Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds

Jarabe Mexicano to premiere “Get Up Stand Up” version in May

Alcosser: “I saw a meme on social media, about the murders: ‘They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’”
Alcosser: “I saw a meme on social media, about the murders: ‘They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’”

“I am both. I’m Mexican, and I’m American.” Gustavo Alcoser says Jarabe Mexicano’s pending release of an old Bob Marley protest song came together as the result of a number of factors. First inspiration, he says, was presidential talk of a new border wall. But the underlying impetus to record came from the kidnapping of some college students in Mexico. “We named our version of the song ‘Semillas’ after those students. Semillas means seeds.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

In 2014, 43 students from the Escuela Normal Rural Raul Isidro Burgos in Iguala, Mexico were rounded up by police and never seen again. “I saw a meme on social media once, about the mass murders. The caption was,” Alcoser says, “‘They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’” The 33-year-old singer explains that Mario Equia (Jaribe Mexicano’s guitarist) “had said he thought we needed to consider getting more involved politically. And coincidentally, a producer named Mike Kociela called and asked us to record ‘Get Up Stand Up.’”

Alcoser is originally a native San Diegan. “I was born here. Then, when I was five, my mom and I and one of my sisters moved to Tijuana.” They settled into an apartment in Ciudad Jardin, about 10 minutes from the border. “We crossed every day. It was an interesting childhood,” he explains. “My school and my friends were here, but my home and my family were in Tijuana.” Alcoser, who is a graduate student at San Diego State University, says he and his mother now both live in San Diego. “But my extended family is still down there.”

Video:

Jarabe Mexicano, "Cumbia del Sol"

Jarabe Mexicano is a traditional Latin American five-piece inspired by Sonora and Mariachi music. They are based in San Diego. “We have ties on both sides of the border,” Alcoser says. “And our music reflects that. We’ll play rock-and-roll and cumbia.” He says the roots of that genre mix lie in his upbringing. “We listened to everything when I was a kid. My mom was a big John Wayne fan. Also the golden age of Mexican films. I grew up listening to both.”

Alcoser says Jarabe Mexicano recorded their Cumbia-influenced version of “Get Up Stand Up” in two days at the Cabana recording studio with Anthony Ridenhour as co-producer. He says that their version can be applied “to different scenarios. We made the meaning broad enough so that it wasn’t a specific ban,” he explains. “Our mission with the song is to promote the idea to get involved politically. That will be made evident by our video,” which he says is in production at the time of writing. Jarabe Mexicano plans to premiere “Get Up Stand Up” live at Taco Fest in May.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Classical Classical at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra

A concert I didn't know I needed
Next Article

Trophy truck crushes four at Baja 1000

"Two other racers on quads died too,"
Alcosser: “I saw a meme on social media, about the murders: ‘They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’”
Alcosser: “I saw a meme on social media, about the murders: ‘They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’”

“I am both. I’m Mexican, and I’m American.” Gustavo Alcoser says Jarabe Mexicano’s pending release of an old Bob Marley protest song came together as the result of a number of factors. First inspiration, he says, was presidential talk of a new border wall. But the underlying impetus to record came from the kidnapping of some college students in Mexico. “We named our version of the song ‘Semillas’ after those students. Semillas means seeds.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

In 2014, 43 students from the Escuela Normal Rural Raul Isidro Burgos in Iguala, Mexico were rounded up by police and never seen again. “I saw a meme on social media once, about the mass murders. The caption was,” Alcoser says, “‘They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.’” The 33-year-old singer explains that Mario Equia (Jaribe Mexicano’s guitarist) “had said he thought we needed to consider getting more involved politically. And coincidentally, a producer named Mike Kociela called and asked us to record ‘Get Up Stand Up.’”

Alcoser is originally a native San Diegan. “I was born here. Then, when I was five, my mom and I and one of my sisters moved to Tijuana.” They settled into an apartment in Ciudad Jardin, about 10 minutes from the border. “We crossed every day. It was an interesting childhood,” he explains. “My school and my friends were here, but my home and my family were in Tijuana.” Alcoser, who is a graduate student at San Diego State University, says he and his mother now both live in San Diego. “But my extended family is still down there.”

Video:

Jarabe Mexicano, "Cumbia del Sol"

Jarabe Mexicano is a traditional Latin American five-piece inspired by Sonora and Mariachi music. They are based in San Diego. “We have ties on both sides of the border,” Alcoser says. “And our music reflects that. We’ll play rock-and-roll and cumbia.” He says the roots of that genre mix lie in his upbringing. “We listened to everything when I was a kid. My mom was a big John Wayne fan. Also the golden age of Mexican films. I grew up listening to both.”

Alcoser says Jarabe Mexicano recorded their Cumbia-influenced version of “Get Up Stand Up” in two days at the Cabana recording studio with Anthony Ridenhour as co-producer. He says that their version can be applied “to different scenarios. We made the meaning broad enough so that it wasn’t a specific ban,” he explains. “Our mission with the song is to promote the idea to get involved politically. That will be made evident by our video,” which he says is in production at the time of writing. Jarabe Mexicano plans to premiere “Get Up Stand Up” live at Taco Fest in May.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Classical Classical at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra

A concert I didn't know I needed
Next Article

Trump names local supporter new Border Czar

Another Brick (Suit) in the Wall
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader