Manu Chao: Live in Rivas, Madrid

With each "Hasta siempre Rivas!!" (Rivas being the town in the suburbs of Madrid where he played), Manu Chao and his merry band left the stage followed by the shouts and howls of the thousands in attendance. Four times they returned, stretching out a concert that I thought would be a little over an hour into a three hour marathon of amazing music: the funky sounds of when cultures intertwine, borders drop, and people come together. When we finally left the show, in the midst of a surprising May cold snap that had us shivering in the Spanish night, we were exhausted: legs cramping, vocal cords shattered, shoulders hurting from holding off the hordes. But even now I can still hear Manu shouting "Oy yo yo yoooo!", imploring us to keep up with his fierce energy.

Manu for me was a top two show I had to see, right up there with the indomitable Outkast. Manu's music was a big reason for me wanting to learn Spanish and, in some ways, for moving to Spain. Although he still hasn't made quite the same name for himself in the US, Manu's kaleidoscopic mix of different sounds have made him a legend in Latin American and many European countries.

After enjoying a few beers at the feria of Rivas before the show with my girlfriend and great buddy Tobes, we joined the masses to walk the quick jaunt to the gigantic auditorium of Rivas, a Spanish white elephant if there ever was one. What happened the next three hours is still a blur: a beautiful mix of different styles, influences, political messages, waved Western Saharan flags, and Manu. Songs took on lives of their own; the most obscure song would suddenly turn into a mammoth rallying call for the crowd to mosh with a passion. The only breaks Manu, his sound effect guy (another living legend), drummer, and guitar player took were the encore breaks, slight eyes of the storms of music and dancing. Jumping around from his monumental solo catalog and his work with Mano Negra, there is no song that I wish he had played but at the same time no song sounded exactly as I had heard it the hundreds of times before. The songs, rather, become notes in a amazing symphony that Manu was playing: each had its time to shine yet never became more important than the composition as a whole. The three hour symphony made us sing, dance, think, yell, and was a true musical experience-the closest thing this atheist will get to going to church-there with a couple thousand other music lovers, jamming at the alter of Manu.

For a taste of the show, check out Manu's live album from 2009, Baionarena! 

Noir Desir and Manu Chao-Le Vent Nous Portera

It's a team effort this time around and Griffdawg begins a regular feature bringing in some of the funkiest cuts that he's picked up during his travels. 

One of the things I love doing most when I meet people is talking to them about music. I even judge people based on what music they enjoy. However, I have discovered that musical preference is not the best identifier of personal character and that many people who like Lady Gaga are actually good people. However, when they tell me that they enjoy listening to her or to Pitbull I can’t help but feel like a need to vomit…on them.

I live right by the French and Spanish border in the Basque Country. Consequently, I am exposed to many things that are French. Lots of which are cool, like the cheese and music. Some things are less cool, like old ladies who go out in matching pink outfits with little rat dogs clothed in sweaters.

One cool French dude named Pedro (I think his name is Piere but we were in Spain …) told me to listen to the band Noir Desir. I decided to take his advice despite the fact that he was riding a unicycle. The band played French punk music from the 1980s-2010 and "Le Vent Nous Portera" (The Wind Will Carry Us) is an uncommonly mellow tune from Noir Desir and was a European hit. This jamandahalf features Manu Chao on guitar and a radical saxophone. Enjoy.

Jamandahalf Presents: Musical Pilgrimage #1

There are a few real musical pilgrimages out there. Walking across Abbey Road in London. Visiting Graceland in Memphis. The Grateful Dead house in The Haight, SF. Woodstock. These are places that will always have a deep emotional connection to us fans, as they are places where fans like all of us can feel closer to the artists that we love.

One of my all-time favorite albums is Manu Chao's Proxima Estacion: Esperanza. Released in 2000, Manu's second album is top-to-bottom jam heavy, featuring classics like "Me Gustas Tu," "Merry Blues," and "Mr. Bobby." Moodawg introduced me to Manu when I came back from my semester abroad, and in some ways, his music became the soundtrack for my last year and a half at college. Like every Manu album, Proxima Estacion is best listened to straight through, and repeats various themes, noises, and sounds throughout its seventeen tracks. Overall, its an amazing album, with a mix of influences and rhythms that showcase Manu's eclectic music.

One recurring sound in Proxima Estacion is an ubiquitous beep, followed by a man saying "proxima estacion" and a woman following up with "esperanza." Familiar to anyone who has been in the Madrid Metro, the duo announce every upcoming metro stop, and Manu Chao takes this sample of the two announcing a real metro stop and mixes it into the album, playing off of the fact that it translates directly to "Next Stop: Hope."

With my girlfriend, I made the long trek today to the "Esperanza" stop in Madrid's suburbs. After waiting for 14 stops to get there, we finally heard the sound that had been played so many times in my headphones and speakers. It was a real treat, and although for most people on that metro, the stop was just one less before they made it home, for me, it was a real musical pilgrimage.

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Manu Chao-Desaparecido & Rumba De Barcelona

First off want to thank everyone for being such loyal readers this year...This blog is just a little way for Moose and I to talk about the music we love and have a little fun, and we appreciate all the love that we've gotten...Merry Xmas to all


For long time readers of this blog (all of the past couple months hehe), this next artist will be very familiar. Manu Chao comes back around one mo gin, bringing you the funky sound of when cultures intertwine, borders drop, and people come together; I mean, we all like to get a little groovy every now and then, right? And how can you not get groovy to a band that has a dedicated sound effect man? (brrrrrrrrrr, whoooo, weeeee, ayyyyyy, shhhshhhshhh, heyyyy, siiii)

For this jamandahalf, I'm taking a little something off of Manu's newest live album, Bainoarena. Recorded in France at the very tail end of his epic 2008 world tour, Manu and his crew provide nothing but pure energy over the course of the two and a half hour concert. With tens of thousands of young French singing along with each word, and making sure that Manu never stops, the songs sizzle with soul and beat with an infectious pounding. Two of his livliest songs, Desaparecido and Rumba de Barceona, are that much better live. It definitely helps that this guitarrist absolutely shreds, beating out Jimi and the kid on the uke to take the annual "realest shredder this side of teenage mutant ninja turtles" award on jamandahalf.com. congrats chief.  Over 33 of his best songs from his varied past, Manu shows us why he really is one of the world's greatest musicians. Enjoy

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Manu Chao-Clandestino

They say that we are a product of our upbringing...that who we are today is based on both our nature and our nurture. The experiences we have all had make us unique, and this reflects on every part of our personality and our character. Manu Chao's upbringing reflects a new Europe, one that has changed remarkably in recent decades. Born in Paris to a Galician father and a Basque mother, Manu's music is a fusion of the many cultures and people that have radically altered European cities. Singing in a mixture of Spanish, French, Portuguese, English, Arabic, among others, Manu truly is a child of the new Europe.

One can immediately pick up various influences from Manu's music. An African drum here, a caribbean horn there. Melding together the music of the streets of different cultures, Manu's music is unique and alive. "Clandestino," the first song of his first solo album, Clandestino, is a story about immigrants coming to Spain. Clandestino, translating to underground, refers to immigrants in Spain who are there without papers, those living each day illegally, not sure when they will be caught and sent home. In the song, Manu talks about the Africans who try each day to boat across the Mediterranean, from the Spanish "colony" of Ceuta in Northern Africa through the straits of Gibralter. If they do make it, they become "ghosts in the city," wandering the streets with no identity.

This is a jam and a half because it is classic Manu. Over a simple guitar riff and maracas, its almost as if we hear Manu singing on the side of a street, lamenting over the hardships in his life. Manu takes a strong poke at governments, when saying that his life is prohibited, says the authorities. A perfect introduction to the rest of his brilliant album, musically the song is what a new Europe could be, a cohesive harmony of differing sounds and influences. Manu's family left Spain to escape Franco, but his songs reflect a new Spain, a proud and unique mixture of backgrounds and people.

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