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* Mark Torres... |  |
* Mari G..... . | . . |
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Mark Torres is producer and host of an award-winning Alternative Latin music show. Mark's presence on the air has created unprecedented interest in this innovative new musical genre. He also is the Senior Producer at the Pacifica Radio Archives which houses the oldest and largest public radio collection in America. His popular Latin Alternative music show, Travel Tips For Aztlan, is heard Saturday nights on Pacifica Radio KPFK 90.7 fm in Los Angeles from 10p-12mid. Since its debut in March, 1995 Mark's show has featured the music of the underground Latino youth culture, which otherwise gets little notice and even less air-play. For the bands that have no recordings, he's presented their music to the Los Angeles audience by allowing them to perform live on his show. Some of the bands that have performed live on Travel Tips For Aztlan for their radio debuts and have gone on to enjoy various levels of success include Ozomatli, Quetzal, The Blues Experiment, Puya, Yeska, The Voodoo Glow Skulls, Tito and Tarantula, Lysa Flores, Pastilla, Las Quince Letras, Los Olvidados, El Vez, Slowrider, Aztlan Underground, the electronica NOR-TEC bands from Baja California among many others. Mark has archived more than 200 such recordings. In addition, Mark has conducted on-air interviews with some of the most important musicians and bands in the Spanish rock scene including Cafe Tacvba, Maldita Vecindad, Gustavo Cerati, Manu Chao, Julietta Venegas, Fermín Muguruza, Alex Lora from El Tri, Sergento Garcia, Orishas, P18, Todos Tus Muertos, Aterciopelados, Tijuana No, Control Machete, Molotov, El Gran Silencio, Los Crudos, Plastilina Mosh, and many others. Mark adds a journalistic component to his show by reporting on the musical, cultural, and political impact these bands have on the local and international scene. He has toured with many of these bands including a trip to Cuba with Ozomatli in 1997, a tour of Spain and France with Aztlan Underground in May (1999), the historic first performance of Rage Against the Machine in Mexico City along with Tijuana No and Aztlan Underground in November (1999) and most rrecently a tour of Cuba with East LA Sabor Factory in 2002. Torres' contribution to the growth of the Latin music scene was rewarded in November, 1998 when Travel Tips for Atzlan was chosen the Best Latin Rock show by the international magazine La Banda Elastica at their 5th Annual awards show held at the Universal Amphitheatre. Mark's show Travel Tips For Aztlan was nominated by the L.A. Weekly Awards 2000 for Best Radio show and won the BEST RADIO SHOW award given by Los Angeles Magazine in 2002. Mark began broadcasting in 1990 as the host of the Fringe Element, an underground music show on KPFK, Los Angeles. He began introducing musical groups of other genres to Los Angeles such as The Sugar Plastic, The Negro Problem and Possum Dixon with live performances. He produced two of the earliest releases of this new generation of underground music from these live performances. In 1991, Mark produced for KPFK the first Chicano music, literature and cultural special in over a decade. He recorded several of the most important young bands for this project including Quetzal, Lysa Flores, Boca de Sandia, Sol, Las Tres and El Vez. These bands have influenced a new generation of young Latino/a musicians. |
:: Marisol Garcia ::
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Marisol Garcia or "Mari G" as she has come to be known by so many, is the latest addition to the Travel Tips For Aztlan family. She was brought onboard fall of 2002 and has been a collaborator to the show as co-producer, producer, co-host, & sometimes host ever since.
Infamous for her unique and eclectic musical taste, Mari never fails to impress her audience by bringing and always spinning some of the newest and funkiest tunes the scene has to offer. Her knack for finding clever and honest music has not proven wrong as of yet. At times, she’s been responsible for being the first DJ in the local and sometimes national scene to premiere exclusive and unreleased music by Fase, Jumbo, Kinky, Gustavo Cerati, RolverNoisePop, Julieta Venegas, Ozomatli, Sussie 4, Niña, Hose, Puerto Raices, Belanova, Zoe, and local favorites Juguete among others. She is constantly on the look out for new up and coming artists to share with the world. She has been fascinated by the Monterrey scene in particular for quite some time now and at this moment is planning a trip to document it. Currently, Marisol is working on her BA double majoring in Business Administration and Political Science. She also heads up SolSeRun Design Co. In addition, Mari is and has been involved in various groups and community organizations, most notably with the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) where she served as President for two years. While in ALAS, she organized events like teach-ins, rallies, film festivals and conferences whose goals were to raise awareness on topics that ranged from U.S. Foreign Policy to the War in Iraq. The highlight of her duties in ALAS were as Organizer and Master of Ceremonies for to their Spring and Winter Peña’s whose primary objective is to raise funds for different charitys and non-profit organizations. Her favorite memory from working with the organization was having the opportunity of meeting and speaking with one of her idols, labor organizer Dolores Huerta. Learn more about Mari by visiting her website at: Mari G. Online |
