Greetings Familia!
It has been almost a month since the end of the “Holdfast to Dreams Tour” 2008, and it has taken me this long to really find words to sum up this incredible journey. We want to first start by thanking all of those who set up and promoted our shows, attended our performances, and hosted us in your homes. This tour would not have been possible without the work of all of you and we are very grateful! We want to also send all my love to Broadcast Live, Evan Greer and Son of Nun, who we shared this tour with. It has been an honor to have been on this journey with incredible artists such as you.
Of course our tour was also blessed by the many incredible folks we performed with, and the love and inspiration we received from them. We must not forget to thank them all, including: La Bruja, Stic.Man (Dead Prez), Junkyard Empire, Las Krudas, Foundation Movement, Tahani Salah, DJ Femstar, Sabreena Da Witch, Jacob Winterstein, Summit Dub Squad, Work In Progress, Freddy Gutierrez, The Genie, Brenna Sahatjian, Tit for Tat, Michael Anthony Reyes, and Hype Wonder. Definitely check out the work of these performers, and go see them if you have the chance.
One of my favorite band encounters of the tour was during our first show that we played as we moved out west to The Rhizome Collective in Austin, Texas. It was November 1st, also known as “Dia de los Muertos.” When we arrived at the venue, I never would have dreamed that I would run into members of the Cuban hip hop group, Las Krudas, building a giant altar in the space where we would be playing that night. Las Krudas just so happened to be a part of the collective, and during our two day stay at the Rhizome we built good friendships. The highlight of this time was when we had the opportunity to bring Las Krudas on stage to do a collaborative performance. The small audience in the room that night danced, laughed, and sang our hearts content!
One of the most profound aspects of our tour was that its time frame coincided with some incredible world changing events. Barak Obama was elected to be the President of u.s. during our performance in Flagstaff, Arizona. I recall a person in the room jumping and screaming for joy in the middle of our set the minute he heard the news. Much of our tour, both before the elections and afterwards, was spent discussing how the nation and the world might be affected by this occasion in history. Some believed it to be the coming of a new age, when the u.s. might finally see an end to some of the oppressions plaguing this country. Others were more skeptical, questioning the power of a president to truly affect change in a system built with oppression as its foundation. Taína Asili y LBR brought our own voice to the stage with the song “It’s In Your Hands,” reminding people no matter who we have in office true change will always lie in the hands of the People.
Another life changing event occurred on November 10th while we were in Olympia, Washington – the passing of my musical inspiration and revolutionary hero, Miriam Makeba. Miriam Makeba – as shared by Mumia Abu-Jamal in his prison radio commentary “Miriam Makeba The Great” – “steared souls and fed hearts with a steady diet of lovely and lively songs which shared the rhythm and voices of South Africa with millions.” I first found Miriam Makeba’s music at a small record shop in Philadelphia when I was 22. She changed my heart from that day on, influencing my voice and my work. I built an altar in her memory at our performance at Café Vita, and dedicated “War Cry” to her spirit. Though I doubt many there knew who she was I knew many others throughout the world were morning and celebrating with me.
While in California we had the opportunity to perform at a benefit concert for “The Peace and Dignity Journey 2008: Honoring Sacred Sites,” a cross-hemispheric spiritual and political run uniting the Indigenous Nations of the North, Central and South America. I was blessed to have encountered and prayed with a group of the runners on the Journey while I was in Colorado at a ceremony this summer. I was even more honored to be invited to perform in support of them this tour. This beautiful concert at the Pueblo Nuevo Gallery opened with Danza Azteca (Aztec Dancing) and closed with an intrusion by the police during our set. However, nothing, not even the police, could ruin the beautiful energy that was created at this event, as demonstrated by a final room bumping performance of Dead Prez’s “Its Bigger than Hip Hop” by Broadcast Live.
These events shaped the energy of our tour in ways that will last with us for a lifetime. For us, our music is our protest and our prayer. We do this work in hopes of challenging and changing our world. Most importantly, we do this work to gather and bring back knowledge and strength to our own communities so that we may demonstrate the change we wish to see.
Part of this strength came from simply receiving the gift of witnessing some of the Earth’s most beautiful treasures. We visited the San Francisco Peaks and Grand Canyon of Northern Arizona, the white sands and pertroglyphs in New Mexico, the red woods and beaches of Northern California, the plains of Nebraska, hot springs in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Through these journeys we were reminded that we are not only working for our people but all Life, and that the wisdom of the Earth has so much to share.
One of my favorites sites we visited were the Caverns of Sonora in Sonora, Texas. We were driving along Rt. 10 looking for a nice place to stop, when we came across a sign. We were curious and decided to check it out – little did we know what we would discover. This cave is rated one of the ten most beautiful caves in the world, and though I have not been to many caves around the world, I would have to guess that this cave certainly earns its status. An Apache Texan with a passion for spelunking gave us a heartfelt tour of the caves, which he has studied and protected for almost a lifetime. We discussed the limitations of science to understand the true beauty of this sacred empire beneath the Earth. Neither our photos nor our words could ever capture this beauty. Walking through these caves I was reminded of my ancestors who were protected by caves for so many years during the beginning of colonialism. I left the caves giving thanks for their dark protection.
In order to accomplish the task of visiting natural sites, cities, friends, and playing shows we had to wake up very early in the morning and drive for a minimum of seven hours or longer, sometimes even driving through the night. Many times we were exhausted, our bodies ached, and we dreamed of our beds and our families at home. However, it was a small sacrifice for the opportunity to do what we love best, to share our art, our hearts, and our vision with world – making it more than worthwhile. This was proven by the loving responses we received from our audiences, who thanked us in so many ways for our work. We look forward to sharing our music with the world again, and again, and again.
Long Live the Power of Music and the Word!
