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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2016)
JULY 7, 2016 // 7 Nick Jaina to perform Presentations to explore immigration, race, tacos Portland musician to play KALA, Sou’Wester Lodge ‘Who Eats at Taco Bell?’ project visits Naselle, Astoria ASTORIA and SEAVIEW, Wash. — Portland musician, composer and author Nick Jaina will perform twice this coming weekend on both sides of the Columbia River. First he’ll play at 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 8 at KALA, 1017 Marine Drive in Astoria. Then he’ll travel across the Columbia and perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 3728 J Place. Indie-folk musician Lonesome Leash will open both shows, which are open to the public. KALA has an $8 cover charge. Jaina’s live performance is like an engaging audio scrapbook. He loops togeth- er guitar melodies and found sounds and reads passages of his book “Get It While You Can” over them. The format is almost like a pod- cast, reaching the listener on many different emotional and intellectual levels. A musician and writer, Jaina has toured the world during the last decade, releasing several albums on HUSH Records and Fluff & Gravy Records. His irst book, “Get It While You Can,” is a memoir about a love of music and the world. The book was a inalist for the 2016 Oregon Book Award for creative nonic- tion. Jaina has composed soundtracks for feature ilms, plays and ballets. He is co-founder and musical director of the Satellite Ballet and Collective in New York City, which has collab- orated with dancers from the New York City Ballet and Julliard. Lonesome Leash is the solo moniker of Los Angeles-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Walt McClements. Known for previous involvement in NASELLE, Wash. and ASTORIA— What do tacos have to do with demographic shifts, forgotten history or cultural belonging? Gaelyn and Gus- tavo Aguilar intend to delve into that complex question with their dynamic project “Who Eats at Taco Bell?” The couple has been leading presentations during a two-month expedition on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, staring May 14 in Illinois and traveling across 11 states. Seeking to spark relection and commu- nity connection, the Aguilars share tacos and prompt dia- logue and engagement around the question: What is it going to take for Americans to truly live interculturally? The Aguilars will present “Who Eats at Taco Bell?” in the local area this month. First, they’ll visit the Knappton Cove Heritage Center in Naselle, Washing- ton, from 1 to 4 p.m. Satur- day, July 9. The presentation is in collaboration with Lt. Jesus Reyna, a registered nurse and Region 10 Minori- ty Health Consultant for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Ofice SUBMITTED PHOTO Nick Jaina will perform July 8 and 9. SUBMITTED PHOTO BY ALLEYN EVANS One-man band Lonesome Leash will open both shows. the bands Dark Dark Dark, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Why Are We Building Such A Big Ship?, McCle- ments, as Lonesome Leash, channels all of his musical experiences into a solo affair with accordion and drum set. Born in Durham, North Carolina, McClem- ents settled in New Orel- eans in 2004 for almost a decade before traveling for two years and winding up in Los Angeles. The journey spawned his latest solo album “Precious Futures,” which was released in No- vember 2015. of Minority Health. Reyna was deployed in 2014 to the U.S.-Mexico border to work with unaccompanied minors. Then, the Aguilars will visit Astoria. On July 14, the couple will set up their “taco encampment,” featuring taco making and portrait taking, conversation and a multi- media performance. The encampment will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. at the River People Farmers Market, located at 12th and Exchange streets, and continue at 7:30 p.m. across the street at Peace Lutheran Church. The couple will also give a presentation looking back at their two-month expedi- tion at 6 p.m. July 15 at the Astoria Public Library. The focus of “Who Eats at Taco Bell?” centers on how immigration, race and colonialism in America’s past continue to inluence personal and political notions of movement and identity — and what we can learn from history to improve the future. The idea for the project was sparked in Gustavo Agu- ilar’s hometown in Texas: a town of 175,000 with 150 to 200 taquerias. And yet, one Taco Bell continues to thrive. In investigating why, the Aguilars began to understand how the American diet — as much as it has been formed by the intermingling of different cultures — sheds light on the multiple ways that Americans have chosen to deine what it means to be an American, as well as the implicit biases that exist in the popular imagination. The demographic face of the U.S. is changing; according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics constitute 17 percent of the population and are the largest ethnic or racial minority. Such changes can expose underly- ing fears, leading to tension and conlict, such as recent debates around immigration policy and racial justice. For the Aguilars’ proj- ect, the taco operates as an indicator species: one small part of an ecosystem that can signal the health of a society faced with multiplying di- versities. “Who Eats at Taco Bell?” explores the paradox of how someone could har- bor a disdain for “foreigners” but also a love of their food. At the same time, setting the project on the Lewis and Clark trail adds another layer to the theme of movement and cultural identity that the project explores; the trail was forged by an expedition that played an important role in European-American terri- torial, cultural and economic expansion. By cooking and eating tacos with attendees at their events, the Aguilars invite people from varied backgrounds to transcend differences and come togeth- er. “Who Eats at Taco Bell?” is designed to spark ideas and strengthen relationships through engagement with a range of critical themes: so- cio-economic mobility, cul- tural belonging, movement and borders, assimilation and appropriation, and new forms of cultural identity. Gaelyn Aguilar is a cultural anthropologist, and Gustavo Aguilar is a com- poser and performer with a research interest in critical studies. The two co-facilitate the Tug Collective, a inter- disciplinary organization focusing on re/search, con- temporary social practice, and participatory, prob- lem-based interventions that tackle the cultural politics of contemporary border regions in North America. To learn more, visit tacotalk.org The Knappton Cove Her- itage Center is located at 521 Washington State Route 401 on the site of the historic U.S. Quarantine Station that was once the “Ellis Island” of the Columbia River. For more information, email the- cove@theoregonshore.com or call 503-738-5206. CUBA for ADVENTURE 15-day tour exploring Cuba $ U-Pic k Blueberrie s $2.00 lb. 113th & Sandridge N. Long Beach, WA (plus airfare) Come learn more 100% Natural Open Daily ‘til 6 pm 1,999 Pla ying to da y’s hit co untry July 20 – 6 pm to 7 pm at WineKraft – 80 10 th St. – Astoria www.cubaforadventure.com