Avalos Is Open

CD Release

Buenos Dias

Travel Tips for Aztlan - KPFK

I admit this is a little after the fact, but Ombligo Sereno de la Luna is blogging about the arts magazine Brooklyn and Boyle that they have released and is now on it’s fourth issue. It’s a good update about the progress of the arts scene on the Eastside and some of the other things going on there.

We are pleased to announce that Monte Carlo 76 is being featured in Amoeba Music’s Homegrown program.  The Homegrown program highlights local independent music championed by Amoeba employees. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Marisela yet, here’s yet another way while also supporting one of the last record stores in LA.  

www.montecarlo76.com
www.amoeba.com/music/homegrown/index.html

Our good friend and advocate in Japan, Shin Miata was in town over the weekend. Check out GCA’s story about his and Shin’s dive bar adventures here.

Gabriel over at DonPalabraz is posting an interview that he did with with radio legend Art Laboe. As Gabriel says Laboe is “best heard not read” so go over there and enjoy!

Monte Carlo 76 will be having a listening party for our new album, Marisela, on Feb. 21st @ Teocintli in Boyle Heights. After listening to the new album we will have spoken word performances on the subjects of love, the night and gentrification (the title of one of the songs on the album).
We have a great line up so far, including:

Rafa Cardenas
Happy Frejo
Ruben Guevara
Los Poets Del Norte
Olmeca
Raul Pacheco
Quese Imc
Members of Monte Carlo 76
and many more tba.

Come on out to hear some new music, hear these poets, and support Teocintli.

Teocintli
2717 E 4th St
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 266-2117‎

I had a practice studio across the street from Avalo’s on City Terrace drive. Sometimes, I would be in the studio all day and night and never see that place open more than a few hours at a time. Because of that, I never bothered to eat there. On this night, we managed to catch that place open. Anton Morales and I went inside looking for someone who worked there. We saw three neighborhood guys. Two of them were sitting in the booths, sipping on tall cans wrapped in a brown paper bag. The other was playing a slot machine, quite passionately. On the side of the slot machine, it read, “for amusement only” All the guys looked at us as to say, “What are you guys doing here?” as if we walked into a clubhouse of some sort. Anton asked them if we could order food to go. One of the guys kinda got up, looked at the other guys and said, “Yeah….I can make you something…what do you want?”

We ordered our food. I ordered a quesadilla and Anton ordered Carne Asada tacos. The same guy went into the kitchen. He looked awkward in the kitchen, like one of those old school Mexican fathers who never cooked a day in his life suddenly forced to cook for his children. We sat down and watched the guy play the “for amusement only” slot machine along with the guys sipping their tall cans wrapped in a brown paper bag.

Coming Next Avalo’s Part 2: The Juniors

For whatever reason, my wife’s family ends up taking someone to the airport in Tijuana at least once a year. Whether it be a discounted flight, familiarity, who knows? My arguments about the reduced cost being offset by the gas expense and inconvenience usually falls on deaf ears.  Most of the time I’m obliged to tag along for the ride, this time was no exception.

This year’s visit was to take her father, who is going to a family party in Guadalajara. We went and visited her uncle, who lives there, before dropping her father off at the airport. This was not the Tijuana of painted donkeys and drunk college students. This was the Tijuana of unpaved streets and houses made of concrete and bars that give them the feel of a compound. Even more security (bars, wire) was added to my wife’s uncle’s place because of a recent break in.

I was wondering when we went how true the recent reports of Tijuana being more dangerous for foreigners was.  It turned out to be true.  We were looking for a place to eat lunch, a couple of our options were ruled out because of drug-related shootings earlier in the week. Our relatives confirmed that this kind of thing was getting more and more common.

We finally decided on a great seafood place.  The funny part was that when I walked in there was another white guy there (I don’t think he was a light Mexican, neither did my wife).  He looked at me like he was surprised to see me there and that I’d infringed upon his personal attempts at trans-border peace or something. Even my wife noticed (”Your paisa is vibing you”).

This could not ruin my enjoyment of awesome shrimp tacos and shrimp ceviche. Actually, it may have added some sort of weird pleasure to it. Even though some will say that Tijuana is “not really Mexico”, just by crossing the border the Mexican food gets way better and believe me, it is Mexico for it’s residents.

What is the point of all of this?  Not much, just what I saw on my visit to Tijuana. Gomez laughed when I told him the restaurant story, so I decided to write about it. Special thanks to my wife Monica for the picture above, taken at the Tijuana airport.