MAS Magazine / 2 - 1 - 2008

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February 1, 2008

THIS WEEK

CONTENTS

FEBRUARY ■ 1 ■ 2007

10-13 COVER STORY

World-renowned DJ duo Eric and Nick Vidal back in town

COMMUNITY NEWS Assemblywoman Nicole Parra is looking for interns

RECIPE Cupcakes fun to make at home

THE LATINO VOTE

Leonel Martinez on why Latino voters may tilt the election

PROPOSITION 92

Prop 92 will place community colleges on stable financial footing

OPINION Columnist Maria Machuca on why Hillary has her vote

10-13

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5 6 7 8 9

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CLASSIFIEDS Buy, sell and hire

Did You Know?

General Manager

Super Bowl XLII will be broadcast in 30 different languages.

Eleven languages will be featured in live broadcasts originating from University of Phoenix Stadium, including English, Danish, Flemish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Source: The Sports Network

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February 1, 2008

MÁS

Olivia Garcia ogarcia@masbakersfield.com 395-7487

Cover photo: LeMar j / Vestige Imagery

Volume 3, Issue 19

Mas Magazine (USPS 000-000) is a weekly publication of Mercado Nuevo LLC with main offices at 1522 18th Street Bakersfield, CA 93301. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Rate is pending at Bakersfield, CA 93303. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: Mercado Nuevo Publications PO Box 2344 Bakersfield, CA 93303. MÁS is a new weekly magazine focused on Hispanic people, style, culture and issues in Kern County. MÁS is a publication of Mercado Nuevo, LLC, a subsidiary of The Bakersfield Californian. For questions or for more information about MÁS or other publications of Mercado Nuevo, contact us: Mercado Nuevo LLC P.O. Box 2344 Bakersfield, CA 93303; (661) 716-8640 www.mercadonuevocorp.com or www.masbakersfield.com. The Mas name and logo design are trademarks of Mercado Nuevo and cannot be used without the company’s permission.

, m a e t J D / e s v r a e g oth never r b ld dal, e i f s i r V e k k Ba & Nic dreams Eric n radio up o PHOTO BY LEMAR J

T H E Y (O U R PA R E N TS) NEVER FORCED US TO DO ANYTHING. THEY KIND OF JUST LET US THRIVE AND D O W H AT W E WANTED TO DO. — ERIC VIDAL

B Y

M A T T

M U Ñ O Z

ife for The Baka Boyz has always been a freestyle family affair.

Bakersfield born and raised, the worldrenowned DJ duo of Eric and Nick Vidal has been breaking new ground in the nightclub, radio and music world since 1984.

Highly respected players in a music game crowded with one-hit wonders, the brothers have grown up in a parallel universe as innovative music tastemakers and talented m’ijos to loving parents Frank and Terry Vidal.

“They never forced us to do anything,” said Eric Vidal, 38, of their parents, who granted the boys a license to spin at a very young age. “They kind of just let us thrive and do what we wanted to do.”

Like any normal teen, Eric at 15, and pre-teen Nick at 12, the Vidal boys knew exactly what they wanted to do — have fun.

On weekends, the Vidal residence transformed into a virtual nightclub courtesy of their older brother Frank Jr., who hosted regular parties in the neighborhood.

As Frank Jr.’s parties grew in popularity, Frank and Terry’s status also rose.

Still too young to grasp the concept of what was about to become the blueprint to their future, Eric and Nick and the rest of the family, including sister Zina, were about to take the house party concept to the next level and open their own nightclub.

“My father’s business (San Joaquin Construction) was not doing well at that moment, but we had a chunk of money saved,” said Nick. “He wanted to put his money into a 21-and-over club.”

Fittingly named Vidal’s, the club opened its doors in 1984 on

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M Á S

S T A F F

the corner of Union Avenue and California, the former site of the Bakersfield Inn and famous “Bakersfield” street sign.

The venue came with an upstairs and downstairs room.

Upstairs was to be for 21 & over, while downstairs was meant for 16-and-over dancing.

“It was all family run,” said Nick. “My mom was at the door and at the concession stand selling cokes and hot dogs, and my dad was everywhere, doing the sound and lights.”

The club light show and decor consisted of pure homemade ingenuity, courtesy of their father, who visited DJ equipment shops for building ideas.

“We’d go to shops in L.A. and he’d see these lights and say, ‘Well, I could make that!,’ and sure enough he would,” said Eric.

“He’d take PVC pipe, punch holes in them and place Christmas lights in them to make his own fixtures, and even made a spinning light ball out of a salad bowl.”

Let’s not forget the famous Vidal “fog machine.”

“The light truss also doubled as the fog machine, and looked like a spider on the roof,” laughed Eric. “People got excited when we used it, but the only problem was the (fog) residue. It would make the floor slippery, and people would dance the paint off.”

Nick immediately became drawn to the excitement and temptation of the club’s atmosphere, courtesy of resident DJs Moses A and Frankie Perez.

“Everywhere they DJ’d it was crazy,” remembered Nick of his early introduction to DJ culture. “Moses had the girls, the cigarette, the drink, and I was really attracted to that. At 2 a.m., Moses would leave his DJ equipment at the club, and it would be just me, security and my father. I would experiment with hooking it up.”

Continued on page 12

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February 1, 2008

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COURTESY PHOTOS

Right: Terry Vidal Below: Nick, father Frank, and Eric Vidal inside the KKXX FM Bakersfield studio in 1991.

PHOTO BY LEMAR J

Continued from page 11 His father soon began to nurture young Nick’s interest during his sixth grade year at Leo G. Pauley Elementary School in Bakersfield. It wasn’t long before he took over DJ duties on Friday and Saturday nights at the club.

When news spread of a young wunderkind DJ from Bakersfield, the dance club became more popular than ever, even booking rock bands during the week, like then unknowns Red Hot Chili Peppers and L.A. punkers Black Flag.

Eric, who also began to take turns on the turntables, remembers the ethnic audience make-up and music of the mid-’80s Vidal’s soundtrack.

“The people were mainly white and Latin,” he said. “We were playing Depeche Mode, Madonna, Divine, Frankie Goes To Hollywood. We started out with that, but then got introduced to the high-energy, disco / Florentine Gardens scene sound from L.A. — Dead or Alive, Tapps, L.A. Dream Team, songs like ‘Mandolay’ and ‘Sussudio.’”

While the success of the all-ages club was on a roll, the progress upstairs began to slow. Once the rent went up, the hunt was on for a new club.

In the meantime, Eric and Nick continued performing anywhere they were welcome, including swap meets, Armory halls and the Delano winery.

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MÁS

Eventually finding a location off Easton Drive (behind Circuit City), the Vidals proceeded with caution.

“I remember staying at my aunt’s house so we could work and get our stuff together,” said Eric. “We persevered and made it through that time.”

DJ Sid Perry from Bakersfield, who also began spinning alongside the Vidals during that time, became a creative force within the operation. Now a trio, they dubbed themselves “Sly, Slick and Wicked.” Complete with two floors, including a balcony for patrons to look down on the dance floor, the venue was ahead of its time.

The club closed a year later in ’88, but the memories were plentiful.

“We booked Expose, Flock of Seagulls, and Connie,” fondly remembered Nick of the high-caliber acts from back in the day.

While the popularity of the freestyle, dance sounds of the ’80s began to wane, rap and hip-hop music began to become the music of choice for young, urban crowds.

Enter the age of hip-hop culture.

Back to mobile DJng as ‘ENV’ Productions, the Vidal’s decided to end their nightclub days and turn to the airwaves to further enhance their reputations in the city.

While at South High School, the boys got their own mix show on former KYLD 1350 AM in Bakersfield on Friday and Saturday

PHOTO BY J-LOVE

Welcome to Miami: The Baka Boyz pose inside the WMIB studios in Miami, Florida in 2003.

nights from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. The show was an instant hit with fans of the clubs and cruisers who packed Chester Avenue downtown every weekend.

The show lasted five months, but unfortunately did not lead to another gig — at first.

By this time, the brothers were on their own in the DJ world, selling records and bringing income back to help the family. Dad went back to construction.

Taking a cue from friend and peer Tony G, who also owned a record store in L.A., they decided to forge into unknown territory.

A part-time producer and beat maker, Tony G introduced the Vidals to the art of music making. Not by playing other people’s records, but making their own.

“We figured if they weren’t going to let us DJ on the radio, we’re going to create our own music so they have to play us,” explained Nick. “Eric bought an SB12 drum machine, and once we had some cool tracks to show off, we started getting gigs.”

In 1991, KKXX FM in Bakersfield decided to give the Vidals their own Saturday night mix show, eventually making them the station’s music directors.

That didn’t keep them from making original beats in their off-time.

Working with rappers Ice Cube and The Pharcyde, their reputation grew.

“We were managed by Buzz Tone Management, who was putting out

records by Cypress Hill, House of Pain, and Rage Against The Machine,” said Eric. “Then we started working at Power 106 FM in L.A.” Looking to break into the L.A. market, the two took the midnight to 2 a.m. shift with their first show, “Friday Night Flavas,” as The Baker Boyz, a name play on their hometown of Bakersfield, courtesy of Latin rapper, ALT. “We were staying at ALT’s house in El Monte,” remembered Nick. “We walk into a room where he’s with some buddies drinking and playing cards, and ALT goes, ‘Hey guys, it’s the Baker Boys!’ Me and Eric look at each other with our eyes wide open, and go ‘Word!’”

Picking up on the lingo of hip-hop, they soon changed the “Baker” to “Baka,” and “Boys” to “Boyz.”

The popularity of the “Flavas” show made appearances by up-and-coming stars an essential part of making it in business. Artists like P. Diddy, Biggie Smalls, and a then unknown rapper by the name of Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, all made a point to stop by.

After eight months of buzzing in latenight with live, on-air mixing, their biggest and best opportunity came in 1993, when the Power 106 FM Morning Show with The Baka Boyz hit the air.

Power 106, which was evolving from a dance station to hip-hop powerhouse, gave the Vidals a platform that would solidify them as industry stars and make

The Baka Boyz past and present. Keep up with the Baka Boyz at their official Web site: www.thebakaboyz.com

Continued on page 19

MÁS

February 1, 2008

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Good Morning L.A.: The Baka Boyz, Eric and Nick, with rapper Busta Rhymes and DJ C-Minus at the Power 106 FM studio in Los Angeles, Calif. in 1997.

Continued from page 13 their show a top ratings-getter in Los Angeles for six strong years. In addition to a respectable amount of money, they were also the subject of a TV show pilot, aptly titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Baka Boyz.â&#x20AC;? It never went beyond pilot, but makes for a good story.

Funny, fast and full of improv comedy skills, the yin and yang balance of the Vidal brothers kept listeners on their toes during the trafficjammed L.A. mornings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we laugh, we knew somebody else would be laughing,â&#x20AC;? added Eric.

Now a force to be dealt with, their rise to the top of the hip-hop radio pantheon hit a crack in the groove when the station ran a controversial billboard campaign featuring the two DJs sitting on toilets, pizza boxes on their laps, and the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;Two Phat Mexicansâ&#x20AC;? emblazoned across the top of the signs.

Another comedic play on words, the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;phatâ&#x20AC;? in the hip-hop vernacular signifies approval. But the duo came under fire by L.A. Latino leaders and some in Hollywood who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the joke. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People picketed us and caused a fuss for awhile, but the promotion was great,â&#x20AC;? laughed Nick.

From 1999 to 2001, it was back to work and breaking new ground in different cities like San Francisco (KMEL), Miami (WMIB), even opening a Bakersfield record store for DJs (Cali Kings).

With more experience than many of their contemporaries, and at the top their craft, the Vidals were reminded of the fragility of life away from the spotlight.

By the end of 2001, the people responsible for teaching them the most important lessons in life â&#x20AC;&#x201D; their parents, Frank and Terry â&#x20AC;&#x201D; became suddenly ill. Taking a break from radio, the brothers returned home to Bakersfield to help.

Both parents passed away within three months of each other in 2002. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were very lucky to have them as parents,â&#x20AC;? said Eric. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They always liked being around us.â&#x20AC;?

Today, The Baka Boyz name continues to expand its musical reach throughout the country, with more radio stations adding their highly successful â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hip-Hop Master Mixâ&#x20AC;? radio show to programming schedules in 2008.

Nick is now married with four children, and owns residences in both Florida and Los Angeles. Eric resides in Sherman Oaks, Calif., with his dogs and a vast library of video games designed for self-prescribed â&#x20AC;&#x153;stress relief.â&#x20AC;?

Currently broadcasting their morning show to San Diegoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blazinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 98 FM seven days a week out of Burbank, Calif., The Baka Boyz remains a freestyle family affair.

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February 2, 2008

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