Doña Pancha Fest
April 13th 2019
Photo by Alba Castro
Photo by Alba Castro
Photo by Alba Castro
Photo by Alba Castro
Photo by Alba Castro
My girlfriend heard about a music festival based in Guadalajara that hosts a series of connected events around Mexico and Southern California. When she heard it was coming to San Diego, she let me know and we thought it would be a great idea to make the drive there from LA! The drive itself was really beautiful as there were a number of green hills that seemed nostalgic and made me reminisce of hills I would see in my dreams. As we arrived at UCSD where the event was taking place, we took a moment to walk around the campus and enjoy the scenery including the school library and a few open door artist studios. It was interesting to sense a sort of art colony within the school and see flyers for all the events and workshops that were promoted around the school. I attended college for a short while around 2008 and I don't remember being to aware of my school's activities but it was nice to see that this school had such a variety of resources available to the students! It did make us think about the difference in promotion of events in the school setting and cities around LA but we figured there were different pros and cons to both! One being the amazing support and concise place for enrichment in school but also the variety and real life experience of attending and finding events around LA. (Not to say you can't find similar experiences in one or the other but anyways!)
The event was a mix of electronic music, performative art, and post-punk rock that blended really well into each other. The visuals were also amazing and complimented each performer. Gaspar Peralta created layers of atmospheric sound and music that seemed to envelop and bathe the room in sound. It almost felt like I was swimming in the music. It was a truly meditative and ethereal experience. Dani Shivers played a soft lo-fi electronic set that reminded me of Ibi Ego (who I found out she was a part of just a few days ago. I heard their music years ago and was surprised to find out this funny little sense of serendipity!) She had a playful and yet dark cute sound that bounced on early electronica and nostalgia. After that Alba and I went to get some food and sadly missed Peor Aun but I'm sure it was a smooth transition. (It was a long ride and we were really hungray!) When we got back, Patriarchy was just about to start her set. She sang on top of some industrial goth sounds and really expressed herself through the music. She danced and pranced without a care gazing into peoples eyes as she let the weight of everything go. No fear, no inhibitions, just being free in her expression, releasing it into the air. Here Lies Man closed out the set with its grungy psychedelia. Their music and performance was filled with energy and their heavy sound backlit by acidic visuals were a great way to end the evenings sound.
There was actually one more surprise! The people who helped organize the show were raffling a car! 10 people were chosen to play musical chairs and the winner would get the car! The seats were set in a straight line and each chair faced the opposite direction. It seemed like a fun and friendly way to win a car! I thought it was really interesting that the first person whose name was pulled from the raffle won and the last guy whose name was pulled was the first to lose in the game. (He really wanted that car! He even had a little cheer group. Lol) It was almost like he was destined going to win the car anyways, but he just had to go through the motions of life. :) Seeing the guy win and do a little celebratory fist bump was such a good feeling. XD
Everyone seemed like they were having such a good time and enjoying each other's company. It was a real pleasure to meet some of the people who helped organize the event and some of the friends they made along the way. It was interesting to hear how they want to keep the show small and intimate and grow into something meaningful without having to abandon their diy roots. The idea of what a community is has always been an interesting question to ask myself and this is just another great example of what one can be. Wherever their future may travel, I hope they make it to LA one day. Here's to wishing their anti-festival community the best! ^-^
Doña Pancha Fest
Instagram: panchafest
The event was a mix of electronic music, performative art, and post-punk rock that blended really well into each other. The visuals were also amazing and complimented each performer. Gaspar Peralta created layers of atmospheric sound and music that seemed to envelop and bathe the room in sound. It almost felt like I was swimming in the music. It was a truly meditative and ethereal experience. Dani Shivers played a soft lo-fi electronic set that reminded me of Ibi Ego (who I found out she was a part of just a few days ago. I heard their music years ago and was surprised to find out this funny little sense of serendipity!) She had a playful and yet dark cute sound that bounced on early electronica and nostalgia. After that Alba and I went to get some food and sadly missed Peor Aun but I'm sure it was a smooth transition. (It was a long ride and we were really hungray!) When we got back, Patriarchy was just about to start her set. She sang on top of some industrial goth sounds and really expressed herself through the music. She danced and pranced without a care gazing into peoples eyes as she let the weight of everything go. No fear, no inhibitions, just being free in her expression, releasing it into the air. Here Lies Man closed out the set with its grungy psychedelia. Their music and performance was filled with energy and their heavy sound backlit by acidic visuals were a great way to end the evenings sound.
There was actually one more surprise! The people who helped organize the show were raffling a car! 10 people were chosen to play musical chairs and the winner would get the car! The seats were set in a straight line and each chair faced the opposite direction. It seemed like a fun and friendly way to win a car! I thought it was really interesting that the first person whose name was pulled from the raffle won and the last guy whose name was pulled was the first to lose in the game. (He really wanted that car! He even had a little cheer group. Lol) It was almost like he was destined going to win the car anyways, but he just had to go through the motions of life. :) Seeing the guy win and do a little celebratory fist bump was such a good feeling. XD
Everyone seemed like they were having such a good time and enjoying each other's company. It was a real pleasure to meet some of the people who helped organize the event and some of the friends they made along the way. It was interesting to hear how they want to keep the show small and intimate and grow into something meaningful without having to abandon their diy roots. The idea of what a community is has always been an interesting question to ask myself and this is just another great example of what one can be. Wherever their future may travel, I hope they make it to LA one day. Here's to wishing their anti-festival community the best! ^-^
Doña Pancha Fest
Instagram: panchafest
Photo by Alba Castro