Interviewer: Carla Castro Interviewee
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Interviewer: Carla Castro Interviewee: Jesus Jaime-Diaz April 9, 2013 C: To start off with, what music were you attracted to as a teen? J: As a teenager, teenager or kid? Can I go kid and teenager, or can I jump back and forth? C: Yeah, you can do kid and teenager, you can do both. J: Something I was really attracted to as a kid was, I remember this show, it was called Siempre Domingo, in English it was Always on Sunday and my mom would always watch it, and my earliest memories of that is that she would always, when a good song would start she would dance with me so I'd be there dancing with her on Sundays as my younger brothers and sisters were watching, always be laughing you know. It was something that had a strong significant meaning to me, emotionally, spiritually, and linguistically because through music I was able to preserve my Spanish; but in a sense the kind of music I listened to was mainly Nortena, northern music, accordion, saxophone, usually attributed to Northern Mexico, the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, Sinaloa. But us being from Nayarit the west coast of Mexico, Nayarit, and Durango, well Durango's not west coast but its close enough, it's a region, Banda, so the trumpet, the trombone, I love that music. I think in life I had such a difficult upbringing, music was a way to escape, a way to heal, a way to dance, a way to dress, a way to talk. So yeah I love mUSlC. C: Okay and what about as a teen? J: As a teenager, definitely, my teenage years more specifically would be probably Banda. During that era was the era of La [ ], the nineties, that was the music I was really drawn to during that particular time. C: Is there a specific reason you were drawn to that type of music? J: Everyone was dancing it in the community, and I mean Banda, Banda on the west coast was very symbolic to our region of Mexico, so we loved it. I loved dancing, I loved hopping around, I just loved it. C: Okay so you think how you grew up influenced what you listened to? J: Of course, that's pervasive I think, where people settle so ... migrant paths, so where I was from in north eastern Oregon a lot of people from Durango, Zacatecas and they brought that with them. So that's what the radio catered to I think, that particular region, so that's how we came to have an understanding of that music. C: And do you think that where you grew up influenced the music that you listen to now? J: Yeah, yeah it does, it stays with you. It becomes part of your identity. Que no? C: Okay, and what makes that specific music important to you? J: What makes that music important to me? So specifically? It reminds me of my uncles, my aunts, family get togethers, the community corning together, unity; that's what it does. C: So you do think it represents your identity? J: think it does, I'm sure it does. C: Can you go a little more in depth about that? J: More in depth about why it represents my identity ... What's my identity right? So my identity being a Mexicano and highly connecting to my roots right? Where my parents come from Durango, Mexico; I'll be redundant on that. When I would go as a kid, that's what we would hear when we would go over there, you know? So it becomes part of your memory bank, and your spirituality and that's who you are; you come to understand that's who you are. I mean we're fluid on who we are, we can take on whatever identity we wan right? No one says you have to have a monolithic identity, pero that was what gave me happiness. As we say in Mexico "me llegado corazon," it would make my heart happy. C: Do you think that since you have moved and since you've grown older, how has your music preference changed? In what ways? Have they stayed the same? J: No it's changed, it's evolved but it's still rooted in that. I still really like that music. Even though sadly it falls under hegemony because the music that the radio perpetuates now is to control our communities you know, through drugs, through the narco corrido but even through that music you still find the voices of people the voices of the dispossessed, the oppressed, he marginalized, the impoverished right? So I can still connect to that music but I've been drawn to different types of music, Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Tejanotrejana. I don't know I'm open to a lot, Country ... I even do country swing, I've done country too! So what happens with particular music is when you're in the community if you're segregated and isolated, you hold onto each other, you listen to common music that you feel is a representation of who you are right? I remember growing up we couldn't kick it with Tejanastrejanos, they didn't like us, we were mojados, really derogatory towards us. Fuck you then, I don't like that kind of music, whatever. Hicks, cowboys, whatever, they were mean to us too; fuck you too. I mean always those lines right, those contrasting lines; but now it's like I've broke out of those shackles right and seen something different. I'm open to different things, and actually I see the commonalities in music and how we connect to music. I see how Banda is also connected to Tejano, some of the instruments, commonality. You know a lot of that stuff Germans brought it; you know Nortena music, the accordion. Wow, it just makes my heart happy. C: Okay and earlier you said that your mom influenced you a lot as a kid, in your music, and what you listened to. Do you think that when you became a teenager you tried to veer away from your parents' music and what they listened to? Tried to be your own person? J: I'd say I tried Hip-Hop, now I'm going to be biased as hell, I mean real biased. I tried being a hip-hopster during my time, Chicano rap, Kid Frost, Mellow Man, different kinds of rappers during that era in the nineties, pero it didn't give me that sense of happiness, you know what I was saying, happiness in your heart. I know it sounds cheesy right Carla? But it really is true, it gives you this happiness, this enlightenment. I did in a sense, but not for too long; I think ih through like whatever time I went to high school, 9th or lOth grade and then I was like this doesn' t do it for me. C: So just after a little while you ventured back to what your parents listened to? J: Yeah, I used to call myself a cholo vaquero. So I was like a straight thug but I wore my boots and my hat, you know I had that fluid identity kind of; so, a cholo vaquero. C: So you never thought the music your parents li stened to was too Mexican? J: Nuh uh, I loved it. C: You weren't scared to identify with it, that people would judge you? J: You know there's a memory I have of that and even to this day I struggle with it. I'm the kind of Chicano/Mexican, I would like be bumping my music really loud. Cause like when we went to Mexico, like in la colonias and el ranchitos people would always bump their music real loud so ... you know, you're happy, it gives you ... me llegado Corazon. I realized that when I stop at a light and I have my music up, I turn it down right; subconsciously I turn it down, like they might not like it right; but even so I've always loved that music. I've always loved it and I've never really wanted to move away from it really. C: Okay so just to clarify this, you weren't scared to listen to a certain type of music? That people would judge you or your peers would judge you? J: No. They made fun of me, they didn't like it. They called me Chuntaro music; they were bigots, mojo music. I was like I don't know, whatever I like it. C: What type of music from Oregon ... I don't know what's a big city there? J: Portland, Salem. In regards to the Mexican community or in general? C: Well I guess, you know how like in L. A. there was Whittier Boulevard, and the type of music there? Was there anything of the type in Oregon? J: Yeah, you know a lot of the work, agricultural work ... cherries, apples; you know that type of work. A lot of people from California would come up to Oregon, we're right above Califas; and a lot of people would bring that stuff with them. The hip-hop, W hittier Blvd, Low Rider, the oldies; that's another type of music that really influenced my cholo identity as a teenager, oldies. "Angel baby," "tell it like it is". C: So how far is it from California to Oregon? J: Where I'm from, it' s about a twelve-hour drive to the Califas border.