Editor’s note: Alma Ochoa is a Purépecha musician based out of the Eastern Coachella Valley. The Purépecha are a group of indigenous people originally from the state of Michoacan in Mexico. Their presence in the Eastern Coachella Valley dates back to around the 1970s, when few Purépecha spoke Spanish. Over the years the community struggled with both linguistic and cultural isolation. Ochoa, who sings in her native language, is one of only a few female Purépecha singers. She recently performed at The Hue Festival in Mecca, Calif. Coachella Uninc. program associate and reporter, Paulina Rojas sat down with Ochoa to find out how she helps preserve Purépecha culture.

Q: How long have you been producing Purépecha music? 

A: About three or four years ago, I got inspired to start recording my own music. About two years ago, I recorded my first music video and a few months ago I released it on YouTube.

Q: What was the initial feedback like?

A: I wasn’t expecting so many people to like it. I was surprised, but I am happy that so many people are enjoying it.

Q: What inspired you sing in Purépecha instead of Spanish or English?

A: Most of the people that sing pirekuas (traditional music from Michoacan) are men and I wanted to change that … so that women might feel encouraged to make this music as well. With my music I hope to inspire young women to start doing the same. I also want preserve my culture in some way. Little by little we are losing parts of it due to the fact that it is being mixed with Spanish. I want to keep our culture alive so future generations can have the knowledge of what Purépecha culture is.

Q: Did you have to learn Purépecha or have you always spoken it?

A: I was born in Michoacan and Purépecha was my first language. Then my family and I moved to the United States when I was nine years old. After moving here I learned Spanish and a few years later I learned English.

Q: What are some of the obstacles you face as a Purépecha woman making music?

A: Well unfortunately there is a lot of racism against indigenous people. We experience it here (in the Eastern Coachella Valley) as well. I have heard many stories of young Purépechas being bullied in school because of the color of their skin. Even when you see main characters in novelas (soap operas) the main characters are always light skinned while the the roles of maids, gardeners and nannies are always played by darker skinned people. With my music I hope to help darker-skinned people take pride in who they are.

About the Author:

Paulina Rojas is a native New Yorker, Paulina has spent the past two years reporting on the Eastern Coachella Valley. She joined Coachella Unincorporated in 2016.  While it is different from the concrete jungle of Manhattan, she feels right at home in Coachella. In 2014 Paulinagraduated with a journalism degree from The University of Houston and is a member of The National Association of Hispanic Journalists. View her author page here.

CHRISTIAN MENDEZ and AMBER AMAYA / Coachella Unincorporated

COACHELLA — For fifteen years, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has brought hundreds of musicians and artists to Indio, growing from a one-day event to a multi-weekend production.

But even before Coachella fest set up its tents, just a few miles east, there were already quality shows going on year round, where the bands didn’t need massive stages or expensive lighting and sound equipment to entertain their loyal fans.

In the east valley, bands tour the house show circuit. And crowds of young people pack into small living rooms, hot garages and open backyards to hear their favorite local bands play.

This is a music scene where the cover charge is never more than five dollars, and the fans show just as much support for the openers and they do for the closers.

Los Mumblers, a three-piece band, is largely considered one of the veteran acts in the east valley music scene. In 2003, Jorge Gomez, 25, and a group of friends in Coachella, started the group after realizing there was only a handful of bands playing shows in their hometown.

For more than ten years, Los Mumblers have been championing the do-it-yourself attitude that characterizes so many east valley bands today.

The DIY attitude extends to east valley bands’ live shows as well. It’s common for these groups, who sometimes swap bandmates, to watch each other’s shows in order to improve their own performance.

“We don’t really have someone teaching us how to do all this. We’re all self taught so we kind of just learn from seeing other live acts,” Gomez said. “We pick it up from there, so us being one of the older bands, that’s how we learned.”

Los Mumblers is only one of many east valley bands that regularly perform at house shows or even sometimes in west valley venues, like The Hood in Palm Desert or the Purple Room in Palm Springs. But there are new young bands popping up every year that are also eager to perfect their live shows.

Alex Callego, 26, has been booking east valley bands for more than ten years. Callego said, as a promoter, he sees the talent and potential east valley bands have, and their incredible work ethic.

“I like to work east valley bands. I particularly find east valley bands to be more progressive,” Callego said. “I tend to see a more true punk rock spirit, a lot more in the east valley than anywhere else.”

The punk rock spirit Callego described is definitely a characteristic of east valley bands. Gomez said the sound in the east valley is always changing, but right now, these bands are largely influenced by surf punk, punk rock and hard core.

“A lot of the bands we have right now are original sounds. They’re influenced by punk, rock n’ roll but it’s a mix of its own thing,” Gomez said. “I really don’t think you can find this assortment of bands that are here in Coachella anywhere else.”

Gomez said local bands used to be greatly influenced by their neighbor, Coachella fest, because the bands would be inspired by the festival’s live shows. But, as the festival has grown into more of a spectacle than a music festival, Gomez said the do-it-yourself work ethic of the east valley music scene no longer aligns with the party atmosphere of Coachella fest.

“I have mixed feelings now. I loved the festival growing up. I went from 2003 to 2009 every year, and I always had fun as a music fan, as someone who plays music and as someone who has a local band. But it’s a little different now, than say even four years ago. It’s a good festival, but now it seems like more of brand.”

Gomez said ticket prices and the kind of crowd Coachella fest attracts, makes the festival inaccessible and unattractive for young people from the east valley. Whereas, the east valley music scene prioritizes accessibility.

East valley groups advertise upcoming house shows on their Facebook pages, and even if they do play shows in the west valley, many times, the bands will offer rides to young people who would otherwise be unable to see the show.

Gomez said east valley bands care about encouraging younger acts coming out of their hometown. And many east valley bands prefer all-ages shows because the crowd is usually hyped-up high schoolers excited to listen to great music.

“If there’s an all ages show, we rather jump on that than an 18 and over, because the kids are more fun,” Gomez said. “We love being that band that a lot of kids coming into their freshman year in high school see. We are the first band they see at their first high school party, so we’re always going to be engraved in their head, and we get their support.”

Alex Duarte, 20, has been going to house shows in the eastern Coachella Valley since he was 16. Duarte said these house shows provide a safe place for youth to gather and listen to up and coming bands from their hometown.

“House shows are an escape, a time when music is the only thing. I look forward to these shows weeks ahead.” Duarte said.

Los Mumblers and 27 other local bands will be performing at The Hue Music and Arts Festival, an all ages event this Saturday, April 25 at Dateland Park in Coachella. This one day festival started four years ago as an alternative to Coachella fest for locals. The event focuses on promoting local bands and gives east valley high school students a chance to set up their own music festival.

But whether it’s at The Hue festival or a house show, and if there is a large stage or no stage,  eastern Coachella Valley bands know how to put on an entertaining show. And long after the hype of Coachella fest is over, these local artists continue to bring young people together around good music and a supportive community.

JOHNNY FLORES / Coachella Uninc.

Brightly colored papel picados are strung around the courtyard at the Rancho La Boquilla in Thermal, Calif. It’s late December, and Arnulfo Rodriguez and his daughters are busy hanging the paper streams, roasting heaps of lamb and beef, and readying the dance floor for the massive party later that night.

The Fandango, a traditional Mexican community celebration, helps teach attendees about the music and dance of the Son Jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico.

“The idea of coming together, making art, and expressing together is not just something you buy or listen to but something you participate in,” said one the Rodriguez daughters, Crystal Gonzalez.

Son Jarocho, “son” referring to music and “jarocho” referring to the state of Veracruz, is the product of the melding together of three cultures, African, European and Indigenous. It embodies the resistance and social justice movements of past generations, tracing its roots back to indigenous peoples’ defiance of the early colonization of Mexico.

Picking up steam in the past two years, bands and musicians including Los Lobos, Ozomatli, and Rage Against the Machine vocalist, Zach de la Rocha, have been creating Son Jarocho music and bringing the new sound to the masses through their extensive fan bases.

Watching Son Jarocho gain momentum through the use of the Fandango, moving from Los Angeles through Santa Ana, local Eastern Coachella Valley community members requested that Gonzalez bring the movement to the area with a Fandango of their own.

Gonzalez explained that the Son Jarocho movement is rooted in the Afro-Mexican music of the jarana jarocha, a small instrument that resembles a guitar.

The sound of Son Jarocho is rhythmic. High-pitched strumming of the jarana provides the foundation for the melody. Vocalists add to the melody by shouting or singing short phrases. But the most artistic element of the music is the stomping of feet. In Son Jarocho, percussion takes center stage.

Before the main celebration starts, residents arrive at the Rancho La Boquilla early in the afternoon to learn how to dance the zapateado, a traditional dance that is characterized by the stomping or rhythmic striking of feet.

A group of 15 residents gather at the center of the ranch’s courtyard. One by one, each resident takes a turn practicing atop a tarima, a large wooden box made to amplify the percussion coming from the stomping feet. Some also learn how to play the jarana.

Esmeralda Rodriguez, Arnulfo Rodriguez’s daughter, has been apart of the Son Jarocho movement since 2004. She said because the Fandango is about finding community and celebrating culture, there is also an instructive element to the celebration.

When the sun goes down, crowds make their way through the gates of the Rancho La Boquilla, and the Fandango gets in full swing. Musicians begin to strum their jaranas —traditional Son Jarocho songs can last an entire hour or more.

For this generation of Eastern Coachella Valley residents, the Fandango preserves the traditions of past generations and sets the rhythm for ones to come.

“In Spanish there is a saying: ‘Cuando la cultura muere la gente muere,’ meaning, ‘When culture dies, the people die,” said  Rodriguez. “It’s family, culture, tradition and survival.”

By Santos J. Reyes
Coachella Unincorporated

Coachella, Calif. — After months of anticipation, young people from throughout the Coachella Valley gathered to express their true colors at the second annual The Hue Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 28, at Dateland Park.

This youth-led festival showcased a variety of genres in music and diverse types of art. Dateland Park was transformed with many tents for venders, stages for performers, breathtaking murals, and creative art pieces to capture the culture of the Coachella Valley.  A car show featured vehicles from classic to modern day.

The free family friendly event was presented by Eastern Coachella Valley Building Healthy Communities and sponsored by Goldenvoice, City of Coachella, The California Endowment and local businesses. The event was organized and driven by students from Coachella Valley and Desert Mirage High Schools, as well as community partners including Raices Cultura, FIRME, Esperanza Youth and Family Center, Culturas and Bienestar, to name a few.

“We made the decisions for the music, the art and the stages we want them in,” said Eduardo Gonzalez, 17, a student active with RAICES. “We also want to promote healthy living and most importantly is the fact that we are able to stay in the park late at night and not be afraid of any mishaps that have happened before in the past.”

Approximately 35 music acts from the Coachella Valley and beyond performed music from indie to corridos to metal and electro house.

“Well this was my first time at The Hue, and I had a blast with my friends listening to the music and dancing with them,” said Cheyenne Yanez, 18, a senior at Coachella Valley High School. “It makes the valley positive by everyone going out to the park and listen to music with their friends and family.”

A Night at the Park, a local indie band trying to get more exposure, returned to perform for the second time at The Hue to connect with the community.

“I was trying to be more open with the crowd, I know next year is going to be even better,” said Madison Ebersole, 18, lead guitarist for the group. “I learned a lot in the past year, so we’re going to improve at least a bit. I think this is perfect. It is not as big as Coachella Fest, but I love it because it is free and it’s local.”

The purpose of this youth-led festival is to get the community together and enjoy the culture of music and art in the valley and to promote healthy living.

“I would attend The Hue next year, I really enjoyed myself this year,” said Alejandra Bautista, 18, a student at Coachella Valley High School. “Plus even though I was here for a couple of hours, I had a blast so more time next year would be amazing.”

VIDEO: The Hue Fest 2012