LA SANTA CECILIA IN TOWN!

ROJO AMERICANO SI, ROJO

La Santa Cecilia

Rojo is almost here. 

August 23rd is the day where the benefit concert annually organized by Museo de las Americas is taking place.

In their effort to bring Denver the most representative music of our Latino Culture, this year the event is featuring the trendiest Latino band of the moment. La Santa Cecilia.

For the few of you that have no idea who La Santa Cecilia is, let me update you:

• Recently sign by Universal Latino Label,

• A super cool Mexican-American band from L.A ...that is killing it with their close to the heart music.

• Written and scored by the very talented Pepe Carlos, Alex Bendaña, Miguel Ramirez and the unique Marisoul, 

• Yes you read it right Marisoul, because her voice speaks for her soul.

This Band with their salpicon of influences like Norteño, jazz, blues, boleros and the other 10 musical genres they have mastered. They give thanks to the inspiration of legends like Janice Joplin, Miles Davis, Mercedes Sosa and Led Zeppelin. They are coming to Denver. Yeah!

So my advice is, do not miss this chance to enjoy La Santa Cecilia because the next time you might see this band that close is in your HD TV during the next Grammy’s when they get an award for their last album “Treinta Dias”, which by the way is already NPR Music's 25 Favorite Albums Of The Year (So Far)

This band is on a meteoric rise to success because there are not afraid to speak their minds. They sing about subjects that matter to people like me and you, they support causes that will help future generations to have a better life and they love kids and want to motivate them to be the best they can be.

Besides coming to indulge us all with there music, they will be visiting the East High School in a “Platica” (Little conversation) that will take place at L2 Arts and Culture Center at 4:00 p.m. Students from Metropolitan State University (MSU), Metro Leadership Program and East High School‘s Music department will be part of this journey where the Band members will talk about finding their musical voice within all the genres of world music, and how they developed a quality and distinct modern sound that engages audiences. 

I had the chance to Interview the members of La Santa Cecilia for Viva Colorado (Interview link coming soon) and they are as fascinating as their music. Delightful, simple, mature, generous artists with a long path of success ahead.

If you miss this chance don’t blame me. I will be there :)

Benefit Concert for Museo de las Americas

August 23, 2013

5:30-8:30pm

L2 Arts and Culture Center

1477 Columbine St

Denver CO 80206

$50 Reception, Silent Auction, and Concert

$30 Concert

For Tickets contact Marlyn Ruiz 303-571-4401 ext.20 

By Loren Escandon

Pasta with Oyster mushrooms and Beet Greens

As I told you in the last post beets have entered my life and are here to stay!

Having found the most beautiful beets at the farmers markets on Sunday I have been on a "find a way to use beets quest" and my husband seems to be happy with my finds.

For the actual vegetable I made this raw salad which was delicious and very easy. The green tops were so crisp and fresh that I had to find a way to utilize them and what a better way than making a pasta with other vegetables and fresh herbs.

PRIDE PARADE 2013

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I am not sure about you but in my opinion no one knows how to throw a party better than my gay, transgender and bisexual friends. They just know exactly what people expect in a party, from the beginning to the end. The best music to dance, the food is usually impeccable, the champagne does not ever run out and the host or hostess are not afraid to use their best finery to impress their audience. 

If you have never been in a celebration of love, equality, and heritage where the community gets together to simply have FUN, the Denver PrideFest 2013 is your opportunity to catch up with the fun you have missed out on. 

MICHELANGELO IS IN TOWN.

 

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If all you know about Michelangelo is that he was the most important Italian renaissance painter and sculptor of all times; with an impressive list of creations from the naked, vulnerable David to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which by the way took 4 years to be painted in very uncomfortable positions for any human body... then you are not doing to bad.

What you might not know is that his success in sculpting human figures with so much muscular precision and sublime beauty came from the studies he made on cadavers with a special permit he got from the Catholic Church. Or that he was a very accomplished poet, yes poet, with more than 300 poems and sonnets, most of them written to a pious widow he was apparently in love with. If you don’t know that he was one of the few artists of his time that had the chance of living to enjoy his fame and wealth and see the publication of two biographies about his life... if you did not know all of that then you need to go to this exhibition Michelangelo at Denver Pavilions. 

The Hump

We live in a society of "closed hearts" is all I could think about on my Saturday morning Yoga class at the Iyengar Yoga center, when we were all struggling to open up our chest by pinching the shoulder blades together as close as possible. As I looked across the room I saw multiple stubborn "humps" on people's back.
Thankfully for all of us this ancient practice is widely available and after trying different styles I finally settled for the Iyengar style, which helps the students better understand their bodies and the habits it has been forced into for years. It is somewhat liberating and "enlightening" to see how far our broken bodies will go if we only dedicate a couple of hours a week to nourishing and strengthening them. Obviously, you can do more than that, but I am just trying to ease you into it.
The Iyengar style is therapeutic yoga, where each movement has a purpose and it is well explained and demonstrated. The use of props, such as blankets, blocks, ropes, belts, chairs, etc, allows each and everyone to achieve the best variation of each pose to fit his/her needs and capabilities. I admire the power of perseverance shown on some of the regular students, who regardless of their physical obstacles, allow themselves to enjoy the practice.
I love the "easy" atmosphere, the welcoming teachers with years of education and experience in this practice and the feeling of peace after each class.

I highly recommend it, whether you live in the city or are just visiting, as it is centrally located on the I-25 and Broadway intersection.
Easy access from the Light Rail Broadway station, lines E, F, H, C, D


By Paula Thomas

Summer fun in Denver

White blanket of sparkly snow see you next winter, now it is time to enjoy the blistering heat of the summer season and with it the fabulous events popping up all over town.
Patio parties, street fairs, Art walks, Films on the Rocks, you name it most likely Denver has it.

Here is a list of link to fun things to do this summer:

  Downtown Denver Arts Festival: Come see a big display of local artist in the heart of Downtown Denver - May 24-26

 Old South Gaylord Annual Festival: Music, food, a fun way to celebrate Memorial day weekend - May 26-27

 The Big Eat: an amazing event with 40 restaurants, 4 breweries,
wine and music. A great way to start the summer - May 26

Kings of Arabica

A few years ago, when I was still living in Colombia, I took a week long training with the Colombian Coffee National Federation where we learned the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee varietals. During that week we also experienced the different grades of beans and the styles of roast. Arabica coffee is consider the best bean, it is delicate, highly aromatic and it is the bean grown in my beautiful Colombia. I like to compare the production of coffee with the production of wine, or chocolate for that matter. The best beans, or grapes, produce the more distinctive coffee to land product or "terroir" as the french will say, and the roast is the "wine makers touch" the end result is a premium product, be it coffee or wine.
I was quite glad to find a coffee shop here in Denver where the coffee, and its true flavor and nuances, is the main objective, no frills sugary syrups of flavored coffee, which I still can't understand.
The coffee is well balanced, nicely roasted, not too light and definitely not too strong, or almost burnt as many places I had visited.

ROLLING CAN GET YOU FAR...

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I remember years ago when watching Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, for those too young to know what I am talking about, that is a classic Italian movie that every single person on the planet should watch. In this movie there is a scene where the 2 main characters take a bicycle ride, with a sublime melody as a background...Anyway, I am bringing this up because I fell in love with bicycles that day. I dreamed of biking around like that around my dusty little town. 

In New York going on a bicycle is not the safest, everyone is rushing when they drive and the bike lines are not popular, however I decided to buy a one that I never used.

Canvas and Cocktails

A couple of weeks ago I went with a few friends to Canvas and Cocktails in Cherry Creek. I had no expectations going in,which I believe it helped me see the experience with an open mind.
Yes, I liked it! The place is well set up and conducive to fun.
The front of the store has a small boutique with cloths, hats and other accessories. The bar is located to the right of the entrance and offers wines (glass or bottle) and beer, and on the weekends they also offer Mimosas and Sangria, which I might do with my girlfriends one of these days.

Everyday there are different classes being offered, we went for the Wine Bottle Painting class. I was wondering how that was going to work since I am really not a painter on flat let alone on a round object. The set up is simple and streamline, no confusions here, pick up an apron, collect your paint, go to your table where brushes and water are already set and wait for the class to start.

SANTA FE FUN

SANTA FE FUN.

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One of my favorite places in Denver is the Santa Fe Arts District. It is fun most of the time, but it becomes a real party every First Friday of the month, when those four blocks full of galleries, shops and restaurants, get packed with vibrant people getting in and out like little ants from one door to the other, seeing art and getting inebriated with ideas of their own. Musicians play in every corner, next to the food trucks that smell like heaven.