Ted's Polish-Mexican Page

Here are some videos I caught on YouTube. The first is Wanda performing "Hard Headed Woman," a fan favorite (and covered by Elvis Presley, who she toured with). The second is Wanda with Tejana country-rocker Rosie Flores performing "Rock Your Baby" in 1998.






Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.

My brother said I hadn't written about the Calexico show (I did, but never mind), so he wrote a review:

I find it interesting that, while Gabby was able to find talent from within the community to do such an event, Mr. Bee has to go outside the state to dig up Fred Thompson.

Highlights of the Calexico show on Saturday:

• Craig Schumacher appeared on stage, materializing as if out of the ether, to perform a harp solo on “Not Even Stevie Nicks” which was a swirling mass of awesomeness and seemed to go on forever.
• Nick Luca was out of town, playing with Neko Case and Howe Gelb at a festival in Chicago, which meant that we got to see Paul Niehaus perform standing up.
• Did I hear Congresswoman Giffords call Jim Adkins “Trace Adkins?”
• “The El Burro Song” is by far one of the best songs that Joey Burns has ever written, and Johnny Contrerras’ vocals were perfect.
• Lulu.
• Ruben Moreno, leader of Mariachi Luz de Luna, is the brother-in-law of former State Representative Steve Huffman. Am I the only one who appreciates the irony of this?
• Salvador.
• Hearing Jim Adkins join Calexico for what amounted to an alt.country version of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” It actually worked.
• John Convertino, as usual, sat unpretentiously behind the band, holding his sticks like he was tossing a salad, somehow appearing fully in control of everything that was happening on stage.
• Mariachi Luz de Luna performed “Canción del Mariachi (Mi Morena de Mi Corazon)” twice and nobody raised a stink.
• Joey Burns insisted that Jim Adkins join Calexico and Mariachi Luz de Luna for a song. He seemed nervous, but Joey talked him through it.
• Does Martin Wenk speak Spanish or does he fake it really well?
• “Crystal Frontier”
• Oh yeah, well, Tim Bee’s got Fred Dalton Thompson. Uh, I guess that’s really not the same thing at all, is it?
• Where was Calexico fan Jonathan Paton?

Did he just say that John Convertino was tossing someone's salad on stage? Can't you get arrested for that?


Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.

Something I've been meaning to write for a while: the Official TPMP Calexico drinking game.

Take a drink whenever any of the following happens:

• Joey mentions a previous show in Europe
• Joey kneels near floor and messes with effects pedals
• Joey switches to Airline guitar with far too many knobs on it
• Joey introduces new backing musician that you have never heard of before
• Jacob switches to vibes
• Jacob is on stage, but has nothing to do (playing incidental percussion counts as "something")
• Johnny switches to "trad grip"
• Paul swiches to pedal steel
• Two supporting acts are called up on stage to back up Calexico on one of the supporting act's songs, but the other support act doesn't know how to play it
• There are more than twelve musicians on stage
• There are more than eighteen musicians on stage (two drinks)
• The words "Mariachi Luz de Luna" are mentioned
• Ruben states how important the vihuela is
• Guy next to you says "Hey, these guys are pretty good" as if he is the first person ever to hear them
• Maximum amount of musicians are on stage, and they play "Crystal Frontier" (Show is over, finish your drink)

We here at TPMP will be happy to take further suggestions.

Here are a couple of videos I caught of the band when they played the Rialto on Saturday night. One is a song off of their new album called "Man Made Lake," the other is their cover of Love's "Alone Again Or."



Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.

I was riding the bus from work last week. The bus stop is about half a block south of a place called Scooby's, which I think does either auto body work or installs stereos. Heck, I can't tell.

Anyway, guy pulls up to the stop on his bike. He was wearing one of those big hats that post-hippie types wear to keep the sun out of their faces. He see's a guy up the sidewalk, wearing a Scooby's t-shirt, presumably going to work.

"Hey, Scooby, stop ripping people off. Stop ripping people off, Scooby! South-SIDE. South-SIDE. I stay away from the meth and the crack; I just like a little weed. South-SIDE. South-SIDE."

Yeah, I don't get it either.


Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.

My uncles are headed back from the Reno Air Races, and they report that William "Tiger" DiStefani and his plane Strega has won once again. I saw Strega, a race modified P-51 Mustang, win back in 1995 in the now defunct Phoenix Air Races.

This is expected to be the last of the Reno races for DiStefani, who has announced his retirement a couple of times before. His son is expected to take over racing Strega.


Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.