12/20/12 Music Show with Diskarte Namin, Bitch Magnet, and a Farewell to Birdland Jazz

Tonight we have a special music show that features some of the best Asian American performers around!

Melissa Hung, founding editor of Hyphen magazine, got her first taste of journalism by interviewing Sooyoung Park when he was the frontman for Chicago-based indie rock band Seam.  Tonight, she returns to her roots and interviews  Sooyoung about the reunion tour with his first band, Bitch Magnet.

Bitch Magnet backstage in Lexington. Photo by Rosina Thorne.

We also talk with Birdland Mike, founder of Birdland Jazzista Social Club in Berkeley. Birdland builds community through jazz performances and a scrumptious BBQ. Unfortunately, Birdland is closing and Friday will be the final performance.

And finally, we feature movement musicians, Diskarte Namin. San Francisco-born but bred on resistance music from all over the world, Diskarte mixes rock guitar with Latin and hip hop beats, reggae and funk basslines, folk blues and soul vocals, and indigenous influences from the Philippines. Tonight’s interview features the release of Diskarte’s new record kultural guerrillas.

Diskarte Namin in S.F. Chinatown’s Wentworth Alley. Photo by Geneviève Massé

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

On December 21, fans are invited to join the celebration as Beatrock Music marks their 3rd year anniversary. The evening at the Brick and Mortar Music Hall (1710 Mission St., SF) ,will feature live performances by Beatrock Music artists Bambu, Prometheus Brown (aka Geologic of Blue Scholars), Rocky Rivera, Otayo Dubb, Power Struggle (accompanied by Dirty Boots band), and Bwan.

DJ Roza (RRS Feed/Rock & Roz) and DJ Tanner (Battlestar/Sharpshooterz) will also be rocking live on the turntables.

Launched in 2009, fans have come to know Beatrock Music for the label’s commitment to authentic hip hop sound and progressive lyricism.
The Beatrock Music family is comprised of artists who each have a unique perspective, yet are connected by a common thread of community activism. Each artist is committed to delivering music that is honest and for the people.

2/24/11 “Tiger Mom” and Asian American parenting

This week on Apex Express, we explore the controversy stirred up by Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” from three different perspectives by talking with an Asian American Studies professor, a blogger, and a high school student.

erin Khue Ninh, a professor of Asian American Studies at UC Santa Barbara. She’s also a blog editor of Hyphen Magazine, another great source for Asian American news and culture. And she is the author of a book that will be released very soon, “Ingratitude: The Debt-Bound Daughter in Asian American Literature.”

Jason Sperber is a stay at home dad living with his family in Bakersfield. He raises two beautiful multi-racial girls who are two and six years old. He blogs at daddyinastrangeland.com and co-founded RiceDaddies.com, which just celebrated its fifth birthday.

Kai Kane Aoki Izu a 17-year-old Junior at Lick Wilmerding High School in San Francisco with a 3.75 GPA. He’s also a dancer and a member of Loco Bloco, a Brazilian youth samba band.

Please support Asian American programming, by calling in your donation to 1-800-439-5732 (1-800-HEY-KPFA) or going online to kpfa.org Thursday from 7-8p.

11/11/10 Mr. Hyphen, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Acoustic Karaoke!

We’re tuning our vocal chords and channeling our inner rockstar on tonight’s show (which will be delivered largely in song).

RJ Lozada covers the fifth year of Hyphen Magazine’s illustrious Mr. Hyphen Pageant and this year’s winner, Kyle Chu, who was crowned last weekend in San Francisco.

We highlight a benefit for the indigenous communities of Bangladesh, a country that has been rocked by the recent flaring up of decades old ethnic tensions.

Eloise dives into the benefits of everyday herbs and cooks with Daniel Eng from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and interviews him on his first book, Cooking With Chinese Herbs: A Guide for Students of Chinese Medicine.

And LIVE! in the studio we have Lou and Lenny from the League of Pogi Gentlemen (not to be confused with the League of PANGIT Gentlemen) for some acoustic karaoke, talk-story, and ukulele mojo. Come sing a-long with your hosts, Eloise and RJ!