Ben Quiñones

Photo by Kevin Scanlon

The Liberated Chicano

Ben Quiñones
AS PROFESSOR OF CHICANO STUDIES at Cal State Northridge, Rodolfo Acuña ?teaches that the U.S. annihilated millions of indigenous people and took half of Mexico by force. But the past isn’t his sole purview. His classes also delve into the harsh realities facing Chicanos and Mexicans living in Los Angeles......

The Accidental Hero

Ben Quiñones
GROWING UP IN OCOTLÁN, JALISCO, MÉXICO, as the rancho’s ?class clown, Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo would watch Mário Almada films screened by a traveling projectionist on a white sheet. Almada is the Mexican Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson wrapped into one. The land to el norte was often discussed in these......

The Piolin Factor

Ben Quiñones
How did so many L.A. Latinos get the word about Saturday’s pro-immigrant march, an estimated 500,000 protesters strong? By now everyone knows Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo, the nation’s No. 1 Spanish-language morning radio-show host, can take much of the credit. Piolín’s role, first detailed Monday in a story on L.A. Weekly’s......
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Bang a Bong

Ben Quiñones
Cole Rehearsal Studios in Hollywood: Weezer and the Mars Volta practice here; Rage Against the Machine recorded their Evil Empire album here. Now turntable terror DJ Babu of Dilated Peoples strolls around a soundproof rehearsal room holding a big-ass bong. “Do you want a hit?” he asks studio manager Tony,......
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Housequake!

Ben Quiñones
DILATED PEOPLES at House of Blues, February 22 The true hip-hop heads were out, including KDAY’s original Latino DJs Tony and Julio G., Cypress Hill’s B-Real and J5’s Chali 2Na, along with hundreds packed in like canned fish. A killer DJ set by Beat Junkie Rhettmatic touched things off, el......
Beam me up

A Fan's Diary

Ben Quiñones
PHARRELL AND FRIENDS at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, February 23 The theme of “Skateboard P” Pharrell’s night was “Getting Back to the Family,” and, sure enough, at KDAY’s VIP pre-party, there was DJ Julio G.’s teenage daughter Dominique among the young crowd, dancing to DJ Icey Ice’s set. Comedian Guy......

Dub Town

Ben Quiñones
Los Angeles has always been at the forefront of car-culture trends. The City of Angels is the original automotive-lifestyle city. Hot rods? That was us. Lowriders? We got that poppin’. The Bling! Bling! Dub scene? We created it. Not the throbbing, subsonic bass line found in ska/reggae music — we’re......
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grammy diary

Ben Quiñones
Tue., Feb. 7 LL Cool J at the House of Blues You knew this was gonna be a hot show when, walking into the HOB, I ran into the Jigga man himself, Jay-Z, in a cool white blazer and those old-school CHiP shades. The anticipation for LL was huge. When......
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Grammy Diary – Updated

Ben Quiñones
Fri., Feb. 3 DJ Quik at House of Blues My Grammy Week got poppin’ tonight with a DJ Quik show that was off the hinges! Quik walked out in a big old perm and warned the audience, “This is something you don’t see in a hip-hop show.” True that: With......

9 Reasons UCLA Will Beat USC in 2006

Ben Quiñones
As former UCLA football coach Red Sanders said of the famed crosstown rivalry: “It’s not a matter of life and death; it’s more important than that.” This year was an embarrassment for UCLA and an embarrassment of riches for USC, but a year’s a long time. 1. Heisman winners Matt......