New Year's Day
2012 Show- OnJanuary 1, 2012 Mark Guerrero
performed on the bill with the Jackson Garret Band, Gary Bias
of Earth, Wind & Fire, and the duo of Johnny Meza and Lola
Rossi. Mark was backed by members of the Jackson Garrett Band
(John Pagels, guitar; Jeff Stover, bass; and Steve Alaniz,
sax) with Johnny Meza on keyboard and Andy Fraga Jr. on
drums. Guerrero played guitar and sang "Let the Good
Times Roll" by Louis Jordan, classic rock songs "Blue Suede
Shoes," "You Never Can Tell," "Knock On Wood," "Long Tall
Sally," and his dad's pachuco song, "Los Chucos Suaves."
Screening of "Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East Los Angeles"-
Sunday, October 9, 2011, Museum of Ventura County, 100 E.
Main St., Ventura, CA 93001, film screening begins at 5 p.m.
Admission $15 for the general public, $10 for museum members
(includes entry to all museum galleries) For reservations
call
(805) 653-0323 x 7.
Free parking adjacent to the museum. After the
screening there will be a panel discussion about the music
of the Chicano rock era by "Chicano Rock" documentary
filmmakers Jon and Nancy Wilkman;
Tom Waldman and David Reyes
(co-authors of the book "Land of a Thousand Dances"); Max
Uballez (music producer and leader of the 1960s East L.A.
band, The Romancers);
and Mark Guerrero
(singer-songwriter-Chicano music historian).
The event will also feature
a special musical performance by
Mark Guerrero.
There will also be a car show which that runs from 3:00 -
4:30 p.m. Click
here for more information on the event. Click
here for a map of the area.
Museum of Ventura County
"Tardeada LA Plaza"- Mark Guerrero performance of "Whitewash"- On
Sunday, October 2, 2011 the first installment of
"Tardeada LA Plaza"
was held from noon until 5 p.m. The event took
place at the Los Angeles Plaza de Cultura y Artes at 501 N.
Main St., Los Angeles (1/2 block south of La Pacita Church at Olvera
Street in downtown Los Angeles). This continuing
series brings the campus to life with family activities,
compelling conversation, and unique events. The author
of the recently-published "Siqueiros:
From Paradise to Utopia," Dr. Irene Herner Reiss is an expert
on the life and work of Mexican muralist David Alfaro
Siqueros. His 1932 work
América Tropical, whitewashed in 1932 and the center of
a dedicated conservation project since the late 1980s, is
the subject of a new interpretive center set to open down
the street from LA Plaza next year. Dr. Herner Reiss
will lead a conversation titled:
"Why rescue América Tropical?,
a Los Angeles archaeological site of the 20th century."
She was joined by writer, musician, and teacher, Rubén Martínez, and Oliver
Mayer, Chair in Literature and Writing at
Loyola Marymount University, author of
Crossing Over: A Mexican
Family on the Migrant Trail, and resident artist at
Stanford University's Institute for Diversity in the Arts. Mark
Guerrero performed "Whitewash," his song
about the whitewashing of Siqueiros' mural "America
Tropical," at the event. Mark Guerrero's brother Dan
moderated the event. Prior to the conversation, families and children participated in
hands-on art workshop in LA Plaza's garden. This event was free to the
public.
"Cuentos Del Pueblo"- Book Signing and Mark Guerrero
Solo Acoustic Performance- On Saturday, October 1, 2011 at the Los Angeles
Plaza de Cultura y Artes hosted its first ever meeting of
Mexican-American authors at La Plaza at 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles (1/2
block south of La Pacita Church at Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles).
This exciting event brought together nine Los Angeles area Mexican-American
authors who will conduct a book signing from 12 noon until 5 p.m. in the Plaza
patio area. Musical entertainment for this special event was provided
by Mark Guerrero, who performed his original music as well a music by
his father, the late great "Father of Chicano Music," Lalo Guerrero. The
event was spearheaded by Mark's good friend, Alex Areyan, author of
"Mexican-Americans In Los Angeles." Alex was also one of the authors
signing books. The event was free of charge. See the program and info on the exhibit below.
The current exhibit at the museum, "L.A. Starts Here," is a must see for anyone
interested in the history Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles.
This interactive exhibit starts with the first inhabitants of Los Angeles, near
the current site of the museum in 1781, and includes an exhibit of Lalo Guerrero
artifacts and another on the play "Zoot Suit" by Luis Valdez, which features
Lalo Guerrero's classic pachuco song, "Los Chucos Suaves."
The mission of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes is "to celebrate and cultivate an
appreciation for the enduring and evolving influence of Mexican and
Mexican-American culture, with a specific focus upon the unique Mexican-American
experience in Los Angeles and Southern California." Click
here to visit La Plaza's
website and more information on the current exhibit. You can call La Plaza
at 888-488-8083 Wednesday through Monday, noon to 7 p.m.
1972 Radio Show featuring Mark
Guerrero, Tierra, and Yaqui Found!- I borrowed a box of tapes from Art
Brambila, former manager of the aforementioned artists, that had sat in his
garage for decades. I was looking for tracks by a particular band and
found a reel to reel tape of a show we all did on KLOS radio with host Joe Ortiz
in 1972. We all played our current recordings and were interviewed, as was
Art Brambila about the purpose and goals of Brown Bag Productions. I
digitized the show and sent it to Ortiz, who wrote an article about it with a
link to hear the show and blogged it out all over the internet. Click
here to read the article and hear the show.
Joe Ortiz (standing), Mark Guerrero & Art Brambila
(Reuniting after
rediscovering a 1972 radio show we did together, along with Tierra and Yaqui.
Mark & the
Escorts- My teenage band from the 1960s reunited once
again for a show at Tiki Oasis 11 on Friday, August 19, 2011 at
the Crown Plaza Hotel in San Diego,
California. The event took place Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
and Sunday and included musical groups, campy burlesque,
surf, comedy, and Hawaiian-style acts. Mark & the Escorts
performed on the main stage at 7 p.m. on Friday night. Big Sandy with Los
Straightjackets also performed on the same night. For more
info visit
www.tikioasis.com while
it's still on line.
Mark & the Escorts (Tiki Oasis 11- San Diego)
(left to right- Alex
Del Zoppo, Trini Basulto, John Valenzuela, Mark Guerrero, Rick
Rosas, and Robert Warren) (Ernie Hernandez- on drums behind Mark)
Mark & the Escorts
(left to right- Trini
Basulto, Alex Del Zoppo, Rick Rosas, Mark Guerrero, Robert Warren,
Ernie Hernandez, and John Valenzuela)
Click
here to see video of Mark & the Escorts performing "La La La
La La" at Tiki Oasis 2011
Fundraiser for
the Palm Springs Police Department Canine Unit- On Saturday,
May 21, 2011, at the American Legion Hall in Palm Springs, CA. There was
a recent shootout that left a police dog and a suspect dead and
two officers wounded. The police dog's name was Ike.
Musical performances were provided by Mark Guerrero & Brad Mercer, Darci
Daniels, Patrick Evans, Nino Fontana, Patrick Swain, Bonnie
Gilgallon, Greg Burr, and Tabu. The event was hosted by
singer/comedian Rick Noyce.
60s Eastside
Sound Reunion Show- On Sunday, March 20th, 2011 at the
legendary Paramount Ballroom in East
Los Angeles an historic benefit reunion show took place. The musical lineup included The Premiers ("Farmer John"), Mark & the
Escorts ("Get Your Baby"), Chan Romero and Eastside Revue
("Hippy Hippy Shake") led by legendary "Eastside
Sound" guitarist Andy Tesso, The Jags (with members of The Jaguars),
The Salas Brothers, The
Heartbreakers ("Cradle Rock"), Mickey Lespron of El
Chicano, Mike Rincon of The Blendells, The Storytellers, Easy
Company, and The In Crowd. The $10 donation went to the families of Frank
Zuniga, original bassist of The Premiers, and Annie Perez, the
wife of lead guitarist of The Premiers, Lawrence Perez.
Frank Zuniga and Annie Perez passed away in December 2010.
Mark & the Escorts- Paramount Ballroom (2011)
(left to right- Alex
Del Zoppo (keyboard, unseen), Mark Guerrero, Trini Basulto, Ernie Hernandez
(drums, unseen), John Valenzuela, Rick Rosas, and Robert Warren)
Homage to
Siqueiros Poetry Reading- On Sunday January 9, 2011,
performances took place at noon and 2 p.m. at the Autry
National Center in Griffith Park. Mark Guerrero sang his song "Whitewash," which is about the
legendary Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros and his
censored mural at Olvera Street, "America Tropical."
Actresses Yareli Arizmendi (best known for "Like Water for
Chocolate") and Rose Portillo (of About Productions) performed an in-gallery, bilingual reading of the poem "Rey David"
(King David) written by Uruguayan poet Blanca Luz Brum, second
wife of Siqueiros. The performances took place
in the Siqueiros exhibit at the Autry, which ran from September
24, 2010 to the day of these performances, January 9, 2011. For more information, click
here to visit the Autry's website and
here for a facebook page dedicated to the event.
American Legion
Post 519, Palm Springs, CA- OnSaturday, January 1, 2011, New
Year's Day, Mark Guerrero performed at a concert to support American Legion veterans. See flyer below:
"Chicano Soul
Legends" at the Gibson Amphitheater at the Universal City Walk-
On Saturday, December 18, 2010 Mark Guerrero sang background
vocals with El Chicano on "Tell Her She's Lovely." Also on the
bill were Tierra, Malo, Little Willie G. & Thee Midniters, PCG House Band with Joe
Bataan, MC Blvd, and DW3.
Mark Guerrero
Tribute to Lalo Guerrero in Santa Fe, New Mexico- On
Saturday, September 25, 2010, Mark Guerrero performed a 90
minute solo concert doing a combination of Lalo Guerrero and
Mark Guerrero songs. The last two songs were performed
with the San Diego trio, Los Romanticos. During the day
Mark conducted a two hour workshop on the career of Lalo
Guerrero and the history of Chicano music. See flyer
below:
Palm Springs
Fiesta Days: a Celebration of Latino Culture & Heritage- Concerts
took place on Saturday and Sunday, September 18th and 19th, 2010
at the O'Donnell Golf Club at 301 N. Belardo Rd. in Palm Springs, CA.. 4 pm to 10 pm.
The musical lineup included: On Saturday, September 18th-
Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, Los Fabulocos featuring Kid
Ramos, Mark Guerrero, Frankie Garcia's Cannibal & the
Headhunters, El Chicano, and Tierra. On Sunday, September
19th- Mariachi Serenata, The Blazers, Lala, MC Magic, Quetzal,
and Malo featuring Jorge Santana.
See flyer below:
Unfinished Concert, East L.A. Civic Center- On
Saturday, August 28, 2010 there was an event commemorating
the 40th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium. The
concert featured Rudy and Steve Salas, Los Illegals, Cava,
Anthony Baray, and DJ Albert. MCs were David Reyes and
Tom Waldman. Mark Guerrero did a Interview/musical
performance in the East L.A. library moderated by Tom
Waldman.
War, El Chicano,
and Tierra at Spotlight 29 Casino in Indio, CA on Friday, June
11th, 2010. Mark Guerrero sang with El Chicano.
Click
here
and scroll down to read the review on this website.
Jerry Salas & Mark
Guerrero
(El
Chicano at Spotlight 29 Casino in Indio, CA)
Click on the link below to see a video of 3 minutes of the
performance:
"Mexican
Americans In Los Angeles"- a new book just published,
written by Alex Moreno Areyan, which celebrates the history of
Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles. Areyan spotlights
Mexican-Americans who have contributed to the history and
culture of Los Angeles in areas such as entertainment and the
arts, sports, education, the military, politics, and community
activism. The book is filled with archival photographs of
the people and landmarks that make up the cultural landscape of
Chicano Los Angeles. Alex Areyan is a retired human
resources administrator and author of "Mexican Americans in
Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach." My dad, the late Lalo
Guerrero, my brother Dan, and I are in the book in the
entertainment and arts chapter, along with other Chicano music
artists El Chicano, Geree Gonzalez, Don Tosti, Andy Russell,
Ritchie Valens, Chan Romero, and my teenage band, Mark & the
Escorts. The book is available at Borders, Barnes & Noble,
and on amazon.com.
Tribute to
educator Jaime Escalante "Stand and Deliver" CD now available-
The new CD, compiled and released by East L.A.'s legendary
singer Little Ray Jimenez, aka Monchie Jimenez, features tracks
by The Delgado Brothers, Chico, Steve Salas, Geree Gonzalez,
Elijah, Chan Romero, yours truly, and other Chicano and Eastside
luminaries. Proceeds go to the legendary Garfield High
School teacher who was portrayed in the motion picture "Stand
and Deliver" by Edward James Olmos. Escalante, who taught
and inspired a generation of students in East L.A., is very ill
and facing mounting medical bills. For more info contact
Vista Entertainment at (323) 888-9884 or
vistaent@pacbell.net.
Mark Guerrero performs and reads
for 3rd and 4th graders at James Madison Elementary in Indio, CA
on March 2, 2010
PC Muñoz Interview with
Mark Guerrero on PoPMatters website-
Great piece (article/interview) on Mark
Guerrero by artist/producer PC Muñoz. The
interview is in the form of five questions, the same ones asked
of all his subjects. Some previous interviewees on PC's
"Verse-Chorus-Verse" column include Rosanne Cash, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Ingrid
Chavez. Click
here for Mark's interview on the PopMatters website.
"On the Boulevard
Anthology 1979 to 1988"
is also available for download at these links on i tunes,
amazon mp3, and
napster
Lalo
Guerrero's Classic "Pancho Claus" is available as a
download!
A Lalo Guerrero Christmas compilation album is now available at
amazon.com and Napster. It will also soon be
available on i tunes. The 9-song
collection is called "Pancho Claus & Other Holiday Favorites."
You can purchase the songs individually or all together as an
album. It three different versions of "Pancho
Claus": the original from 1956, a 1969 version with Mark
Guerrero, Rick Rosas, and Ernie Hernandez as the backup band,
and a 1981 version with Conrad Lozano and David Hidalgo of Los
Lobos backing Lalo. Other songs on the collection include
"Christmas In Mexico," "Mario From the Barrio," "La Tamalada,"
"Las Posadas," "Regalo de Navidad," and "Feliz Año Nuevo."
"Pancho Claus & Other Holiday Favorites"
"Pancho Claus & Other
Holiday Favorites can be purchased at these links:
"Chicano
Rock: The Sounds of East Los Angeles"- The documentary
aired for the first time on December 14, 2008 on PBS nationally.
It will air again in many markets. Check here
to find out the date and time in your area. To purchase
the DVD, click here.
Scroll down to see the flyer with more info on the documentary,
which is narrated by Edward James Olmos and features Lalo
Guerrero, Don Tosti, Ritchie Valens, The Premiers, Cannibal
& the Headhunters, Thee Midniters, Mark Guerrero, El Chicano,
Tierra, The Brat, Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Los Illegals, Queztal,
and others! The documentary was produced, written, directed,
and edited by Jon Wilkman. For more information go to
www.wilkman.com.
To read my review of the documentary, click here.
Trini Lopez Presents Latin Music Legends DVD- The television
special, which began airing in 2009 on PBS stations across the
country, is now available on DVD. The show will first
air on the PBS Riverside, California affiliate KVCR on Friday,
August 14th at 9 p.m. KVCR can be seen in the
Coachella Valley, San Bernardino county and parts of San
Diego and L.A. counties. The DVD is available from PBS during
the airings and contains performances that will not air on
television. See the DVD front and back covers
below. The back cover shows the lineup of artists.
Interview with Mark Guerrero
by Al Guerrero (no relation) a.k.a. AlDesmadre
at LAeastside.com. The website is dedicated to all things
East L.A. Writers put up articles, readers send in thoughts
about and memories of good ol' East L.A. Mark reminisces
about the East L.A. music scene of the 60s, the music scene
and the scene in general. Included are many show fliers
and photos from the era. Click
here to read part one of the interview conducted by phone
in May 2009. Click here
to read part two. (Click where it says "more"
below the photo of Mark & the Escorts to get to part two
of the interview.)
New
Chan Romero CD and Singles
One of Chan's new singles
is a Mark Guerrero song,
"Rockin' Like There's No Tomorrow."
Miscellaneous
News
My New Video Pages!
Visit the new "Mark Guerrero Video"
page! It has video of Mark's "live" performances
at the Cavern in Liverpool, England in 2006, Thee Mr. Duran
Show in March of '08, Mark's solo performance his song
"The Ballad of Lalo Guerrero" in May of '08, and
other concert appearances going back to 1985. More videos
will be added in the coming weeks. Click here
to go to the video index page. Click here
to visit the new "Lalo & Mark" video pages.
Click here to see videos of Mark
performing with rock & roll hall of famer Eric Burdon.
Mark Guerrero
performed for the American Legion in Palm Springs on March 21, 2010
See flyer below
Coachella Valley
Latino Film Festival- The festival took place during the
weekend of December 4, 5, and 6, 2009, at the Indio
Performing Arts Center (IPAC), in Indio, California.
It featured international films and filmmakers from Latino countries around
the world, as well as Chicano films from the U.S. "Trini Lopez Presents Latin Music Legends"
screened on Sunday, December 6th as the festival's closing film. The film features
live musical performances by Trini Lopez, Tierra, El Chicano,
Mark Guerrero, Thee Midniters with Little Willie G., and the
Greg Rolie Band. Mark Guerrero performed a four song
acoustic set with Jerry Salas of El Chicano "live" at the
event on Sunday, December 6th. Click
here to visit the festival's website for more info.
Mark Guerrero in the new Grammy Museum in Los Angeles-
From November of 2008 to September 2009, Mark Guerrero's 45 rpm record and original lyric manuscript
of his 1972 song "I'm Brown" were on display at the
Grammy Museum in Los Angeles as part of an exhibit called
"Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom."
In the same display along with the 45 and lyric were the
mid-60s "West Coast Eastside Revue" compilation LP that
includes East L.A. bands Mark & the Escorts (Mark's band
from 1963 to 1966), Cannibal & the Headhunters, The
Premiers, The Blendells, The Jaguars with the Salas
Brothers, and others. Also in the display was a flyer of "The first Chicano
Rock Concert," which took place at Cal State Los Angeles
in 1972. Artists who performed that day and are on the
flyer are: El Chicano, Tierra, Mark Guerrero with the Mudd
Brothers, Carmen Moreno, and Elijah. A photo of Mark's
1973 band, Tango, was at the top of the display and a photo
of Luis Valdez' Teatro Campesino was in the middle. Valdez
wrote and performed plays in support of Cesar Chavez' farm
workers movement in the 60s and 70s. Luis went on to
write and direct the play and movie "Zoot Suit."
See a photo of the display below. (There's a little
glare in the photo due to lights on the opposite exhibit.)
Metro Goldline
East Los Angeles Extension Celebration- On Sunday, November
15, 2009 there was a concert at Belvedere Park in East Los
Angeles at the celebration of the opening East L.A. Metro
Goldline stations. The performers included Tierra, Lysa
Flores, Cava, Monte Carlo 76, and Anthony Baray. Mark
Guerrero performed a four song acoustic solo set as a surprise
guest.
Paloma Room
(formerly the Montebello Inn)-
On Sunday, November 15, 2009 there was a benefit concert in
memory of vocalist/musician Pete Perez featuring El Chicano,
Thee Midniters, Paris Escovedo, Soto, and others. Mark
Guerrero attended and performed with El Chicano who invited him
on stage. Poncho Sanchez (congas), Victor Pantoja
(congas), Joey Guerra (formerly of Tierra), and Sal Rodriguez of War
(timbales) sat in. It was a great musical night for a
worthy cause. See the flyer below and the video of the
performance of "Viva Tirado" on you tube below the flyer.
Mark Guerrero
screening/performance-
Sunday, November 8, 2009 at Barrio
Station in San Diego, California, 2 p.m to 4 p.m., screening of
"Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano" documentary, solo acoustic
performance, and a performance of four Lalo Guerrero songs with
local San Diego musicians. See flyer below:
Mark Guerrero
lecture/performance- Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at San
Diego Mesa College, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The presentation
includes video clips, a slide show, audio clips, and solo
acoustic performance. See flyer below:
Screening of
"Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East Los Angeles" at
the Grammy Museum- On Thursday afternoon, September 24,
2009 at 2 p.m. After the screening there was a panel
discussion with Jon Wilkman (producer/director of the documentary),
Mark Guerrero, Max Uballez (founder and leader of Eastside
Sound pioneers The Romancers), and Tom Waldman
(co-author of the book "Land of a Thousand Dances"). You can visit the Grammy Museum's permanent
exhibit as well as the exhibit on the 2nd floor called "Songs
of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom," which includes an
small exhibit that displays Mark Guerrero's 1972 record "I'm
Brown" with its original manuscript and other related
items. The Grammy Museum is located on the corner of
Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles
near Staples Center, 800 W. Olympic Blvd. The entrance is
on Figueroa Street. See more info on the "Chicano Rock"
documentary and the "Songs of Conscience" exhibit by scrolling
above.
Mark Guerrero
lecture/performance- Thursday, July 2, 2009 at National
Hispanic University, San Jose, California, 10 a.m. to noon,
as part of their "Distinguished Speaker Series."
See flyer below:
