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<v Speaker 1>We know. La Bamba is a song that's over four

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<v Speaker 1>hundred years old. That song survived because people sang that song.

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<v Speaker 1>They didn't know how to read. They know how to write,

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<v Speaker 1>but they just passed it on. How are people going

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<v Speaker 1>to know our story at Chicano's mestizos, brown kids, mixed kids.

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<v Speaker 1>If we don't tell our story, how are we going

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<v Speaker 1>to survive for four hundred years? In every art form,

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<v Speaker 1>there's people who hold on to what they believe is tradition,

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<v Speaker 1>and then there's people who are trying to evolve with it.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't let a conversation or those ideas of what tradition

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<v Speaker 1>is keep you from telling who you are.

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<v Speaker 2>From Futuro Media, It's Latino Usa.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm Maria Nojosa today one of our How I Made

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<v Speaker 3>It segments with East La band Las Caffidiras. Los Caffidira's

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<v Speaker 3>made a name for themselves with their politically charged lyrics

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<v Speaker 3>set to traditional Mexicans and Afro Mexican instrumentation.

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<v Speaker 2>The group from East La fused a bass.

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<v Speaker 3>Of sonarrocho with rock, ska, spoken word, and hip hop,

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<v Speaker 3>telling the stories they grew up with and the realities

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<v Speaker 3>they still see every day in their communities and.

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<v Speaker 1>Nineteen Black and Brown fighting together.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm always singing in English, Spanish and in Spanish. Their

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<v Speaker 3>message has reached the ears of listeners all over the world,

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<v Speaker 3>from the stages of the Hollywood Bowl all the way

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<v Speaker 3>to New Zealand. On today's edition of our How I

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<v Speaker 3>Made It Series, we check in with three members of

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<v Speaker 3>the group, LEAs Cafetiras, Denise Carlos, Ector Flores and Danielle French.

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<v Speaker 3>They tell us about their beginnings, how they preserve telling

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<v Speaker 3>brown stories, and they're going to break down one of

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<v Speaker 3>their latest songs. I'm not your puppet.

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<v Speaker 4>I'm Daniel French. I play harana keys, I sing, and

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<v Speaker 4>I spit and whatever else the band tells me to do.

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<v Speaker 1>My name is Ecto Floris. I play harana terreceta, I

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<v Speaker 1>dance a patiado and I sing with a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>of spoken word and rap rap rat Hi.

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<v Speaker 5>I'm Denise Carlos and I play the harana primera.

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<v Speaker 2>I sing and I dance a patiano.

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<v Speaker 5>We are las Coetera.

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<v Speaker 1>I always tell people who don't know confidettas. I always say,

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<v Speaker 1>if Leela.

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<v Speaker 2>Downs and go go.

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<v Speaker 1>Bordello had a baby in East La that would be

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<v Speaker 1>last confadettas.

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<v Speaker 4>It's La music. It's all the things that reflect the

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<v Speaker 4>way we grew up.

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<v Speaker 1>What we're doing is carrying immigrant stories, Chicano stories, Brown stories,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's what we want to keep on doing.

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<v Speaker 5>We offer a reimagination of what it means to luck Mexican,

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<v Speaker 5>to sound Mexican, to speak Mexican, because even in Las Cafeterras,

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<v Speaker 5>the experience varies, the language style varies, the self imposed

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<v Speaker 5>identity varies.

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<v Speaker 4>In a way, I think it reflects the pressure cooker

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<v Speaker 4>of life in La and so of course the music

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<v Speaker 4>we create is influenced by how we grew up, the

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<v Speaker 4>sounds we heard, the foods we ate at other people's houses.

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<v Speaker 5>You see us, and we don't look like Mexicans. We

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<v Speaker 5>don't look like Spili Gonzalez, right. We speak English, we

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<v Speaker 5>speak Spanglish, we speak Spanish. We dance, you know, Narteno style,

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<v Speaker 5>We do staff atiallo, but then we also do ska

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<v Speaker 5>and cumbia and you know rock. And I think what

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<v Speaker 5>we offer is a discomfort and a reimagination of what

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<v Speaker 5>it means to be American, to look American, what that

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<v Speaker 5>sound is, what that story is.

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<v Speaker 1>Pass comes from the East side cafe. It's the space

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<v Speaker 1>that Denise and Jose Gano, the drummer and percussionists in

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<v Speaker 1>our band. They were part of a bunch of students

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<v Speaker 1>who helped found the space, and so when we were

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<v Speaker 1>starting to play music there, we would go play everywhere

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<v Speaker 1>coffee shops, on the streets and the corners or wherever,

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<v Speaker 1>and people would say, oh, here the caffeteros from the cafe.

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<v Speaker 1>But we had women and the crew, and they're like,

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<v Speaker 1>we're not calfedeos, we're caffedettas. And we're like, yeah, even

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<v Speaker 1>though we have men in the group, let's take on

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<v Speaker 1>the feminine identity because we all come from a woman,

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<v Speaker 1>so it's a great way to honor that we all

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<v Speaker 1>have feminine inside of us. We fell in love with

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<v Speaker 1>the style of music called so which is in Afro

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<v Speaker 1>Mexican style of music.

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<v Speaker 4>So it comes from this mix of West Africa, the

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<v Speaker 4>Mecca and the indigenous peoples of southern Vera Cruz and

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<v Speaker 4>the Sotavento region, and you have the Spanish and Arab influences.

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<v Speaker 4>About telling stories, it's about call and response. I tell

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<v Speaker 4>a verse and you sing it back to me. So

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<v Speaker 4>we make sure we're listening to each other. We talk

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<v Speaker 4>about the real things going on in our life. And

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<v Speaker 4>I think that's where Las Cafetra's story takes flight, because

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<v Speaker 4>then we say, Okay, they're telling their stories. But we

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<v Speaker 4>didn't grow up in Vera Cruz. We grew up here

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<v Speaker 4>in La So what happens when we tell our story?

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<v Speaker 4>What happens when we let the music reflect our experience

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<v Speaker 4>and where we live.

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<v Speaker 5>As a Chicana was being told that the way I

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<v Speaker 5>placed on Harocho wasn't correct and it was disrespectful because

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<v Speaker 5>I spoke Spanglish because I didn't understand everything I was

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<v Speaker 5>singing about.

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<v Speaker 1>We used to dress up like harochos. We used to

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<v Speaker 1>dress up in our why weather sombreros, but we stopped

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<v Speaker 1>doing that because we're not had o chos. We're not

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<v Speaker 1>from Betakruz. We don't say we placed on Harocho music.

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<v Speaker 1>We are grounded in Harorocho, which taught us your story

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<v Speaker 1>is important and vital. Taught us that we are valid

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<v Speaker 1>right and for that we are forever grateful, But we

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<v Speaker 1>are not had Chos.

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<v Speaker 5>In Las Cafeterra, and through son Hacho, I was given

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<v Speaker 5>this platform and this vehicle to no longer be ashamed

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<v Speaker 5>to be able, to be proud, and to be able

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<v Speaker 5>to make connections with people all over the world.

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<v Speaker 4>The more we create that space in our band where

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<v Speaker 4>everyone can expect themselves and be who they are, the

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<v Speaker 4>more I feel like we've created this space outside on

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<v Speaker 4>stage for the listeners to say, hey, no matter where

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<v Speaker 4>you're from, homie, like, get up and dance. There ain't

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<v Speaker 4>no wrong way, you know. And I think because we've

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<v Speaker 4>been told that we were doing it the wrong way,

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<v Speaker 4>we learned to shed our concern for what people thought

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<v Speaker 4>and to acknowledge that we respectfully are going to go

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<v Speaker 4>our own path and let our paths reflect who we are.

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<v Speaker 5>That's such a powerful thing for young people of color

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<v Speaker 5>to be able to do, and to do it in

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<v Speaker 5>a way that we're not apologizing for do it in

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<v Speaker 5>a way we're not ashamed, but being proud of our

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<v Speaker 5>own existence and our own stories and focus almost.

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<v Speaker 2>Focus.

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<v Speaker 1>We recorded a song called I'm Not Your Puppet, which

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<v Speaker 1>is based on a song called I'm Your Puppet, which

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<v Speaker 1>we love, but we just added one word not I don't.

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<v Speaker 1>When I think about oldies and now there are tragic

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<v Speaker 1>love songs, but a lot of the stuff is about,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, really unhealthy relationships. So we were strategic and

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<v Speaker 1>trying to pick songs that we loved and that could

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<v Speaker 1>be flipped a little bit.

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<v Speaker 4>I'm just a too. Just the oldies are something. I

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<v Speaker 4>guarantee you that no matter whether you're black, white, brown, Asian,

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<v Speaker 4>wherever you're from, if you've been in America that long,

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<v Speaker 4>like you have that story, you have that connection to

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<v Speaker 4>this song.

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<v Speaker 2>Dude, just what I'm told.

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<v Speaker 4>I do anything for you, but I'm not your.

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<v Speaker 1>Part of the things that we do in Blast Calfeeta

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<v Speaker 1>is we always like to perform spoken word, we like

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<v Speaker 1>to do perform hip hop pieces.

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<v Speaker 2>Anything you know, everything you need.

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<v Speaker 1>I knew all that this is yo, get down on

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<v Speaker 1>one knee.

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<v Speaker 6>It could be a.

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<v Speaker 1>Kermit decided to try little piece just to include something different.

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<v Speaker 1>Will be Sillyn't be your soul man and listen to

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<v Speaker 1>ro Man show you how to slow this.

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<v Speaker 4>I think it kind of expresses this connection between Detroit

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<v Speaker 4>and the folks who created that music, and Los Angeles

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<v Speaker 4>and Mexico, and it kind of unites this continent and

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<v Speaker 4>unites our stories and reminds us it's just a thin

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<v Speaker 4>line between our cultures.

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<v Speaker 5>I think saying I'm not your puppet. I can love you,

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<v Speaker 5>I can scherish you, and I also expect the same back.

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<v Speaker 5>It's just hoping that people listen to this song and

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<v Speaker 5>say you can love fiercely, but remember to love yourself

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<v Speaker 5>fiercely and never to just be held by anybody's strings.

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<v Speaker 4>No matter what happens. We got to remember to do

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<v Speaker 4>the things that give us joy. And we can critique

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<v Speaker 4>the people in power. We can critique each other and ourselves,

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<v Speaker 4>talk about what matters and do it in a way

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<v Speaker 4>that still gives us energy and life and motivates us

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<v Speaker 4>to not just say what's wrong, but to go make

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<v Speaker 4>things right. We can't just preach to the choir. And

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<v Speaker 4>also we can take a message that we never thought

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<v Speaker 4>would resonate with somebody who has a different color of skin,

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<v Speaker 4>different upbringing. We say, you should love who you are,

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<v Speaker 4>you should love the person next to you, and we

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<v Speaker 4>get the party cracking, and then we slip in these

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<v Speaker 4>little messages we hit them with. You know, if I

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<v Speaker 4>was president.

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<v Speaker 6>If I was president sleeves as a phrase the congregations,

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<v Speaker 6>the first thing I do is.

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<v Speaker 2>Re education, And every third period.

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<v Speaker 4>We talk about the things that are going on and

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<v Speaker 4>in our country and our world, and we see that

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<v Speaker 4>those words bounce back at us.

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<v Speaker 6>Black and brown strikes and when they get out so

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<v Speaker 6>they can rite to their future, back to their past.

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<v Speaker 5>And some spaces appreciate that more than other spaces. We've

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<v Speaker 5>been told to stop playing and stopping political and people

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<v Speaker 5>have walked out of our shows. Making people uncomfortable is

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<v Speaker 5>not the goal. Making people reflect on why they're uncomfortable

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<v Speaker 5>is what's valuable.

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<v Speaker 1>Conflict is a natural thing, you know, how we deal

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<v Speaker 1>with conflict becomes the unnatural thing.

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<v Speaker 5>Growth is always going to be uncomfortable, and so what

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<v Speaker 5>I'm hoping for with our music is not that we

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<v Speaker 5>make people angry or that people walk out of our shows,

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<v Speaker 5>is that we're able to end the discomfort growth.

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<v Speaker 3>The voices of Denise Carlos, Ector Flories, and Danielle French

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<v Speaker 3>from the East La Band Las Cafeterres. This episode was

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<v Speaker 3>produced by Gini Montalbo and edited by Miel Massias. The

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<v Speaker 3>Latino USA team includes Luis Trees, Andrea Lopez Cruzzano, Julieta Martinelli,

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<v Speaker 3>Alises Carse and Alejandra Salasad, with help from Raulbes our

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<v Speaker 3>engineers are Stephanie Lebau, Julia Caruso, Liah Shaw without from

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<v Speaker 3>Elishava Itto. Our director of Programming in Operations is Natalia Fiedelholz.

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<v Speaker 3>Our digital editor is Louise Luna. Our New York Women's

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<v Speaker 3>Foundation Ignite fellow is Julia Rocha. Our interns are Himera Vilcero,

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<v Speaker 3>Emil Sequiros and Gabriel La Bayez. Our theme music was

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<v Speaker 3>composed by Sea Rubinos. If you like the music you

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<v Speaker 3>heard on this episode, stop by Latino Usa dot org

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<v Speaker 3>and check out our weekly Spotify playlist. I'm your host

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<v Speaker 3>and executive producer Marieojosa. Join us again on our next episode,

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<v Speaker 3>and in the meantime, look for us on all of

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<v Speaker 3>your social media.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi los BeO. That's the Laproxima Choo.

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<v Speaker 7>Latino USA is made possible in part by California Endowment,

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<v Speaker 7>building a strong state by improving the health of all Californians.

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<v Speaker 7>The wind Coat Foundation and funding for Latino USA is

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<v Speaker 7>Coverage of a culture of health is made possible in

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<v Speaker 7>part by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm Marieojosa next time on Latino USA. Two pivotal but

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<v Speaker 3>different states in the twenty twenty presidential election. We zero

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<v Speaker 3>in on Arizona, Florida and Latinos and Latina voters. That's

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<v Speaker 3>next time on Latino USA.