1269 E. 6th St. ~ Los Angeles

Monte Vista and Avenue 51 ~ Highland Park ~ Northeast Los Angeles

“Traditional Arabic instruments like the bendir and mandolute form the backbone of his music compositions, but it is his soulful voice (singing mostly in Arabic), along with liberal sprinklings of electronica, rock, funk and punk that makes Taha’s sound, as one critic describes it, “Arabesque rock-funk fusion with a message to the world.”

Rachid Taha @ California Plaza, Saturday, July 12th @ 8pm. Go to www.grandperformances.org for schedule, venue and parking information. Admission is FREE.

“Who are you?” “Who am I?” It sounds like there’s an existential storm broiling deep inside the soul of France’s number 1 musical upsetter. ‘Tékitoi?’, the title of the latest in a long line of probing, provocative and highly original Rachid Taha releases, is a punchy piece of French street lingo whose tone actually says something more like “Who the hell are you?”. If Taha is feeling the need to ask himself and others the most basic questions, then at least he’s doing it with all the verve and vivacity of a straight-jabbing southpaw boxer.

But that’s the man all over. Some strange mutation in the Taha gene over forty-six years ago created a phenomenon as rare as as an albino tiger; a musician of Arabic origin with the courage, intelligence and insight to speak the truth as he sees it, loud and direct, without the softening comforts of metaphor, parable or nostalgia. Or perhaps this uniqueness can be put down to the simple fact that music hit Taha, and vice versa, in the first few years of the 1980s, a period when rock’n’roll still meant rebellion rather than dollars, and when young North African immigrants and sons of immigrants living in France were beginning to shake off decades of timidity with their very own equivalent of America’s Black Pride movement.”

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“For the last few years, we’ve hosted bands at various venues in the Los Angeles area. Some of our favorite bands feature accordion in their music. We thought the time was right to have one full weekend of accordion inspired music. Our appreciation and thanks to the bands who will help us discover why accordion music in the U.S. is experiencing renewed interest. With diverse styles such as Zydeco, Cajun, Tejano and alternative experimental, we look forward to promoting the rise of accordion music in the Los Angeles community.

Special thanks to our sponsors for helping make this festival possible: Fraternity of Eagles Aerie 2188, 1596 W. Yosemite Drive (at Townsend), Eagle Rock, CA 90041, 323-257-8869 Welcome Inn (Ray Patel), 1840 W. Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock, CA 90041, 323-256-1673  ACCORDION WORKSHOP - SATURDAY, MAY 31 12:00 TO 2:00 PM On Saturday, May 31, an Accordion Workshop will be held for those interested in learning more about the accordion. Otono Lujan of Conjunto Los Pochos and accordion instructor at the Eagle Rock Music Studio will conduct the workshop demonstrating the Three Button Row Accordion that is used in traditional Cajun, Tex-Mex and Zydeco music. Cost is $10 per person. Reserve your place by calling 323-246-8998 or by visiting www.myspace.com..losangelesaccordionfest“

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Los Angeles ~ CA

The AP has the updated story:

A singer and two members of his staff were found tortured and killed just south of the California border, apparently the latest victims in a string of slayings of Mexican musicians, state prosecutors said Wednesday. Jesus Rey David Alfaro Pulido, 26, known as “El Gallito,” was found strangled and shot in the head last week in Tijuana, said a spokeswoman for the Baja California attorney general’s office who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter. His body was apparently frozen, the spokeswoman said.

Reports had first emerged of the deaths of Alfaro, manager Israel Flores, and his assistant, Jose Guadalupe Topete on Friday. Prosecutors confirmed the deaths on Wednesday. The killings may have been linked to three others in Tijuana last week, including that of a municipal police officer, the attorney general’s office said in a statement.

Many of the bodies bore signs of torture and were left with written notes common in execution-style killings. No arrests have been made in the killings. Alfaro was the latest Mexican musician killed in a string of murders that include the December death of Sergio Gomez, lead performer for the top-selling group K-Paz de la Sierra, and the November 2006 slaying of Valentin Elizalde.