MarthaGonzalez.net » NPR http://marthagonzalez.net Chicana Artivista Fri, 14 Oct 2022 23:10:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.39 Quetzal: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert http://marthagonzalez.net/2020/07/24/quetzal-npr-music-tiny-desk-concert/ http://marthagonzalez.net/2020/07/24/quetzal-npr-music-tiny-desk-concert/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2020 21:49:20 +0000 http://marthagonzalez.net/?p=929 The Southern California band Quetzal recently celebrated its 20th anniversary with a blowout concert that seemed to attract as many musicians as regular people. The band has maintained such a strong presence in the SoCal Chicano music scene that its members could be considered padrinos and madrinas of that free-flowing musical community.Quetzal is respected and admired as much for its commitment to social justice, activism and education — lead singer Martha Gonzalez has a Ph.D — as for its folk-infused music, which gets a marvelous showcase in this Tiny Desk Concert. While the instrumentation is stripped down, the sound is […]

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]]> The Southern California band Quetzal recently celebrated its 20th anniversary with a blowout concert that seemed to attract as many musicians as regular people. The band has maintained such a strong presence in the SoCal Chicano music scene that its members could be considered padrinos and madrinas of that free-flowing musical community.Quetzal is respected and admired as much for its commitment to social justice, activism and education — lead singer Martha Gonzalez has a Ph.D — as for its folk-infused music, which gets a marvelous showcase in this Tiny Desk Concert. While the instrumentation is stripped down, the sound is full; the music penetrates the intellect even as it makes your hips sway.The group runs a tight ship musically: Gonzalez’s voice could be heard well past the confines of the Tiny Desk, all the way to our web-designing neighbors; guitarist Quetzal Flores unplugged and worked the Mexican Jarana for both rhythm and melody, often at the same time; violinist Rocio Marron wove blues licks into Mexican folk runs; bassist Juan Perez provided a nimble and melodic bottom end.Add it all up and you get a glimpse into a musical vision that inspires as much as it entertains. If you didn’t know Quetzal before this video, now’s the time to catch up. If you’re a fan like me, you’ve already got a head start on looking forward to the next 20 years. –FELIX CONTRERAS

Set List:
“Palomo Vagabundo”
“Tragafuegor”
“Todo Lo Que Tengo”

Credits:
Producers: Felix Contreras, Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Colin Marshall; Production Assistant: Sarah Tilotta; photo by Sarah Tilotta/NPR

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