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>> “For the sake of my liver, this summer would do well to end soon.”

>>“Does the incredible artistry of Entourage bring anyone else to tears?”

>>“It’s always a jarring moment when you learn that someone you care about dislikes Kanye West.”

>>“Every pick up line I’ve ever used has been an Andre 3000 lyric.”

>>“I want a life-time supply of Axe body spray so bad it hurts.”

>>“Ghostbusters is a weird movie to call your mom sobbing to, according to my mom.”

>>“Just had an emotional break down at a ropa usada ware-house. Also, found a great vintage sweatshirt”

>>“Blackberry just sent me an email thanking me for using their product ... it was the nicest thing someone has said to me in weeks. “

Paul van DykeYOU LOOK LIKE A FUN PERSON. LET’S BE FRIENDS! REQUEST US ON FACEBOOK TODAY.

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Festiva, a product of The Monitor and Valley Freedom Newspapers of South Texas, is the Rio Grande Valley’s oldest and most established weekly arts and entertainment publication. It is available in every Friday edition of The Monitor. Story sug-gestions, comments and criticisms may be e-mailed to [email protected]. For advertising inquires, contact Christina Castillo at (956) 683-4177 or Pily Toledo at (956) 683-4164.

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NEXT WEEK THE FESTIVA2F THE MONITOR | FRIDAY, AUG. 26, 2011FESTIVA.THEMONITOR.COM

MOVIE: Colombiana (PG-13)STARRING: Zoe Saldana, Michael Vartan, Max Martini, Jordi Mollà, Lennie JamesGENRE: Action/Adventure, DramaWHAT’S IT ABOUT? A young woman who wit-nesses the murder of her parents grows up to be an assassin. She begins working for her uncle, but ultimately is set on seeking revenge from the men who killed her family.AT FIRST GLANCE ...Is Zoe Saldaña the next big action-heroine? It might be too soon to tell, but she certainly looks like she’ll be giving Angelina Jolie a run for her money.

MOVIE: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (R)STARRING: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Alan Dale, Bailee Madison, Jack ThompsonGENRE: HorrorWHAT’S IT ABOUT? A young family moves into a new gothic mansion. When their daugh-teres begins hearing voices, the family’s world is turned upside down. AT FIRST GLANCE ... Director Guillermo Del Toro is responsible for “Pan’s Labrynth” so you know he is capable of bringing the creepy. But the presence of Katie Holmes and the haunted house premise are two things that just don’t always make a great fi lm.

MOVIE: Our Idiot Brother (R)STARRING: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Steve CooganGENRE: ComedyWHAT’S IT ABOUT? Optimistic Ned is a happy-go-lucky dude. When one stupid mistake forces him to crash at his family’s place, he be-comes the only person that can hold the family together. AT FIRST GLANCE ...This is kind of a far cry from Paul Rudd’s previ-ous fi lms. While the trailer may get some laughs, it’s tough to tell whether Rudd’s hippie impres-sion can carry the whole movie.

FRIDAY, AUG. 26, 2011 | THE MONITOR 3FFESTIVA.THEMONITOR.COM

FESTIVAMOSTHE MONITOR | FRIDAY, AUG. 26, 2011FESTIVA.THEMONITOR.COM4F

� LIVE MUSIC

T H E B E S T S T U F F T O D O T H I S W E E K

GeorgeLopez

WITHWHEN

WHERECOST

BUY AT

8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26Harlingen Municipal Auditorium, 1204 Fair Park Blvd.$49.50www.myharlingen.us

� COMEDY

If you’re already missing a daily dose of George Lopez since his late night show was

dropped, get your fi x at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at the Harlin-gen Municipal Auditorium.

Lopez will be hosting “¡Viva la Risa!” a comedy tour featuring fi ve stand-up comics who will try their best to make you laugh until you cry.

Bryan Kellen combines physi-cal comedy with storytelling and does it so well he’s received accolades from various comedy festivals and competitions across the country.

Fans of the late show “Chelsea Lately” or VH1’s “I Love the ‘70s (‘80s, ‘90s)” series might recognize Loni Love.

Bret Ernst has had specials on Comedy Central and Showtime and he appeared in “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show.”

Also performing are come-dians Johnny Sanchez and Michelle Buteau.

Tickets are $49.50, and can be purchased on the City of Harlingen website. The show is intended for a mature audience (18 years and older). [ANS]

TO HAVE YOUR EVENT CONSIDERED FOR INCLUSION IN OUR CALENDAR FREE OF CHARGE, E-MAIL ALL DETAILS AND IMAGES TO [email protected] AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE.


‘The Little Match Makers’

� FILM SCREENING

When 10-year-olds Lily and Pepin meet, more than a friendship is born — the two chil-dren, both with divorced parents, decide to play matchmakers. The fi lm “The Little Match Makers” will be shown Friday and Saturday at Cine El Rey in McAllen. There will be two showings on Friday and three on Saturday. After each screening, director of photog-raphy Mario Ortiz will host a question-and-answer session with his son Julian, who stars in the movie as Pepin. Ortiz is an Emmy award-winning director of photography who shot “Scavengers” and “Gone Hollywood” in the Rio Grande Valley. The family-friendly fi lm is full of love, laughs and Elsa native Valente Rodriguez (“The George Lopez Show”).

WHEN: 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26; 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27WHERE: Cine El Rey, 311 S. 17th St., McAllen COST: $10BUY TICKETS: Cine El Rey box office

Polo Polo� COMEDY

Mexican comedian Polo Polo will bring the laughs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at the Pharr Events Center. The comic got his start with stand up in the late ‘70s, and he hit his stride in the ‘80s when he began to appear on late night TV shows in Mexico. Polo Polo, whose real name is Leopoldo García Peláez, kept his audiences laughing throughout the past two decades with live performances and nearly 20 comedy albums.

WHEN 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26WHERE: Pharr Events Center, 3000 N. Cage Blvd.COST: $25 to $50BUY TICKETS: Pharr Events Center box office or at www.ticketmaster.com

Grammy Mixer� COMMUNITY

Music industry professionals and col-lege students looking to enter the mu-sic business are encouraged to attend a networking event at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, at Frida Grill and Cantina in McAllen. The Recording Academy is an organization which celebrates music through the GRAMMY awards and vari-ous other programs. Staff members of the Recording Academy will be on hand to network with local musicians about how to become a member. The event is free, but you must RSVP by emailing [email protected].

WHEN: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30WHERE: Frida Grill and Cantina, 209 S. 17th St., McAllenCOST: FreeONLINE: www.grammy365.com EMAIL: [email protected]: (512) 328-7997

� COMMUNITY

S.T.A.R.S.E.E.D.A benefi t concert and art expo will be held for a new alternative music school from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Palmas Sports Club in McAllen. The South Texas Alternative Rock School for Enter-tainment Education and Development (S.T.A.R.S.E.E.D.) is holding the fundraiser to help start the new music school, which will serve the community like the “Boys and Girls Club,” but with a focus on music. Local acts such as Land Locked Pirates, Evolve, Brio, Closed Campus, At War With Androids and DJ Koopa will be providing the live en-tertainment. There will also be art, fashion, drink specials and food.

WITH 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27WHERE: Palmas Sports Club, 500 E. Hackberry Ave., McAllenCOST: $10 donation

� ART EXHIBIT

‘Interlocking Animals’An exhibit featuring the work of Gerardo Gonzalez titled “Interlocking Animals” will be on display beginning Tuesday, Aug. 30, and will remain through Friday, Sept. 30, at the University of Texas-Pan American library in Edinburg. An artist’s reception starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the UTPA library.

WHEN: 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30WHERE: University of Texas-Pan Ameri-can library, 1201 W. University Ave., EdinburgCOST: Free

>>>> MORE EVENTS ON PAGES 6 AND 7

6F THE MONITOR | FRIDAY, AUG. 26, 2011FESTIVA.THEMONITOR.COM

� FITNESS

Friday Night Zumba BashGet ready to sweat at the Friday Night Zumba Bash tonight, at The OlympianFitness in Port Isabel. There will be three Zumba instructors for the 90-minute dance fi tness party and raffl es.

WITH 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26WHERE: The Olympian Fitness, 105 E. Maxan St., Port IsabelCOST: $7, guests; $1, members

� LIVE MUSIC

Los Tucanes de TijuanaLos Tucanes de Tijuana has recorded more than 30 albums since 1987, received eight Grammy nominations and sold millions of records over the years. To saythe band is a legend in the norteño genre is an understatement. The popularregional Mexican band will be performing Saturday, Aug. 27, at Club Fuego inMcAllen. Expect to hear a bunch of the band’s hits, such as “Mundo de Amor,”“El Cachorro” and “Promesas.” Also playing that night are Grupo Violento andBanda Kineña.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27WHERE: Club Fuego, 11205 N. 23rd St., McAllenCOST: $30CALL: (956) 929-8136

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� FITNESS

Monte Alto Fun RunLace up your running or walking shoes early Saturday morning for Monte Alto Lions Club’s second annual 5K fun run and walk at Veteran’s Park in Monte Alto. First, second and third place winners in each division will re-ceive awards.

WHEN: 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27WHERE: Monte Alto Veteran’s Park, 24728 1st St.COST: $15, race day registrationCALL: (956) 373-5349

� COMEDY

Peter WolfChristian comedian Peter Wolf, known for his profanity-free stand-up act, will be performing at “Comedy Date Night” tonight at the Trinity Worship Center in Pharr. There will also be live music and Chik-Fil-A will be passing out some free food. The event is free and for adults 18 years and older.

WITH 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26WHERE: Trinity Worship Center, 4801 N. Cage Blvd., PharrCOST: FreeONLINE: trinityworshipcenter.net/

� LIVE MUSIC

ReyliOn the heels of his latest album, Reyli sets off on a U.S. tour, which makes a stop Saturday, Aug. 27, at Kave in Mission. The singer-song-writer from Mexico is the former front man of the Latin rock group Elefante. His latest al-bum “Bien Acompanado” has gone platinum in his home country.

WHEN: 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27WHERE: Kave, 2306 E. Expressway 83, MissionCOST: $50CALL: (956) 776-6106 or (956) 330-0130

� LIVE MUSIC

Spare PartsRock band Spare Parts will be headlininga gig Saturday night at Misty’s Rock ‘n’Blues bar in McAllen. Also performing isDriver 23.

WITH Driver 23WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27WHERE: Misty’s Rock ‘n’ Blues Bar, 214 S. 17th St., McAllenCOST: Free (21 years and older)


1/29/2011 - LEIH HOLLES

709 N 10TH ST MCALLEN, TX(956) 682-3419 For advertising info call Pily Stevens


ZZ TopLynyrd Skynyrd

� NEW CONCERTS � OCT 20

ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd will play a show Thursday, Oct. 20, at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, arena offi cials said.

The iconic rock band ZZ Top is as known for its ‘80s hits “Legs” and “Sharp Dressed Man” as it is for guitarist Billy Gibbons’ and bassist Dusty Hill’s long beards.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is likely best known for the songs “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.” The south-ern rockers will be opening for fellow Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers ZZ Top.

Tickets will cost $32.50 to $128. An internet pre-sale starts at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, on www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26, and they can be purchased at the State Farm Arena box offi ce, or on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. [ANS]


valley

Carol Chavana is OK with being different. “I never wanted to be like every other fi sh

in the sea,” Chavana said. “I wanted to be the rainbow-colored one that glowed in the dark.”

When she was in grade school, the 25-year-old became intrigued by the different outfi ts and ensembles her mother picked out for her. When she eventually learned how to dress herself, she became obsessed with mixing and matching fabrics.

“One thing I’ve learned about fashion is that in order to stand out, you have to fi nd your unique style and stick with it,” Chavana said. “Embrace what you love and who you are. Stay confi dent and people will admire you for it.”

Chavana took her love for fabric to the big city and majored in textiles and apparel at the Uni-versity of Texas at Austin. The Edinburg native got her big break in 2006 working alongside world renowned designer Betsey Johnson. She fi lled in for her personal assistant for three whole weeks.

“(It) was amazing … I learned so much that summer. It was defi nitely a great experience. I was very lucky.”

After interning at Burberry and Armani Exchange, Chavana picked up the skills and is now in the process of starting her own line with fellow designer Lisa Gluck.

“I just want to be doing something big, something that will make my family extremely proud,” Chavana said. “Something others will look up to me for, something I will be remem-bered by.”

Carol ChavanaDESIGNER: Carol ChavanaAGE: 25HOMETOWN: EdinburgHIGH SCHOOL: Edinburg High School Class of 2008COLLEGE: University of Texas at AustinFAVORITE DESIGNERS: Betsey Johnson, Miu Miu, ValentinoWEBSITE: http://carolchavana.com/

ONE GARMENT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE IN HER WARDROBE “Every single girl should own a sexy pair of plat-form pumps (4-inch-high neutral color) — sometimes I feel like my outfi t is so awful but once I put on my favorite pair of heels, all of a sudden, I feel like a different person.“

SPECIALTY: “Doll-like babydoll dresses that are classy enough to wear to work but sexy enough to wear out at night. I love designing babydoll dresses. I get my inspiration from dresses I fi nd at Goodwill.”

PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE YOUR DESIGNS “Barbie, Farrah Fawcett, Jack White, Betsey Johnson, and both of my grand-mas: They have the coolest style.”

PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE YOU “My boss, Larry, my mom and dad, my future business partner Lisa Gluck, and my best friend Luana Sandoval.”

Maria Palacios is a bit of an over-achiever. In 2004, she graduated in

the top 10 percent of her class at Hidalgo High School with 60 hours of college credit under her belt. But instead of graduating from UTPA at 19, she decided to follow her dreams and major in fashion at Texas Woman’s University in Dallas.

“I gave up everything in doing this but I have no regrets at all,” Palacios said.

After graduating with a degree in fashion, the Pharr native had a brief stint helping designer Abi Ferrin at New York Fashion Week. But she found a home with Dallas fashion guru Terri Ives. Ives is best known for helping dress Miss America contestants and governor’s wives. With Ives she helped put together fash-ion shows at the Ritz Carlton in Dallas and the Dallas Country Club.

“She’s still a mentor to me. She has taught me so many things in the industry such as in the couture aspect,” Palacios said.

Even though Palacios said she was discouraged by her peers from moving back, Palacios decided to bring the glamorous fashion world to South Texas.

“I want to be able to be an entrepreneur and pioneer of fashion in the Val-ley,” Palacios said. These days she has been working at the Pharr-San-Juan- Alamo School District helping at-risk students in after school programs. She has helped organize fashion shows, lending her garments and designs to teens.

“I want to be able to show other people what the fashion world is about and those little aspects that people do not see, behind the scenes.”

Maria PalaciosDESIGNER: Maria PalaciosAGE: 26 HOMETOWN: PharrHIGH SCHOOL: Hidalgo High School Class of 2004COLLEGE: Texas Women’s UniversityWEBSITE: www.maria-palacios.com

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST DREAM? Aside from Paris and New York, Palacios has her sights set on Mexico City’s fash-ion week. “Here in the Valley, the majority of us are Hispanic, I want to be able to target the Hispanic culture here.” Palacios said she wants to start small before she takes on bigger challenges. “I want to be able to relate to my culture, my background, I am Mexican and I am Hispanic.”

FAVORITE DESIGNERS: Karl Lagerfi eld, Valentino, Isabel Toledo

ONE GARMENT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE IN HER WARDROBE: A dress. There has to be a dress in your closet. There’s always the jacket thing too. Not a lot of women like to show off their arms or chest so they put on a jacket or a blazer, so that’s important as well.

SPECIALIZES IN: Palacios said she designs mostly sportswear, which, in the fashion world, isn’t gym shorts or basket-ball jerseys. “Sportswear would be semi-formal wear, like a dress to go out and eat — something not as formal as a cocktail dress.” However, Palacios said she’s designed formal dresses and a wedding gown as well as a men’s underwear line.


BY CRYSTAL OLVERA

stylelocal fashionistassetting trends at home and afar

Saul IrigoyenFashion isn’t just about runways, magazines and the latest

pieces of couture. It can also be a vehicle for artists to showcase their work. McAllen’s Seudo Collective is hoping to do just that with their latest T-shirt line.

The group is comprised of Saul Irigoyen, Alex Gelman, J. Robert and Monica De Coss, all friends who have decided to celebrate Valley art through clothes.

T-shirts with black and white designs depicting Jesus Christ dressed in a suit and tie while he sips on a glass of wine, or a police lineup of suits with religious symbols for heads are just a few of the designs Irigoyen has created.

“Our main goal is to start a conversation with these im-ages,” Irigoyen said.

The artist, who goes by the name of AMuse, throws pop, religious and political images into a blender to create satirical designs.

As the designer of the group’s first collection, Irigoyen’s designs are reminiscent of graffiti art of world renowned artist Banksy. But Irigoyen admits, his aim isn’t to shock. He considers his art more satirical, such as his Michael Jackson Pollock T-shirt, which features the iconic King of Pop holding a paintbrush with one of Pollock’s abstract pieces for a body.

The collective also plans to create custom-made shirts using prints by Valley artists. Their shirts can be found at McAllen’s Artwalk as well as Room Clothing, which designer De Coss owns.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ART-ISTS? “I like a lot of the classics like Dali, Picasso and modern ones like Banksy. My favorite would be Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. They really incorporate design and art nouveau. They were taking design to the next level.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN: While Irigoyen has a bevy of designs in his collection, his favorite is the fi rst that started it all, which depicts Pancho Villa in a basketball uniform.“It was the beginning of me really fi nding a purpose to the drawings that I was doing. It was beginning of my stencil black and white.”

ANY NEGATIVE REACTIONS? “Yes, to the reli-gious ones. But using Jesus, my purpose was to show it as a brand and say if Jesus was around, they would have him as a poster boy for the religion. It’s about how religion tends to be sold to people. It’s a business in itself.”

DESIGNER: Saul IrigoyenAGE: 27HOMETOWN: McAllenHIGH SCHOOL: Memorial High School Class of 2001COLLEGE: Majoring in art at the University of Texas at San Antonio and University of Texas-Pan AmericanONLINE: Seudocollective.comWEBSITE: facebook.com/seudocollectiv

Laurel St. RomainLaurel St. Romain is living a fashion

lover’s dream. She’s been a VIP at New York Fashion Week, worked alongside the editor of “W Magazine” and designed her own line of hats, which have appeared in “Teen Vogue” and on “Gossip Girl.”

But, believe it or not, Laurel wasn’t always interested in the latest lines or the trendiest garments.

“I think I became interested in fashion by not being interested in fashion,” St. Romain said. As a teen growing up in McAllen, she often shopped at the ropa usada (used clothing) stores around town looking through the piles of clothes for diamonds in the rough. The McAllen High School graduate would create her own fashion by cutting and stitching together the pieces to make her own original garments.

“Recreating these pieces (are what) fi rst piqued my interest in clothing as self-expression. It’s also how I learned about the many ways a garment can be put together,” St. Romain said. “I have

never been the type who wants the ‘it’ bag or the trendy must-have of the season.”

The 29-year-old majored in textiles and apparel at the University of Texas at Austin before she moved to New York to work as an intern at the Betsey Johnson showroom. She has also worked as a freelance photographer for “Forbes,” covering New York’s uber-exclusive fashion week.

“Running around an unknown city on errands was always challenging, but completely rewarding and worthwhile in the end.”

These days St. Romain manages W Magazine Editor-at-Large Lori Goldstein’s studio and works with a bevy of trendsetting photographers, designers and brands on advertising and editorial photoshoots. She also has her own millinery, or hat collection. St. Romain admits it has experienced a rise in popularity after the ostentatious headpieces at the royal wedding made fashion headlines.

ONE GARMENT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE IN HER WARDROBE: “I think that anyone who loves fashion should have that one go-to piece that no matter where they are going or what season it is, that is the piece that will always work. It differs from person to person. For me, it’s a golden gradient baby doll dress. I can wear it to dinner, to a wedding, to the met, to work … well, maybe not to work, but I have before.”

WORDS OF WISDOM ”I honestly feel that if you want something bad enough you can have it. It might not always be easy, and there are some really tough experiences to go through on your rise up, but making it through each one only makes you stronger and more prepared for the next hurdle.

Electronic music DJ and Grammy-nominated artist Paul van Dyk will be performing Sat-urday, Sept. 3, at the Pharr Events Center.

Considered a legend by trance and elec-tronic music fans, van Dyk has been named one of the best DJs in the world by several industry lead-ing magazines, including “Ministry of Sound Maga-zine,” “Mixmag” and “DJ Magazine.”

Tickets, which cost $25 for general admission and $40 for VIP (which includes VIP entrance, VIP lanyard and VIP access to the front of the stage), go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, at the Pharr Events Center box offi ce. They can also be purchased at Ticketmaster.com. [ANS]

WHENWHERE

COST

7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3Pharr Events Center, 3000 N. Cage Blvd.$25, general admission; $40, VIPPharr Events Center box office and www.ticketmaster.com (tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20)

� NEW CONCERTS � SEPT. 3



WE LIGHT THE NIGHT� LOCAL ARTISTS

We Light the Night, a Christian rock band from Brownsville, just returned from a tour that cov-

ered 10,000 miles and two weeks.The group is a big family. Lead singer

Ryan Moore, lead guitarist Chris Moore and bassist Marcus Moore are all broth-ers. Ryan’s vocals are also accompanied by his wife Jacquelyn. Long-time Moore friend Brophy is also in the band.

Their recent tour took them to North Texas, Ohio and even Canada. Lead singer Ryan Moore was kind enough to answer some of our questions recently.

WHAT IS THE BAND’S MISSION?“Our mission is to make a difference in our community, our church and the world. We are all about spreading the name of Jesus everywhere we go. We are all about teaching young people about having a relationship with God instead of being in religion. We have a passion to see churches awaken to the cause of fi ghting injustice wherever it may be found and to see God’s kingdom come on this earth.”

WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLU-ENCE ON YOUR MUSIC?“We all listen to a lot of different music and when we come together we kind of put it all together. My wife and I listen

to bands such as Coldplay, Mutemath, 30 seconds to mars, Future of Forestry, Brooke Fraser and Paper Tongues. My brothers and our drummer listen more to bands like Emery, Underoath, Hawkboy, Memphis May Fire, Closure in Moscow and similar artists. When we come together we bring all of our ideas to the table to make one sound, but at the same time trying to bring originality to the process.”

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RECENT TOUR.“Our recent tour entitled ‘SURGE TOUR’ was great! We are on the road for over 10,000 miles for two weeks. Our fi rst stop was Floresville, Texas then we traveled for a couple of days to play in Cleveland, Ohio. It took us about two and a half days to get to our next location which was in Canada. We played a morn-ing and night service in St. Paul, Alberta. The following day we went to Cold Lake, which was about an hour away. After that, we had a day off and the following day we headed down to Calgary, Alberta. After we played there, we had a 39-hour drive home to play our Sunday morn-ing service at our church. Overall, we saw a lot of great things happen on this tour. The main goal was to see families restored to each other and that happened in every church we got to worship in. It

did get tiring sometimes and we did get on each other’s nerves, but that is just a little part of being on the road.”

HOW DID WE LIGHT THE NIGHT COME TOGETHER?“We Light the Night was birthed at a youth conference we used to have at our church called ‘XMA.’ Pretty much the majority of us are related. Me (Ryan), Chris and Marcus are all brothers. My wife is in the band and originally we had Terah in the band who was the only one who wasn’t related by blood (Brotha from anotha motha). We have, longtime friend, Brophy now who is the only one not related to everyone else. The reason we came together was because we were seeing God do great things during worship and not because of anything we did, but because everything that he did and we decided that we wanted to take this experience to other churches and venues and inspire them to live out their Christian walk and change their world for the better. We were originally called ‘Ryan Moore Band,’ but that changed when I decided I didn’t want this to be about me, but about the people and about God. We don’t try to consider ourselves to be just a band, but a movement. That wherever we get to play our audience knows that they are as much of the band as we are.”

INTERVIEW BY ZACK QUAINTANCE

BROWNSVILLE BAND HITS THE ROAD TO SPREAD WORD OF GOD

AUDITION NOTICES

The Pharr Literacy Project and Cultural Arts Center is producing “Tales of the Hidalgo Pumphouse,” and they need to cast eight chil-dren ages 9 to 16 and eight adults of varying ages. The production will be scheduled sometime between October and January.

WHEN 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, and Wednesday, Sept. 7WHERE: Pharr Literacy Project, Black Box The-ater, 203 W. Park Ave., PharrCALL: (956) 655-9308

‘Tales of the Hidalgo Pumphouse’

� THEATER � SEPT. 6-7

‘Anonymous’“Anonymous,” a 10- to 15-minute short fi lm, needs ac-tors. There are three adult male roles, 2 adult femalesand one each of male and female youth roles. The fi lmalso needs a lot of extras.

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1WHERE: McAllen Public Library, 601 N. Main St., McAllenCALL: (956) 776-8084

� SHORT FILM � SEPT. 1

‘Proof’Auditions for the play “Proof” will be held at 7 p.m. Mon-day, Aug. 29, at the Harlingen Performing Arts Theatre.There are four roles which need to be fi lled, including onemale adult age 50 or older, one male adult age 21 to 35and two female adults age 21 to 35. Actors will be askedto cold read from the script. Understudies and a produc-tion crew will also be needed ...

WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29WHERE: Harlingen Performing Arts Center, 1209 Fair Park Blvd.McAllen

� THEATER � AUG. 29


� LOCAL ARTISTS

m

SINGER WINS SPECIAL AUDITION WITH PRODUCERS OF ‘THE VOICE’

Adaptation seems to be an art local David Garcia hasmastered. Last year, the 26-year-old from Mission auditioned for FOX’s “American Idol” in Dallas, but he

didn’t make it through to the next round.This year, Garcia tried for a spot on NBC’s “The Voice.” The

singer was the winner of a local Valley contest held by KVEOChannel 23, an NBC affi liate, which paid for him to attend theaudition in Houston.

Garcia said there were noticeable differences between theauditions for “AI” and “The Voice.”

Three judges sat in front of the singers in a packed arenafor “AI.”

“Everybody is thrown into the same room … and everyone issinging (at the same time),” Garcia said. “It’s so stressful.”

The setup for “The Voice” was more tolerable, and Garciadidn’t have to stand in line all day. One judge sat in a room where Garcia and nine others gathered to show off their tal-ents.

“‘The Voice’ was a little better,” Garcia said. “It was moreone-on-one.”

As the lead singer for local band Tanke, Garcia has shiftedhis musical style and genres to change with the demand.

“We started doing a little more hip hop because that’s whatpeople wanted, you know, downtown,” Garcia said.

So the former rock and blues band added more funk, r&band hip hop to their repertoire.

“There are rock bands still down here, but they’re not gig-ging as much as they used to,” Garcia said. “I’m fortunate tohave at least two gigs per week.”

While Garcia didn’t make it to the next round for “AI” last season or “The Voice” auditions last week, he’ll keep sing-ing.

“It’s weird how I just transitioned,” he said. “The Valleychanged with downtown, and I just went along with it. I just like music, so I’m not going to just not do music because no-body wants to hear rock. I’m going to go out there and fi nd the music people want to listen to and play it.”

WATCH HIS BAND Wednesday nights at Santa Fe Steak-house and Cantina, 1918 S. 10th St., McAllen; Thursdaynights at Nox Diem, 202 S. 17th St., McAllen

BY AMY NICHOL SMITH

� LOCAL ARTISTS

Local artists and fans of those singers, song-writers and bands have a new home on the in-ternet. ToneFrame.com, created by Harlingen musician Xavier Gonzalez, features artists of the Rio Grande Valley.

The free website allows users to create a pro-fi le, complete with space for a bio, a status up-date, tour information, artist links and videos. There’s also a comment section for fans to con-nect with their favorite singers and bands.

Think of it as a locally-based combination of MySpace and Facebook, but with a focus on music. [ANS]

Directory ofRGV musicianslaunches online

� UPCOMING EVENTS

Celebrate Gladys Porter Zoo’s 40th Anni-versary Saturday, Sept. 3. The zoo will be of-fering rates from 1971. That means if you’re a kid your admission fee is just $.50, $1 for students with ID and $1.50 for adults. There will be 9 birthday parties around the zoo serving cake, ice cream and lemonade. [CO]

Gladys Porter Zoo celebrates anniversary

Monster Car Wash could get TV show

� EXCLUSIVE!

Producers of reality television programming are looking into creating a show based on the employees and customers of Monster Carwash Bar and Grill in Edinburg.

The buzz around the potential TV show is growing and fi lm-ing for a video proposal will begin in the evening Thursday, Aug. 25, according to an employee.

Whether the show will focus on the day-to-day business at the car wash/restaurant/bar or the characters who work there or visit will be determined by what’s captured in the next few weeks there.

It’s the Valley’s chance to be thrust into a national spotlight – will you be there? [ANS]

� NEW CONCERTS

New York-born Latin singer Prince Royce will roll into town Friday, Nov. 11, at the Pharr Events Center.

He received several accolades for his self-titled debut album, including No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Latin Albums and U.S. Tropical Albums charts, three 2010 Latin Grammy awards and a couple of hit singles.

The artist is currently working on his second album and starts touring along-side Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull from September through October.

Ticket information for the concert in November in Pharr is not yet available. [ANS]

Prince Royce


SO YOU THINK YOU CAN SING? NOT REALLY... BUT WHEN HAS THAT STOPPED ANYONE?

� AM SOCIETY � WWW.AMSOCIETY.COM

LOONEY TUNES

BY ALFIE NORIK

Karaoke has been around since the beginning of time, but to-day in McAllen almost every

bar (especially in North McAllen) has at least one (seven) karaoke nights. I went to exactly three places this week, and all three were having a karaoke night. On Tuesday I went to Fast Eddie’s (Nolana) and it was ka-raoke night. I went to Don Pepe’s for 2.5 seconds last night (Wednesday) … and it was karaoke night. I also went to Kave last night and … you get the picture.

I heard some pretty talented sing-ers to be honest, but at Fast Eddie’s there were a few are-you-***ing-kid-ding-me singers that went up. For one poor girl it was awful because the song was super long, and I think she realized she wasn’t very good but re-ally couldn’t stop till the end. At least she had a few supporting girlfriends to buy her shots quickly after to help forget.

Kave had the best set up because there was a band with actual sing-

ers and people could go up and sing along with them. I hadn’t been to Kave for maybe a year and it looked a lot better than I remember. The bar used to be one of the ugliest I had ever seen. Bright orange/red couch-es and TVs everywhere. They really settled it down, and it looked pretty good. I think their stage was great … they have a second level scaffolding where the band members can dance and sing so it really adds to the pre-sentation. They mainly played Span-ish pop. Cover was only three dollars.

It’s not a mystery why karaoke has success here. People … I mean girls love attention and when they’re on stage, all eyes are on them. It also adds something to do and watch in-stead of just sitting around listening to a below average DJ.

I’ve heard that London (on Nolana and near 2nd St.) has a really bump-ing karaoke night on Thursdays with good singers. It might be worth a look if you want some practice before you try out for “American Idol.”

This South Texas native has graced the stage with �� Justin Moore, Randy Owen (Alabama), Tracy Lawrence and Easton Corbin. Showing signs of a fait destined for the stage from the time he was a toddler, Roy has transformed into a country boy who enjoys letting loose and entertaining people who like to do the same. His upcoming album includes tailgate rocking tunes and melodic ballads which are rooted in his “everybody’s drinking buddy” mentality and

the piercing runs of guitar slinger Johnny Garcia, guitarist for Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. While leaving his mark on many stages across the Texas dance hall scene, Roy is ready to stir up some dust as you swing your boots to his debut single, Tailgate Party. This will be sent to radio on Monday, August 29th. This song, which he co-wrote with Troy Powers and Johnny Garcia, is the debut single from Roy’s upcoming project, Heartbreak Roulette, which will be released later this year. Radio programmers can � ��on CDX, Volume 530 or on CD Tex.com. “This is a fun, beer drinking and two stepping song and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it,” says Roy. It’s your turn to become a member of the Tailgate Party. Visit www.RoySolisMusic.com and www.facebook.com/RoySolisMusic for more information.

To schedule an interview with Roy Solis or to request a CD single or mp3 of Tailgate Party, please contact Nicole Zeller at PLA Media, 615-327-0100 or [email protected]. When not out on the road you can catch Roy playing on weekends atClub Hidalgo in Weslaco, Texas. Please check web site for dates at www.RoySolisMusic.com

Roy Solis Hometown Boy Releases Tailgate Party to Radio Station Monday, August 29th

festiva (aug. 26, 2011)

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