Yeahhhhh…I seem to add a new blog to my reader every other day, so my Weekend Link Loves are getting hella long. I’m gonna start doing this twice a week, m’kay? So tune in Wednesday for the second half.
If you’re in DC tomorrow or Saturday, be sure to check out the Afro-Mexican Film Festival at the Museum of African Art.
Director Rafael Rebollar Corona screens and discusses his films on the Afro-Mexican presence. This program is co-sponsored by the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Space is limited; please call for reservations at 202.633.4640.
Lecture Hall
National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC
Friday, October 23
7:00 PM La Raiz Olvidada/The Forgotten Root
La Raiz Olvidada is about the “forgotten root” of the Africans who were brought to Mexico as slaves or who escaped from slavery in the U.S. This film illuminates the African legacy in the regions of Veracruz in the east and the Costa Chica region of Guerrero and Oaxaca in the west. In Spanish with English subtitles. (Mexico, 2001, 50 min.)
Saturday, October 24 1:00 PM La Tercera Raiz/ The Third Root
In La Tercera Raiz/ The Third Root, director Rafael Rebollar Corona’s documentary focuses on the daily life and cultural traditions of Afro-Mestizos living in the Costa Chica region of Mexico’s Pacific coast. In Spanish with English subtitles. (Mexico, 2001, 30 min.)
And
Africanias
Africanias, a film directed by Rafael Rebollar Corona, provides insights into traditional Mexican festivals and dances that are inspired by African beliefs and aesthetics, first brought to the country by the enslaved. (Mexico, 2007, 30 min.)
I was watching Dogfight last night (the River Phoenix/Lily Taylor movie), and Lily’s character was obsessed with folk music. I haven’t been able to get Bob Dylan out of my head all day. Granted, Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes aren’t straight up folk music, but their sound is definitely country/folk/Americana-inspired.
I first heard this Fleet Foxes cover about a year ago, and I think it’s gorgeous. I was elated to find out that these women now have a CD out. You can check out their Myspace page to hear more of their music. While you’re at it, check out the Fleet Foxes page, because their sound is also amazing (and even more so live).
“Annie’s Song” remains one of my favorite songs of all time, so of course I had to include that on here. And as for “This Land Is Your Land,” I was always ambivalent about it because I just remember having to sing it in elementary school, and it always seemed like total propaganda. It wasn’t until I had the pleasure of seeing The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello) in concert that I heard the song in its entirety. He explained the radical nature of the lyrics, sang the song, then had the entire audience join in. Never in my life did I imagine that a sold out rock concert at Webster Hall would involve a Woody Guthrie sing-along!
Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
Blitzen Trapper – Furr
First Aid Kit – Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (Fleet Foxes cover)
