‘Si ayer fuera hoy’ ARTS

An interview and concert recap with Spanish-speaking band Morat

By Regina Robert Staff Writer

Disclaimer: Morat was interviewed by The Paisano in their native language. English translations will follow Spanish quotes in parenthesis.

“Musica de banda, de instrumentos,” (Band music with instruments), answered Juan Pablo Isaza after being asked how Morat would describe their sound to a new audience. This is an answer that seems very simplistic, but after watching Morat perform on the stage, it fits perfectly.

While introducing their single “No Se Va,” (It Does Not Leave), the band played each instrumental layer of the song, one by one. During his monologue, Isaza stated why they are band music with instruments when introducing Simón’s bass, “tal vez no se escuche, pero se siente” (It might not be heard, but it can be felt). The band would go on to share the stage with Grupo Frontera, who covered a norteño version of their song in spring 2022, which would go viral and chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Colombian quartet is composed of lifelong friends Isaza and Juan Pablo Villamil, along with brothers Simón and Martín Vargas. In the reggaeton-saturated world of Latin music, Morat is a breath of much-needed fresh air. The band’s “SI AYER FUERA HOY” (IF YESTERDAY WAS TODAY), tour comes just in time for the release of their most recent album of the same name, with the lead singles such as “Llamada Perdida” (Missed Call), being released throughout 2022.

“Nosotros, creo, que nunca hemos sido una banda que quiera quedarse como algo constantemente,” (We have never been a band that likes to be the same constantly), Villamil said. The band opened with their hit song “Besos en Guerra” (Kisses in War), from their sophomore album “Balas Perdidas,” (Lost Bullets), but took a

RileyCarroll/ThePaisano

more rock approach, a genre that the band has gradually leaned into throughout the years and would like to continue to explore.

“Yo creo que para, uno de [hacer esto de carrera] hay que ser bastante sensible,” (I think that [to do this as a career] one must be pretty sensitive), Isaza explained. He shared that composing their music is not necessarily about their own experiences but about being able to be empathetic towards others and “exagerar incluso muchas veces para salir con frases bonitas,” (exaggerate many times to produce pretty phrases), an art they mastered in the song “Debi Suponerlo,” (I Should Have Known), which elicited an outstanding emotional reaction from the audience.

Morat’s popularity can not only be credited to their songwriting but the emotion they put into it, which is clear while they are on stage. They have proven to be great songwriters, but they are also very charismatic

A connection between planning and art

Why you should consider bullet journaling

By Gauri Raje News Editor

I first encountered bullet journaling back in 2018 when I started watching videos by YouTuber and artist AmandaRachLee. A couple of months later, I bought my first journal and never looked back. After that, bullet journaling weaved itself effortlessly into my life, combining my love for art with my habit of planning.

As an artist, my journal has undoubtedly served as a creative outlet for me; above all, it has provided me with a way to keep myself organized. At its core, bullet journaling is a concise and personalizable approach to planning.

Originally developed by Ryder Carroll, a digital product designer and author, bullet journaling is an “analog system” which allows you to concisely organize your to-do lists, tasks and other thoughts.

A typical bullet journal includes the yearly, monthly and daily logs, also referred to as spreads. A yearly log, also known as a future log, is set up at the beginning of a new year and gives you a bird’s eye view of the year. On the other hand, the monthly and daily logs are set up as the year progresses and allow for more detailed planning.

The system also uses simple symbols to denote tasks and events. In addition, there are signs and symbols to denote the completion of a task, the migration of a task to another day or its cancellation as well. This system of signs and symbols is called a key.

Together, these two elements form the basis of bullet journaling. Every month, you set up your monthly

Tuesday, Feb. 7: spread, noting important dates, deadlines and tasks you want to accomplish for the month, referring to your future log as needed. As the month progresses, you set up a daily log to plan out your day with the help of your monthly log, using the key to keep track of events and tasks.

Along with spreads for planning, bullet journaling is also a great way to dump your thoughts, make lists or track essential habits as you plan.

While a lot of these things can be implemented into a premade planner, what attracted me to the system is that nothing is set in stone — you start your journal on a blank slate and make your monthly and daily logs as you go, which allows you to experiment with your planning. There are so many people whose journals I have come across over the years, with everyone adding their unique touch to their journaling process. Your journal becomes a reflection of your life — an organized snapshot that makes you more mindful of the things you do.

As someone who has used a premade planner in the past, I found that they did not provide me with the flexibility that bullet journaling does. Pre-made planners can become monotonous, and there is no way to play around with layouts or change things up as your plan-

Join UTSA Campus Recreation for their “Early Bird Competition” from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Recreation Wellness Center. The challenger is a “circuit-like” set of exercises that must be completed in succession.

In honor of Black History Month, UTSA Roadrunner Pantry will host a food drive from Feb. 6 to Feb. 24. Drop off your “non-perishable, non-ex pired and unopened food items and hygiene products” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays at the Undergradu ate Studies Office (MB 3.108).

UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA) will host “COLFA Taco Tuesday” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the COLFA Student Success Center (MH 376).

The Biomedical Engineering Society and Makerspace Innovators present a “Slicer and 3D Printing Workshop” that will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Science and Engineering Building Makerspace (1.150).

UTSA Campus Recreation will host their “Night Owl Competition” from 5 to 8 performers. Simón, for example, is the most fun to watch as he moves and grooves with every song. He never stands still and keeps an extremely consistent energy from beginning to end. On the other side is Villamil, whose moves might not be very telling, but his eyes are. There is a lot of gentle but strong passion in his eyes that allows the audience to feel what he feels. Isaza’s strong performance point is his voice. The emotions are all well-channeled through his vocals, especially with his resonating note at the end of “Yo No Merezco Volver” (I Do Not Deserve to Come Back). Finally, the drummer Martín is an absolute spectacle, with his sunglasses, mint-colored hair and contagious energy that he emits from behind his drums, which shatters any barrier between him and their fans. ning needs evolve throughout the year. p.m. at the Recreation Wellness Center. The challenge is also a “circuit-like” set of exercises that must be completed in succession.

But this is not the best or the last of them the world will hear. “Nuestras canciones y al igual que a otros conceptos suele ser bastante recurrente,” (our songs and like other concepts it is very recurrent), Izasa shared, about the conjugation of the Spanish verb volver (to return). The use of the word “volver” allows them to return “a una mentalidad que muchas veces siento como si no hubiera pasado el tiempo,” (to a mentality that I have felt many times as if time has not passed), which he credits to allow them to be healthy and working.

As Isaza said, they are a band with instruments, a fact that can be felt physically, spiritually and emotionally. Watching Morat perform live is like watching a painter create their masterpiece — an unforgettable experience.

On the other hand, once you get the hang of bullet journaling, you can start exploring different layouts to organize your tasks and see what works best for you. During the five years I have been bullet journaling, I have come up with many different ways to organize various aspects of my life and all I needed was a notebook and a pen.

Yes, most people who bullet journal use a dotted notebook, but that is not a requirement. I used to bullet journal in an old lined notebook and found it just as effective. And if paper is not your thing, you can also bullet journal digitally.

Bullet journaling lacks the formality of a pre-made planner but does not fall short of being an effective way to plan. It is a more personalized way of staying on top of things.

So, if you are looking for ways to improve your organizational skills and want to try something new, I highly recommend giving bullet journaling a try.

Wednesday, Feb. 8:

“COLFA Conference & Showcase - Oral and Poster Presentation Workshop Series” will be held from 2 to 2:30 p.m. in the COLFA Student Success Center (MH 376). “Join COLFA Student Success Center for a workshop series designed to get you ready for the 2023 COLFA Research Conference and Showcase!” Design and present your poster at 1 p.m., then participate in the Adobe Express tutorial at 2 p.m. For Black History Month, the UTSA Racial Justice Book Club will read and discuss “Black Cake” by Charmaine Wilkerson from 2 to 3 p.m. online. Sign in on RowdyLink to join the virtual event. There will be an online “Breathwork and Meditation” session from 5 to 6 p.m. to “provide unique breathwork techniques and guided meditation for relaxing the mind.”