In this episode, we will discuss the arrival of Rock en Español to Los Ángeles. How the genre encouraged Latin American immigrants and U.S. Latinas/os to hang out with each other and create a vibrant Rock Angelino scene to claim themselves as part of Southern California at an tense moment of demographic change, economic restructuring, racial tensions and anti-immigrant politics...which was the 1990s, but as you might realize, it can also have parallels to the present.

Song Listing:

In this episode we heard a cover of “Fronteras,” a song originally by Gaby Moreno. The episode version was performed by the students of Mira Monte Music Program, based in the MiraMonte school in South Los Angeles.

We also listened to Rock Angelino trailblazer, Eclipse with “Que triste vive mi gente en Estados Unidos.” Los Olvidados with "Silvestre" and "Viernes." Las 15 Letras' “Aunque no quieras” and "Bi" by Pastilla.

Make sure to check our the Podcast Playlist as new songs are included weekly during the summer 23.

Episode Two Bibliography. Books and Articles for further reading and research:

—Avant-Mier, Roberto. Rock the Nation: Latin/o Identities and the Latin Rock Diaspora. Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2010.

—Harvey, David. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

—HoSang, Daniel Martinez. Racial propositions: Ballot initiatives and the making of postwar California. Vol. 30. Univ of California Press, 2010.

—Jiménez, Tomás Roberto. Replenished ethnicity: Mexican Americans, immigration, and identity. Univ of California Press, 2010.

—Leal, Jorge N. "Mapping ephemeral music forums in Latina/o Los Angeles." California History 97, no. 2 (2020): 124-127.

—Leal, Jorge N. "Mapping the city from below: Approaches in charting out Latinx historical and quotidian presence in metropolitan Los Angeles: 1990–2020." European Journal of American Culture 40, no. 1 (2021): 5-26.

—Leal, Jorge Nicolas. "Seremos capaces de pensar por nuestra cuenta (We’re capable of thinking on our own): 1990s Immigrant Los Angeles and Latin American Intellectual and Publishing Traditions.." Printing History. Combined Issue, 2022. New Series Number 31-32, Fall 2022. 70-89.

—Lechner, Ernesto. Rock en Español: the Latin alternative rock explosion. Chicago Review Press, 2006.

—Verbuč, David. DIY House Shows and Music Venues in the US: Ethnographic Explorations of Place and Community. Routledge, 2021.