together will really just provide us more time to maximize our awesome-ness together.
• After about 7,000 years of raining my mom FINALLY finished Eclipse! More Twilight fans! Hooray. I seriously need more because my friends in Colombia are starting to mock my love for Twilight and Taylor Lautner. So now my mother is on my side. Hooray! I cannot wait for this movie to come out on the eve of my friend Liz's birthday, a mere 7 days after my return to the US of A!

Jacob Black is my hero. :)

• I used to make fun of my friends Anna and Andy for meeting at Target, then dating, and still returning to the Target food court (properly called, Food Ave, according to Andy) for dates. However, after seeing the sweet pics Anna took on their Target employees only tour of Target Field last week I should probably get over it. Thank God my father has all priorities in line and has secured tickets for at least two Twins games while I am home this summer. I definitely need more since Joe almost never plays day games and I am really psyched to check out the Twins' new home under the lights, but two is a good start.

View from the first level! REAL GRASS! No more of that weird turf business.

LOVE > the scoreboard, the sky, the skyline, the Minnesota icon with a little cartoon "Minnie and Paul" (For the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis)

• Let's just talk about how amazing James Morrison is. No, not Jim Morrison and the Doors, although they rock too. No, James Morrison. Do yourself a favor and listen to the song "Broken Strings" and then listen on repeat for about the next week.

• Talked to all three of my brothers yesterday at different times! They are growing into such amazing guys who I am incredibly proud of - I cannot wait to go home and see them as much as possible this summer. I miss them. all. the. time.
• Taught my students about arc length and area of sectors this week - pretty intense stuff for 8th graders and they rocked it! I thought they were going to freak out about simplifying fractions and using pi but they totally handled it, I am so proud of them!
• Speaking of students - one of my students told me I looked nice today and I said thanks...then he was like yeah, with your curly hair like that you look like a model. Hello self-esteem boost. I love my students sometimes. Mostly after I just had a week long break from them. See me in about 10 days for an update ;)
• MORE info I got from Twitter - Aidan is going to be in the second Sex & the City movie! Yes! Even if I do love Carrie & Big I loved Aidan the whole time he was on the show and he is definitely a welcome presence in the movie!!

I am sure there is more, but for now suffice to say this is a great week in Colombia! Happy Thursday night aka almost Friday aka almost the weekend! Cheers!

New Music Monday (Colombian Style)

One of the downfalls of living outside the United States is a feeling of disconnection with the English language music scene. Here in Cali, station after station plays enough salsa and reggaeton to leave me hopelessly day-dreaming of a Cities 97 New Music Monday.

Since being in Colombia I have had some CDs mailed here (thanks Mom!), bought some music on iTunes and swapped singles on Skype (thanks Joe & Kirsten!). (Yes, you can send music files through Skype - it's amazing) However, I still wish I knew what the new music was, who the new artists were, etc.

Since August 2009 I have added the following CDs to my iTunes:

1. Jayhawks LIVE at Cities 97 Basilica Block Party
2. John Mayer's Battle Studies
3. Cities 97 Sampler Volume 21
4. Carrie Underwood's Play On

I have also added the following songs:

Yet, despite these additions I am still desperate for new music. I miss the days of exchanging music daily with co-workers, roommates, friends, or the person next to you in class. That being said - I need suggestions so I am calling upon YOU to help me out...

What should I be listening to? What are you listening to lately and just loving??

Thanks!

Listening on Repeat

After spending three days with students and a grand total of about 13 hours on a bus, I cannot get one song out of my head. Have you heard the theme song for this year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa? The song is so catchy and of course my students love it, because they love all things soccer related!! :) They are so excited for the World Cup this summer that the excitement is transferring to me and I plan to watch several of the games.

Anyway, we listened to it several times on the bus ride, and I am in the process of listening to it online as I type this. :)

Check it out:

Here are some of my favorite lyrics from the song:

Give me freedom, give me fire, give me reason, take me higher

See the champions, take the field now, you define us, make us feel proud

In the streets are, exaliftin , as we lose our inhabition,

Celebration its around us, every nation, all around us

Singin forever young, singin songs underneath that sun

Lets rejoice in the beautiful game.

And together at the end of the day.

WE ALL SAY

When I get older I will be stronger

They'll call me freedom Just like a wavin' flag

And then it goes back

And then it goes back

And then it goes back

Weekend Recap: brits, hope for haiti & travel money

Well friends, here we are the end of another weekend! This weekend my friends Emma and Monica, two girls from England who Allison and I met in Ciudad Perdida, stopped through Cali on their backpacking tour of Colombia. I loved seeing them again and getting to share Cali with them -- if only for a few days!

Friday

• We got direct TV installed...the guys showed up late so we didn't get TV in time for me to watch the Hope for Haiti concert. :( So...for now I have been checking out the You Tube videos and might be convinced to buy the itunes soundtrack. I know that I have only seen bits and pieces, but I have not seen musical compilations this inspiring since the Obama inauguration concert. :) Some quick comments on the performances I have seen so far:
• Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris singing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. MASTERPIECE. I love love love this song, even though it always makes me want to cry and basically reminds me of the last episode of season one of The OC. (No judgement, thank you very much, I love(d) that show!!) Their voices blended together perfectly and Justin Timberlake on piano?? Amazing.

• Bruce Springsteen singing "We Shall Overcome". I have made no secret of my love for the Boss, but the guy really is fabulous. There is no 60-year-old man more awesome than Springsteen. This version was absolutely wonderful and I couldn't help but love his short words at the beginning, offering up his song contribution as "a small prayer for Haiti".

• Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono and the Edge singing Stranded. This was...creative.

• Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow & Kid Rock singing Lean On Me. (I missed viewing this the first time around - good thing my mother knows how much I love KU and informed me of this performance!!)

• Took the girls out for some salsa dancing action, since that is what Cali is really known for. We went out with some friends from school to a place near my apartment called Tin Tin Deo, where you can sit at tables around a decent size dance floor. Kelsi and I put some of our new salsa dancing skills to work! :)

Saturday

• Thanks to the fact that I now have Twitter I found out that John Mayer and Keith Urban are teaming up on Country Music Television's show Crossroads. (Crossroads pairs country music artists with musicians from other genres, where the two swap stories and share their love for music) AMAZZZZZING! Seeing as how both of them rank in my top 5 artists I cannot WAIT to see what they come up with together!!! They are recording on Tuesday and air date is TBD. LOVE. :)
• Helped Emma upload lots of pictures to Facebook using iphoto. I love my Mac book. :)
• Went out to dinner in Granada, the bar/restaurant section of Cali. We went to Platillos Voldares (Flying Plates) where I had some of the best tofu green curry ever created. (Or maybe I was just super hungry cause I missed lunch, but it tasted delicious!)

Out to dinner with the girls.

Emma and I.

Emma and Monica.

• Met up with friends at Bourbon Street, a New Orleans themed bar that basically makes you forget you're in Colombia. We had some drinks to celebrate Catie's birthday and enjoyed some lovely American cover songs by a Colombian band of guys who looked about 15. Awesome.

Sunday

• Spent about an hour looking up flights for Semana Santa (Spring Break), summer, and Argentina. Turns out I need about $2000 just to travel the hemisphere in the upcoming months. Anyone?? Now accepting donations, thank you very much.
• Spent about three hours shopping at Unicentro. Found some fabulous after Christmas sales, Juan Valdez coffee, and saw pretty much every non-Colombian teacher I know at my school. Ridiculous.
• And now? My fabulous house guests are in the process of making a fabulous meal of fajitas for their last night here. LOVE them.

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!!

bruce springsteen is actually a baller

Bruce Springsteen is basically my father's musical Mecca. The end all, be all of lyrical genius, performance intensity, and all around amazing-ness. Since I can remember we have been blasting The Boss's records in our house, cars and any available local with a good sound system. I have been to four Bruce shows despite the fact that I am about 30 years younger than the average Bruce concert goer. Senior year of college, my brother Joe and I even drove 6 hours round trip in one night to see Bruce perform his Working on a Dream concert at the Minnesota Xcel Energy Center. In summary, loving and appreciating everything E Street isn't so much an option as it is a birth right.

Bruce started this year with a rocking Super Bowl performance that left me speechless and stunned as I watched the intensity and energy he brought to the stage even at the age of 59! (He turned 60 this year!!) He sang, danced, and played an amazing show - better than anything else that happened on the field that night if you ask me - and EVEN left one cameraman in shock as he slide a little too far across stage. AMAZING.

Bruce finishes the year with the Kennedy Center Honors, during which he sat side by side with Barack and Michelle, who he campaigned for at the end of last year. LOVE IT.

Check out this video of Barack speaking about "the quiet kid from Jersey" - as cheesy as it is, I LOVED the part where he describes Bruce using titles from his songs. And "his concerts are more like communions" - PERFECT. Finally, Barack finishes with "I'm the president, but he's he boss."

Finally, Jon Stewart speaks about Bruce Springsteen's influence on his life and American music in general.

I love that he received this award, and that so many people recognize his amazing influence and the profound wisdom he integrates into his music, his life and our country. With this somewhat random post, as I take a break from discussing life in Colombia, here are some of my favorite Bruce lyrics - and yes, it was hard to limit myself to these. :)

The screen door slams

Mary's dress waves

Like a vision she dances across the porch

As the radio plays

Roy Orbison singing for the lonely

Hey that's me and I want you only

Don't turn me home again

I just can't face myself alone again

Don't run back inside

darling you know just what I'm here for

So you're scared and you're thinking

That maybe we ain't that young anymore

Show a little faith, there's magic in the night

You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright

Oh and that's alright with me

[Thunder Road]

But there's one thing I know for sure girl

I don't give a damn

For the same old played out scenes

I don't give a damn

For just the in betweens

[Badlands]

May your strength give us strength

May your faith give us faith

May your hope give us hope

May your love give us love

[Into the Fire]

My father said "Son, we're lucky in this town

It's a beautiful place to be born

It just wraps its arms around you

Nobody crowds you, nobody goes it alone.

That you know flag flying over the courthouse

Means certain things are set in stone

Who we are, what we'll do and what we won't."

[Long Walk Home]

I'm working on a dream

Though trouble can feel like it's here to stay

I'm working on a dream

Our love will chase the trouble away

[Working on a Dream]

What is this land America so many travel there

I'm going now while I'm still young my darling meet me there

Wish me luck my lovely I'll send for you when I can

And we'll make our home in the American land

[American Land]

John Mayer - I love this man :)

No one buys CDs anymore. I get that. I know we all love to get our music online, and I love my itunes just as much as the next fresh-out-of-college-20-somethingl. HOWEVER, there are some artists who are just that good. I want to buy their CDs because sometimes that's all I want to listen to. None of this put my ipod on shuffle business - sometimes I just want one artist. You know those CDs you can put in on the road and listen to from start to finish? LOVE them. Some of my favorites to listen to from cover to cover are Gavin DeGraw, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Jack Johnson, and lately, Green River Ordinance (Definitely one of my new favorites!). But, let's be honest, every girl has an all time favorite and mine is most definitely John Mayer. With 94 amazing songs on my ipod he is my go to artist for whatever mood I am in. From the first time I saw him scrunch up his face and play his acoustic guitar I have been in love with his music.

His lyrics just always make me think, which is something I love about music. And the lyrics...ahhhh so good! For example...

Searching all my days just to find you
I'm not sure who I'm looking for
I'll know it
When I see you
Until then, I'll hide in my bedroom
Staying up all night just to write
A love song for no one.
[Love Song For No One]

And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want
That's why we're waiting
Waiting on the world to change.
[Waiting On The World To Change]

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open
Say what you need to say.
[Say]

Friends, lovers, or nothing
There can only be one
Friends, lovers, or nothing
We'll never be the in between.
[Friends, Lovers, or Nothing - NEW!]

Belief is a beautiful armor
But makes for the heaviest sword
Like punching under water
You never can hit who you're trying for.

[Belief]

Annnnnnd just for good measure one of my favorite things he has every said on stage :)


Well this week his latest CD, Battle Studies, came out and until someone (thanks Mom!!) ships it to Colombia, I am settling for listening to tidbits from his website and his amazing performance on Letterman last night! If nothing else, listen to the first song - Heartbreak Warfare. LOVE.


Enjoy & happy Friday!