I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: NATALIA LAFOURCADE-Tiny Desk Concert #664 (October 27, 2017).

I’d never heard of Natalia Lafourcade , so here’s what the blurb says:

Natalia Lafourcade is a successful singer-songwriter whose voice and music live on the edge of pop, but maintain a distinct independence.

A few years ago, while Lafourcade was traveling Brazil, she felt a great nostalgia for her native Mexico and its folk music. When she finally returned home, she immediately called some friends for the kind of party that is ubiquitous in Latin America: lots of social drinking, lots of food and lots of guitars and singing. Classic folk songs were on the playlist and a good time was had by all.

Someone recorded the informal jam session and Lafourcade’s management team heard the tapes. “This is your next record!” they told her.

That record, Musas: Un Homenaje al Folclore Latinoamericano en Manos de los Macorinos, Vol. 1, [Muses: A Tribute to Latin American Folklore in the Hands of the Macorinos, Vol. 1] was a commercial and critical hit, and received a Latin Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. It only made sense for Lafourcade to bring her Musastour to the Tiny Desk. The performances are an ode to a magical time in Mexican popular music, one that is revived with every note this singer and her band perform.

Los Macorinos are Ernesto Anaya (traditional Mexican guitar), Uriel Herrera (drums) and Jorge Molina (double bass).

One important historical note: The two older gentlemen on the video are Juan Carlos Allende (acoustic guitar) and Miguel Peña (electric guitar), two revered musicians who played with the iconic ranchera singer Chavela Vargas.

She plays three songs:

Lafourcade has a lovely delicate voice and brings a lot of joy to these songs.  On “Soledad y el Mar,” her voice and all of the acoustic guitars meld together wonderfully.  There’s also beautiful “traditional” harmonies from the players.

“Mi Tierra Veracruzana” was written for her hometown of Veracruz (five hours from Mexico City).  She says “its full of energy and  the beautiful things that I remember about my little town.”  There’s some delightful little acoustic guitar solo runs in the middle of the song that really spice up this delightful song.  I love that there’s also someone there to give a high-pitched aahhhhhhh ha ha!

“Tú Sí Sabes Quererme” its a love song which means You Know How To Love Me.  There’s much chuckling and then she says, when it happens it happens. She plays a small four string guitar.  After running through the chorus for everyone to sing along: “mas o menos, you have to sing as you were very in love with somebody.”  This song really swings and it’s a lot of fun..

[READ: October 27, 2017] Ghosts

Ghosts is a very different story for Telgemeier.

In the past, her stories have been rather personal–taking events from her own life (I assume).

This story mixes some real events (a sister with cystic fibrosis–this is tangentially related to her own life) and fantastical events–ghosts appearing on Dia de los Muertos.  She does an excellent job of linking the two.  Not only because the sister is facing death, but also because the sister needs a breathing apparatus and the ghosts are also “seeking” breath to come alive for the festivities.

As the book opens, we see Kat and Maya in the back seat of the car.  They are pulling out of [not] In-N-Out Burgers and learning that their new home in Bahiá de la Luna does not have an In-N-Out Burger.  This is pretty upsetting, but Kat realizes that they are moving to save her sisters’ life.  Kat will of course miss everything back home, but Maya needs the cool wet climate (the sun only shine 62 days of the year) of their new home.

When they arrive, Maya loves the new house, although Kat isn’t so sure (it’s quite cold and breezy).  But soon they set out to explore (after we see Maya in her breathing apparatus).  They head out to the harbor and down to the beach and then to an arcade.  When they squeeze into the abandoned arcade, they meet a boy who says that they are early for the ghost tour.  Maya is excited by Kat is frightened and pulls her sister away.

When they get back home, their parents say they are going to meet the neighbors.  The neighbors are super friendly (and their mom makes awesome Mexican food), but the son is the boy from the arcade.  So Kat is cold and more than a little rude.

I like how the book gives anyone unfamiliar with Day of the Dead a little summary: “it’s a day to welcome back the spirits of the loved ones we’ve lost.”  And this town Bahia de la Luna takes it pretty seriously.

All of this talk of ghosts spooks Kat pretty seriously, but Maya is really excited.  She is always thinking about death, so she wants to be familiar with it as much as she can.  Carlos offers to take them in his ghost tour (with a bribe of yummy food).

He shows them around all of the sites–I like to think that this is Telgemeiers’ tribute to the town the she lived in Half Moon Bay.  And then while Kat gets separated from the other two, she sees a ghost.  For real!  As she runs to tell her sister, she sees Maya and Carlos surrounded by ghosts.  And they are so excited!

We learn that offering them sweets and talking to them allows them to become somewhat more corporeal .  And they are very happy to meet Maya and to see Carlos again.

Unfortunately, the excitement and the running around causes Maya to have an episode, which sends her to the hospital–and gets Kat in trouble somewhat unfairly.

School starts in September and Kat is able to make some (pretty cool) friends.  They are excited about next month’s festivities, but Kat is pretty unsure about it.  Worse yet the ghosts feel bad about what happened and keep trying to help, but Kat is too angry/afraid to allow them in.

But Halloween comes and Kat gets into the spirit with her new friends.  And they head out to the festivities.

Maya is better but not well enough to go out.  And she is pretty bummed about that. But Kat promises her that she will allow her to have her chocolate.  At the festivities Kat learns that ghosts can actually be pretty fun.  And it’s a good way for her to see what her sister is so interested in.

When Carlos introduces Kat to his uncle (who died when he was a little kid), Kat gets an idea.

Important things to note about the story: Maya doesn’t die.  Nor is she miraculously cured, neither aspect is what this story is about.  Rather it is an opportunity to see how important it is to enjoy what you have in life and to not forget those who have died.

When I first read this earlier in the year, I wasn’t that excited by it.  Probably because it was so different from her other books, which felt really personal. But reading it again, especially around this time of year, I found it really enjoyable.  It’s well constructed, has lots of cool elements to it and it’s funny and educational.

Happy Dia de los Muertos.