LA ONDA CHICANA FILM SCREENING

LA ONDA CHICANA (The Chicano Wave)

Wednesday, April 29 @ 7PM

Ripley House Auditorium, 4410 Navigation, Houston 77011
(down the street from the original Ninfa's Restaurant)

Cost: FREE and open to the public

Panel Discussion following the screening featuring Dr. Guadalupe San Miguel, Dr. Estevan Azcona (University of Houston), Rey Rodriguez (Founder of the Houston Conjunto Festival) and filmmaker John J. Valadez"La Onda Chicana" is an hour-long documentary about the history of Mexican American music, directed by award winning filmmaker John J. Valadez. The film is scheduled for a prime-time national broadcast on PBS in the fall of 2009 as part of a new series entitled Latin Music USA. "La Onda Chicana" features: Ritchie Valens, Tierra, Little Joe, Los Lobos, Freddy Fender, Flaco Jimenez, Linda Ronstadt, Selena, Los Tigres del Norte, and with special appearances by El Chicano, Cannibal and the Headhunters, The Premiers, Sam the Sham, Narcisso Martinez and Question Mark and The Mysterians. From the barrios of Texas and California, Mexican Americans would forge new and inventive musical styles: Conjunto, Tejano, Chicano Rock and Norteño, and they would play a profound role in influencing American popular musical styles like Country, Rock and Jazz. They found themselves struggling against bigotry, discrimination and exclusion often downplaying their identity in an effort to reach a national audience. While at other times they simply flaunted it. Their music would help shape the political movements of the 1960s and 1970s. And through their own tenacity, virtuosity and talent they would earn a place on the national stage, forever changing American culture and American music.

This program was made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This screening is co-sponsored by NALIP Houston Chapter (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) and SWAMP (Southwest Alternate Media Project)