“When darkness has fallen upon the earth, and the end seems daunting and inevitable, creator will bring her very best warriors to battle in the never-ending struggle between good and evil.” From Artist / Illustrator Audrey McNamara comes The Mission a Graphic Novel which examines the fabric of our daily lives, examining our commonly held conceptions about good and evil, our notions of purity, while blending ancient beliefs with their modern precedents.”
Ms. McNamara states, “In the age of Climate Change, conspiracies and other challenges, The Mission is an apocalypse story with many interesting characters. I wanted to write a story that talks about good and the Bible, Buddhism, meditation. And Chakras… As well as sirens, demons, zombies, unicorns, witches, and spirits. It is a story about the power of good…Good and purity.” She is also the Illustrator on the multimedia Children’s books: Princess Marisol & The Moon Thieves and Princess Marisol & The Portal.
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The Mission
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It’s hard to say whether or not the decision was right. Nevertheless, it was the one I made, and now I was in a pickle, and must simply deal with what was unfolding. I had left Albuquerque feeling excited about finally heading out on the road, but also feeling rather unprepared for the journey I was setting out on. There were so many loose ends dangling about on this project, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it would all come unraveled at any moment. I was nervous and apprehensive about the whole project from the very start, but I was determined to carry it out, nonetheless. And now, there I was in a park in the middle of San Diego, having barely slept the nighty before because I was concerned about the safety, and legality, of where I had pitched my tent. It was Sunday morning and I was desperately searching for my wallet. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Had those kids, who passed by several times during the night, stolen my wallet? Or, had it fallen out, unnoticed, when I was searching for spots to pitch my tent?
Like any good, high level game, my little adventure started off with a doozie of a challenge, and the challenges have continued to show up at every turn. The biggest challenge, has been related to one very specific thing, generating revenue. I am, after all, out here for the very purpose of creating Rev anew – that would be me transforming myself into a financially successful professional artist. This has proven to be a tough endeavor for me, even under the best of circumstances. I have been working toward this goal for 20 years now, and have yet to get there. Admittedly, I have rather odd methods and approaches to this goal. And, this journey is no different.
I set this mission up to be a sink or swim operation, a do-or-die kind of scenario, one that would propel me out of my comfort zone, into unfamiliar territory, where I would be forced to engage in rapid development of my show, myself as an entertainer, and my skills at getting strangers to give me money for the presentation of my art. This has proven to be a quite effective training program. I have had to experiment and explore, live and direct, in front of masses of people, most of whom aren’t really paying much attention to me, unless I provide some hook to draw them in. And, once I have their attention, I have the added challenge of inspiring them to open up their wallets and give me some of their money. So far, I have performed this task far below the level of expectation I had set for myself.
I made the decision to engage in the mission of going on the road with the skeletal elements of my newly created pop-up dragon didgeridoo show (rather impressive skeletal elements, but skeletal elements no less), and nothing more than a vague plan to find appropriate places to present, and develop, my act, mostly through the medium of street performance (aka Busking). The reason I chose this mission, and set it up in such a way that would require me to succeed in order for the journey to be completed, is because it is my route to the next level. Time to up my game.
I am now sitting in a coffee shop on Sunset Boulevard staring out the window – “HOLLYWOOD” looms on the mountainside directly in front of me. Across the street a homeless man, head bowed, sitting on a stoop, picks at his shirt. The next table over an older gentleman is discussing homelessness with his friend. Everywhere I go in LA, homelessness abounds.
My buddy tells me that the homeless population in LA is equivalent to the entire population of Santa Fe. I am taken back for a moment to the home of my childhood, where the HOLLYWOOD sign appeared regularly before my eyes through the glow of a TV screen. Hollywood was the home of the rich and famous, a place that represented fame and fortune, a place I never imagined myself spending any amount of time in. And now, here I am, staying at my buddy’s in Hollywood, sitting at a Starbucks on Sunset Boulevard, and providing entertainment on the boardwalk of Venice Beach. In relation to the entertainment industry, for which this place is so well known, I am the homeless man, begging for change on the street corner, with my cute little pop up show. And yet, my fortune, even if I fail at this mission, is far greater than the actual homeless man I see across the street. I have a home to return to, whether I fail or succeed.
Successful Rebounds
I have the resources to rebound from failure, if it occurs. If this project does come unravelled, I know there are people who’ve got my back. But, this was not always the case. The last time I was at Venice Beach, 20 years ago, I was a broken, wandering fool, living out of a 1969 VW microbus, with no idea of what I had to offer the world, and no community to support me through my struggles. Today I am a Wizard, and by that I mean a one-of-a-kind artist with a special blend of magic, and I’m out there on the boardwalk of Venice Beach learning how to share that magic with the world, and discovering how to go about being financially rewarded for doing so.
My journey will take me north, along the pacific coast, soon. I know that I will have made significant improvement in my presentation and revenue generation wizardry by the time I leave LA. Venice Beach has been a very good training ground and a terrific work environment. I love that it has been my “office”, for this brief moment. Truth is, I’ve always been a bit of a beach bum, with the unfortunate fate of being born, raised, and living most of my life in the desert. Don’t get me wrong, I do love my desert home. But, there has always been a longing deep inside of me to live by the ocean. Thankfully, I’m getting a little taste of that now.
The challenges that have come my way on this journey have truly strengthened me and taught me things I would not have learned otherwise. I am grateful for then all. I am, however, quite ready for a break through in the area of Rev-e-nue generation. May it come soon! Regardless of when, or if, that breakthrough arrives I shall press forward with all the determination of a Wizard who knows his role and the mission set before him. And, I shall wield my magic with all of the finesse and grace that has become mine through the many challenges and struggles I have been through thus far.
I shall also continue to report here, each week, on the progress and developments of this journey, and to offer insights and musings, with the hope of inspiring others to follow their own magic, and make it happen.
I never found my wallet.
The one & only ~ Rev LeReve Tsolwizar
Footnote: After having dinner with my buddy, Roo, we passed by the homeless man I had seen while at Starbucks. Roo asked the man, “Do you smoke?’ The man replied, “yes”. Roo then handed him half a dozen cigarettes, and I handed him the fortune cookie I was holding and said to him, “I know it’s not much brother, but may good fortune come your way!” He graciously accepted the gifts and said, “And, good fortune to the both of you too, sir!”
*****
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Matias Pizarro was born in Santiago, Chile then raised in Brazil, El Salvador, and eventually the United States. He started playing music at age ten, first absorbing Brazilian Samba rhythms and then learning Central American Cumbias and American Classic Rock during his teenage years in war-torn San Salvador. “We used to sneak out of our houses to go play rock n roll under palm thatched roofs in sketchy dives where you would hear nearby bombs and shootings. The older local musicians seemed to find it amusing, and they took us under their wing and showed us the ropes,’’ says Pizarro. While in Central America, he played saxophone and drums in bands throughout out middle and high school, one of which obtained a sponsorship deal with Levi Strauss of El Salvador when he was barely fourteen.
Later on during a three year stint in New York City, he studied drum set technique at world renowned music academy called Drummers Collective in the heart of the city as well as conga and Latin percussion with prominent musicians from the scene.
But Matias’ genuine musical style was defined during his tenure as drummer for Stoic Frame in Albuquerque, NM and then Los Angeles – mixing rock and funk beats with a Latin blend of rhythms, and incorporating the congas, djembe and cajon. Matias also participated actively in the Spanish lyric writing process and co-managed the band as well.
Stoic Frame’s accomplishments in the music world include national distribution, a #1 charting song on the national Spanish Rock Radio & Records charts, having music featured on major network shows such as The Shield on FX, and videos in regular rotation on MTV Español International and Univision. The band was the first independent act ever to reach the number one spot in the Latin Alternative genre. Stoic Frame toured and recorded relentlessly throughout Canada, the Southwest and the West Coast.
Concepts of Percussion
While playing with Stoic Frame, Pizarro was also a founding member of Concepto Tambor, an Afro-Latin hip hop outfit where he honed his Latin style drumming chops (Brazilian beats, afro Latin, salsa and Cumbia). Later on in his career, he discovered the electronics scene in Los Angeles, and with his band Mezklah, explored loops, sampling, sequencing and production. The band blended drum-n’-bass, Cumbia, trip hop and Afro-Cuban beats to create a unique style of music, and played renown LA venues such as Viper Room, House of Blues, Hard Rock Café, Ford Amphitheater, as well touring Mexico and securing a label deal in Japan prior to its sudden break up.
Matias has been involved in numerous other projects in Southern California and New Mexico. He currently lives in San Diego and plays with Marujah, as well as collaborating on an electro-organic dance project in NM called TesuqueRevolt. His main instruments are the drum set and congas, but he is proficient in all Latin percussion, and more recently in production and electronic music using Ableton Live. He is an eclectic musician with an extensive recording catalogue that can seamlessly transition from Rock/Pop to Latin and Electronica.
Saturday, November 15
The Launchpad
618 Central Ave. SW
Albuquerque, NM –
9:00pm, 21+ $10, w/ !Reviva! and Concepto Tambor
Sunday, November 16
Benefit Show for NMARB
The Cell Theatre – Special Intimate Performance with limited seating
700 1st St ,NW
Albuquerque, NM
Starting Time 2pm
All ages, $12 includes refreshments
w/ special guests from Concepto Tambor, Reviva, Keith Sanchez and the Moonthieves, and others
For Tickets visit: LiveAtTheCell.com or 505.766.9412
PRESS INFO
For more information contact:
Alex Paramo / Community Publishing
505-304-8584
alex@communitypublishing.org
Curated by Mary Ann Gilbreth, Ed.D., Department of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership and Policy, at the University of New Mexico. This collections includes the work of her students from several of her Reading Methods Classes, promoting cultural diversity in the classroom.
The one & only ~ Rev LeReve Tsolwizar
