The first week of the spring semester and the campus at GCC was once again thriving with student life; the parking lots were full, the pathways were crowded and throughout the halls new students desperately attempted to locate their new classrooms.
In the midst of all the academic hustle and bustle the ASGCC has scheduled several live music events to add to the excitement of the campus during the first weeks of the spring semester.
Commencing 2006’s concert series was the four-piece, Moktezoom who performed an uplifting and inspiring set of unreleased material in the Vaquero Plaza on Feb. 23. After releasing a three song EP in 2004 entitled, “Imposible 691/4 MILES”, the Hollywood based outfit took a year-long hiatus to compose and re-define their music.
Moktezoom showcased their new material, which is currently undergoing post-production, for an appreciative student audience. The new songs offer a mature departure from that of their 2004 EP. Although the current material continues to offer the same prolific musicianship and uplifting energy that has come to define the band, the songs are much more focused and deliberate.
Each member offers a unique contribution to the over-all style of Moktezoom, which the band claims to fall under the alternative-rock umbrella. The rhythm section, consisting of drummer, Fernando Torreblanca and bassist, Moch, provides a steady backbone to the meandering tones and crafty melodic fluctuations of both guitarist, Pelon, and vocalist, Maria Fernanda Karolys.
Collectively the band ventures through genres with authenticity and ease, combining elements of funk, rock, blues, odd-meter metal all while staying true to their Latin roots. Three members originally hail from Acapulco, Mexico.
Moktezoom offers a wide array of musical stylings, encompassing a multitude of genres stemming from a multitude of cultural influences. It is in their inclusive ability incorporate and celebrate many differing genres in their music, while remaining authentic and original, that Moktezoom shares a common sentiment held by the GCC student body- the ability to accept and embrace various cultural expressions while remaining true to one’s own sense of cultural identity. Kudos to Moktezoom and to the ASGCC for choosing such an appropriate and talented band to add to the excitement that is the spring semester of 2006. For more information on Moktezoom refer to their website, www.moktezoom.com.
Other featured events that took place during the designated ‘student hour’, 12 to 1 every Thursday, were the winners of UCLA’s Battle of the Bands, Aviatic on March, also, Power 106 hosted the ‘Get to know AS” event that took place on March 6th and provided students a chance to familiarize themselves with the members and functions of the ASGCC.