by Mark Carney
La Moderna Tradición
This year New Year’s Eve will be on a Friday, so it’s sure to be an exciting weekend. What better way to begin 2011 than by dancing to Cuban music? Orquestra La Moderna Tradicion has mastered the genre of danzon, a ballroom style of music originating in Cuba that combines Afro-Cuban rhythms with the sonorous harmonies of violins and flutes. Besides danzon, the group also plays other genres of Cuban music, including sones, songos, chacha- cha and timba. Tickets range from $25 to $28, depending on how long you procrastinate before buying one, and Café Valparaiso will be preparing a special menu for the event. La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA. For info call (510) 849-2568 or visit www.lepena.org.
Los Ramblers on NYE
If you want to see Los Ramblers on NYE, at St.Finn Barr Church Hall, you must act quickly. Tickets are available, at $55, for the show, which includes dinner and also a DJ. But, they must be purchased in advance; call (415) 826-6700, to make a reservation. St.Finn Barr Church Hall, 415 Edna St., SF, CA.
Machete DVD set for release
The revenge-drama, Machete, will be released on Jan.4, 2011, on Blu-ray and DVD. The film, directed by Robert Rodriguez, who also directed Sin City and Grindhouse,stars Danny Trejo, Robert DeNiro, and Jessica Alba. In the film, Machete, played by Trejo, is left for dead, but alas! he is not; soon, all feel his wrath: assassins, paramilitary squadrons and a drug cartel. The Blu-ray disc contains many scenes of violence and nudity edited from the movie. It will cost $39.99, and the DVD $29.98.
Art Exhibition in the Mission
Southern Exposure, a nonprofit visual arts organization founded in 1974 and located in the Mission district, will be exhibiting the works of three artists in Jan. 2011. Universal Remote, an exhibition created by Jaime Cortez, is a meditation on the life and death of pop musician Michael Jackson; Both are True, by Ginger Wolf-Suárez, deconstructs experience into its sensory particles; Every Stone Unturned, by Kenneth Lo, is a self-examination, by the artist, of his life’s purpose. The exhibitions run from Jan.7 to Feb. 11, with a reception to introduce the artists and their exhibitions on Jan. 7.
In addition, two of these artists, Cortez and Wolfe-Suárez, will present public programs. On Jan. 29, Cortez will curate a performance of Truth Be Told, which, like his exhibition, will explore the meaning of Michael Jackson’s death. Singer Cedric Brown, and authors Tisa Bryant, Joel Tan and Ignacio Valero will also be on hand to eulogize the self-proclaimed King of Pop. On Feb. 10, Wolfe-Suarez will lead a discussion, entitled Uncertainty of the Expanded Field, which will be, in fi ne, a lecture on the history of West Coast sculpture, followed by a panel discussion. Southern Exposure, 3030 20th St., SF, CA. (415) 863-2141 or www.soex.org.
