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MUSIC vcreporter.com “I do it to keep people happy” Manager, musician John Grimaldo discusses playing under House Arrest by Tim Pompey
tjpompey@gmail.com
House Arrest, from left: Johnny Jacinto (alto sax/lead vocals), Dennis Akesson (tenor sax/backup vocals), Freda Ramey (lead vocals), Danny Torres (keyboards), John Grimaldo (guitar/band director), DaLaun Martin (drums/percussionist) and Jeremy Kirsch (bass guitar). Photo courtesy Freda Ramey
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described being tossed out of the Troubadour when his band started playing Latin-tinged music. Today, however, it’s another story. Grimaldo has found successCHECK with localLIST: band House Arrest, p address is correct p expiration date is correct p spelling is correct which he manages.p phone number is correct “It’s a unique sound out of East L.A.,” he stated. “It’s Chicano SoulPLEASE — a mixNOTE: of rock, R&B, slow DEADLINE FOR AD CHANGES IS 12:00 NOON THE TUESDAY PRIOR TO THAT ISSUES R jams and Latin music influenced by our roots.” sponsored by All advertising produced by the production department of Times Media Group, is the copyrighted property of Times Media G He points to bands Losplacement Lobos and use like otherTierra, than the of advertising in any of Times Media Group’s publications is prohibited without the express El Chicano as examples of the “feel” and culture. Times Media Group, plus any applicable fees. Grimaldo also actively recruits members and subs p OK to run Date: _________________________ from his decades-old network of musician friends p OK to run out of East L.A. This proof is to check for accuracy and is notthe intended show quality of reproduction. with correction Signature: _____________________ Asked to explain band’sto sound, Grimaldo said, “The magic is in the horns. I always have a horn section. It’s rooted in traditional Mexican music, where horns of some type were always ♦ present. Fathers and families passed this down to Sunrise 6:40 a.m. • Sunset 4:47 p.m. us. You can12-7 hear it in TexMex, and1 you can hear the Patio Restaurant 2x6.indd flavor in the acoustic guitar sounds of Los Lobos.” LOW TIDE HIGH TIDE Now in his 70s, managing a band is a lot of AM HT PM HT AM HT PM HT work for little pay, but Grimaldo loves the music. Thur ------ ---8:21 0.6 11:49 4.6 ------ ---“I do it to keep people happy, to heal people, and Fri 8:07 3.6 9:20 0.6 4:34 3.7 1:10 4.2 to see smiles on their faces.” House Arrest features John Grimaldo (lead Sat 10:03 3.1 10:10 0.7 4:54 4.0 2:49 4.0 guitar), Johnny Jacinto and Freda Ramey (lead Sun 11:09 2.4 10:54 0.7 5:14 4.4 4:15 3.9 vocalists), Dennis Akesson (tenor sax), Ed Weiss Mon 11:59 1.6 11:33 0.9 5:37 4.9 5:26 4.0 (trombone), Ray Cordova (keyboardist), Jeremy Tues ------ ---- 12:44 0.7 6:03 5.5 6:28 4.1 Kirsch (bass) and DaLaun Martin (drummer). Wed 12:11 1.0 1:28 -0.1 6:33 6.1 7:24 4.2 John Grimaldo Jr. is the band’s sound engineer. Surf Report: Northwest swell is due this Friday and Saturday Photo of John Gianelli by Robert Chapman
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f you could use one phrase to describe John Grimaldo and House Arrest, it’s old-school East Los Angeles with a beat. Featuring seven to nine pieces, including horns, the band’s style varies from rock to R&B to jazz to cumbia (a Mexican genre played specifically for dancing, which traces its roots to Columbia, Cuba and even German polka music). It’s a sound that Grimaldo describes as “raw, down-to-earth dancing.” Grimaldo is from the San Fernando Valley, and recalls that, in the ’50s and ’60s, there was music everywhere. “Growing up in Pacoima, there was a band on every other block.” Pacoima was also the hometown of Chicano rock pioneer Ritchie Valens . . . who happened to be best friends with Grimaldo’s father. And there were musicians in the family as well, like his grandfather, Ignacia Benavides and his sister, a recording artist in East L.A. When he was young, Grimaldo came across an old, broken steel guitar a family member had tossed out. Determined to play like his grandpa, he mended the guitar using two-by-fours. According to Grimaldo, it was music that saved him from the clutches of the “Pachucos” (gang members) when he was in junior high school. “They found out I played music and left me alone,” he said. Grimaldo’s cultural influences were two-fold: guitars and cars. In his day, they were inseparable. Like the Beach Boys and surf, he collected cars and wrote songs about his local car culture. He still drives his own classic, a 1950 Chevy Panel called Trigger. He launched his music career in the 1960s with some original songs. As a Latino artist, it was tough to be taken seriously. Record companies considered his style of music a non-starter, and Grimaldo
House Arrest plays every Sunday, 1-4 p.m., at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard. For performances at other venues, check out the band’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook. com/john.grimaldo.144.
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