On Friday, November 2, 2012, flower offerings, altars, candle lighting and dance were made in high-spirit as hundreds of attendees paid homage to lost relatives at Al Borde’s 8th annual Day of the Dead Music & Art Festival.
Angelique Martinez, 16, from the city of Oxnard, left a handful of candies and toys at the altar she created for her brother Anthony, who died last year after he was hit by a car when riding his bike.
“I wanted to include a lot of vivid pictures of him to show him as the colorful, young and fun person he was,” said Angelique, who worked on the picture-themed altar with the help of her parents.
Held at El Gallo Plaza in East Los Angeles, the celebration featured a musical showcase in which Latin Alternative acts Jermaine Zavala of rock band La Theoria and headliners Santoros, an emerging psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, delighted the crowd with their repertoire of rock favorites.
“For me this performance was very special because it paid tribute to a great friend of mine that was also a great songwriter whom I admired very much,” said Zavala, referring to the acoustic tribute he performed for Mario Lopez Lomar Jr., lead singer of L.A. indie rock band Curanderos who died on June 21, 2012 due to an aneurysm.
For Adolfo Canales Garcia, lead guitarist of Santoros, the event was an avenue in which to celebrate the tradition with an alternative edge. “It’s great that what is a very cultural tradition can also be presented in a modern way with music that is not your traditional Hispanic music but that does represent a new, younger generation of Hispanic Americans.” A live set by local DJ, DJ Cheebo, rounded out the musical performances of the evening.
Aside from music, the more than 800 in attendance also enjoyed free sweet bread, tamales and Mexican hot chocoloate, as well as an art and altar showcase curated by Steven “Chatismo” Amado, one of Southern California’s most respected artists and curators. Art supply gift cards were awarded to the best in each category. Kat Jarvis and Danny Gamboa of ZKO Films won “Best Altar” and local artist Alejandro Nadia won “Best Art”.
At the event, men, women and children from various ethnicities dressed in ghostly makeup representing elegant skeletons. Children enjoyed face painting, guests made purchases of Day of the Dead artifacts from local vendors, and a 21+crowd enjoyed a VIP area sponsored by Jack Daniel’s.
Jamie Villa of East Los Angeles was one of the numerous first-time attendees the event attracts each year. “I enjoyed the music and the art very much,” she said. “I think this was a good example of what Day of the Dead represents because it honors our ancestors and friends that have passed.”
