Bringing the Andes to Brooklyn: Chicha Libre’s Olivier Conan

Mother Jones

Photo by Sevil Mahfoozi

Imagine hiking in the Peruvian Andes and finding a group of chicha musicians: migrants playing a fusion of Cuban son, Andean melodies and psychedelic surfer rock, blended like the Inca corn whiskey the music is named after. These days, though, you might be more likely to encounter chicha—whose popularity peaked in Peru during the late-’70s/early ’80s—here in the United States.

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Acting Locally, Riffing Globally

Not many New Orleans buskers who’ve been working the streets as long as Grandpa Elliott has (60 years) will ever perform for a crowd of 15,000—in Morocco no less. But film producer Mark Johnson and his Playing For Change Foundation has been making such unlikely events happen. For the past decade, Johnson has been globetrotting with recording equipment and a vision: to bring far-flung musicians together, sometimes through technology, sometimes face-to-face. Out last week, his second CD/DVD release, entitled Playing for Change: Songs Around the World Part 2 (PFC2), is part of his ongoing quest to re-create world music, as Johnson told Mother Jones in a 2009 interview.

PFC2, like it’s 2010 predecessor, features 150 musicians from 25 countries collaborating on a variety of classics like Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” Johnson records and films the musicians playing outdoors on their home turf—a washpan player on a New Orleans’ sidewalk, a drum circle of Zuni Indians. But each records his tracks to complement ones already recorded by fellow musicians hundreds or thousands of miles away.

This setup allows the musicians “to play where they’re most natural, where there’s no separation between them and the people” who are walking by, Johnson says. “It’s a great way to connect.” And connection is the point here. With this second collection of songs,Johnson’s aim was linking cultures that developed along slave-trade routes—tracing a musical heritage from West Africa to Cuba and New Orleans, and then working down through Latin America. The songs were chosen based on what he felt would translate best along that route…

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New Bus Signs Rebut “You Can Be Good Without God”

WFIU/NPR

BLOOMINGTON, IN. Some months ago, a lawsuit was filed against Bloomington Transit on behalf of the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign, which was being denied the right to run an ad bearing the phrase “You can be good without God” on city buses.  Bloomington Transit eventually allowed the ad, but a rebuttal sign of sorts has begun showing up in recent weeks.  WFIU’s Emily Loftis has more.

The new message reads, “You can be good without God, but you can’t be saved without Jesus”.  The message is the brainchild of Bloomington’s Kevin Briscoe, and it mimics the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign’s statement.

Briscoe says that the message was divinely inspired.  “God led me to respond,” he said.

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The Cost of Graffiti: Part II of II

WFIU/NPR

Photo by Emily Loftis

BLOOMINGTON, IN. In conclusion to a two-part series on graffiti, WFIU’s Emily Loftis talks with business owners about the debate and the work of a city employee who cleans spray-paint:

The cost of wiping out graffiti is becoming more expensive for Bloomington city officials and for local proprietors.

Graffiti writers look at a piece and notice color schemes, form, background—and maybe even meaning.  But those who have to clean it up see resources spent as a result of someone else’s mischief…

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Part I: Bloomington Graffiti Writers Claim Misunderstanding

WFIU/NPR

A downtown hairstylist commissioned pieces for his building. Photo by Emily Loftis

BLOOMINGTON, IN. Despite Bloomington’s status as an art-focused community, graffiti writers say their sub-culture is misunderstood and branded a nuisance, rather than art. In the first of a two-part series, WFIU’s Emily Loftis sought out graffiti writers to talk about their work.

As city business owners step up action against what they consider vandalism, graffiti writers see themselves as members of a long-standing tradition, complete with an oral history, rules, philosophy and social meaning.

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Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign Part II: ACLU Files Censorship Suit

WFIU/NPR

BLOOMINGTON, IN. A legal debate over Bloomington Transit’s policy banning the posting of any “controversial” statements on buses has begun after the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign, or INABC, requested an ad with the statement “You Can Be Good Without God”.  As Emily Loftis reports in the second part of WFIU’s series on the debate, The American Civil Liberties Union has since filed a lawsuit against the transit company on behalf of the INABC, arguing the policy illegally allows censorship.

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Refusal of Atheist Bus Campaign Ad Sparks Community Debate

WFIU/NPR

BLOOMINGTON, IN. A ban on possibly controversial atheist advertisement by Bloomington Transit has caused a discussion within the city’s religious community.

In February, The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign, or INABC, was refused an advertising spot by the Bloomington Transit Company, when it asked to pay for signs reading “You Can Be Good Without God” to appear on buses.  The bus company denied the proposal, citing a ban on posting controversial comments.  The INABC and the American Civil Liberties Union have since sued, arguing the vague policy allows for discrimination.  The debate has sparked a dialogue among religious leaders in the community…

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