Gloria Isabel Rivera

"I believe music is universal, and it responds to the context in which it was created," says Mare Advertencia Lirika--or Mare, as she's known professionally. "In my case, coming from indigenous roots, my music is the voice that speaks to this context."

In Oaxaca, Mexico, where Mare makes her home, responding to her surroundings takes on an urgent meaning, as, in the past decade, the southern Mexican state has become an epicenter for indigenous and popular struggle against economic injustice--and hip-hop has evolved to become a soundtrack to that struggle.

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Asala Nasri

As violence continues to plague Syria, superstar singer Asala Nasri is joining forces with award-winning composer and pianist Malek Jandali. The two will take to the stage Sunday at the City National Grove of Anaheim, generously lending their time and support for a benefit concert. Proceeds from "For You Syria" will go to the humanitarian efforts of the Syrian Sunrise Foundation, which is dedicated to helping families, orphans and widows left behind in the conflict.

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therightscoop.com

Tebowing

So you missed church on Sunday because you were too hungover to get up and think straight. Dude, you missed the wrong day to attend.  No matter what your vice is, there is hope for you yet. Through hip-hop, glam rock, Southern rock and even hardcore, you can listen to positive songs to help you get on the right path. Here are six songs that you can Tebow to. Choose your poison wisely. More >>

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The Ultimate Bearhug

​OC Weekly and Music for a Cure team up this Thursday for Cocktails for a Cause, a monthly fundraiser/mixer that brings various people throughout Orange County together to support a local charity. Hosted by the gracious folks of The Observatory, this month's Cocktails is presumed to be quite the production featuring performances by The Make and sultry local duo, The Ultimate Bearhug. I caught up with Barrett Johnson and Doll Knight to get an update on their anticipated debut album, and their thoughts on the importance of music and giving back to the community. More >>

​Under the monicker emma's revolution, activist singer/poets Sandy O and Pat Humphries spend over 200 days a year sharing their music for various causes around the world. Last November, the duo released their third studio album Revolutions Per Minute, itself a journey through a multitude of genres from folk to funk. Every song has a story, whether it be "Stand Together" written and performed in solidarity with Wisconsinites protesting against Republican Governor Scott Walker's anti-unionism or "Let's Go Swimming" which speaks of a cold dip in Chesapeake Bay as part of an organized effort highlighting the looming specter of global warming.

Sandy O and Humphries pen songs that are both humorous and heartfelt, ribbing the contradictions of the Tea Party with biting sarcasm on one offering and soulfully carving out sanctuary in love from a heartbreaking world in another. On RPM, their voices, each possessing its own unique richness in tone, beautifully come together in harmony, a process by which humanity itself would be wise to follow suit.More >>

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It's got '60s peace and love all over it: sitting around a camp fire in the pines, writing songs and such as a hedge against the after shocks of war. Well, that's not exactly why LifeQuest Military Transitions organized their first music camp last July in Edwards, Colo., but that's pretty much the net result: some kind of healing thing materialized among the nine vets who signed up to turn their worst battlefield nightmares into pop music.More >>

Aura Bogado

Pink Handcuffs in Tent City

​Renowned world music recording artist Manu Chao sings his classic migrant song "Clandestino" in a new video with the infamous tent city jail of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- or as we like to call him, Arpayaso! -- serving as the backdrop. Inmates at tent city are exposed to the state's weather extremities and Arpaio once called it his 'concentration camp' without even a moment's flinch.

Back in September, the musician came to Arizona, where anti-immigrant sentiment has run amok, upon the invitation of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. While there, Chao bore witness to the injustices faced by immigrants and communities of color before performing a free 'Alto Arizona' show on September 21.More >>

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​Former Cypress College student Jon Alvarez is a talented bassist and has a website currently soliciting donations from supporters. It's not a Kickstarter campaign asking to raise money to fund a tour or recording project, though. It's a GiveForward page with a goal of $10,000 to help pay for mounting medical bills following his diagnosis of Lyme disease and associated co-infections.

The musician's story begins with a vacation to Japan last summer. "I went to Nara and visited a world famous tourism park with a Buddhist shrine," he recounts. "A few days later, I woke up with a rash on my thigh." Thinking nothing of it, Alvarez returned back to his home and normal routine as a musician practicing six to seven hours a day. Then the pain started.
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