Name: Vanessa
Place: Los Angeles
Your relationship to music: Music is a healing force in my life
Industry: Non-profit Director
Vanessa is the friend I have known the longest in Los Angeles. In fact we knew each other before we both lived in L.A. We had worked together at an after school program in Minneapolis called La Escuelita, which helped middle school and high school kids with homework, english language learning, and leadership opportunities. We had an award winning peer health education program. Sadly, the program closed its doors a few years ago. After she moved back to her home state of California she has continued her work with children and their families.
Since reconnecting in Los Angeles, we have seen a lot of music together, the free summer concerts at California Plaza organized by Grand Performances being our favorite. We sat down at Guellaguetza in Koreatown to catch up and talk about her five songs.
5songpjct: What is something you miss about Minneapolis?
Vanessa: How easy it was to get together with friends after work.
5songpjct: Is this due to traffic or the flakiness of L.A.?
Vanessa: Traffic and schedules. That is what the barriers are in Los Angeles. In Minneapolis you didn’t need to schedule things weeks in advance, like you have to here. It was easy to get together and go to the lake or someone’s house. People live in different parts of L.A. which can be a hurdle because people are so separated by distance. It is hard to get together with people after work because people often do not live close to where they work.
I miss Punch Pizza, riding bikes by the lake, experiencing and appreciating seasons. I miss snow and winter, but only when it is white and fluffy snow, not the dirty, brown aftermath of snow being driven over. The cold brought people together as well, because you are spending so much time indoors with people.
I was only in Minneapolis for two years, but felt a sense of community and have a lot of friends still from that time in my life.
5songprjct: Just to give a heads-up to what is coming this week, describe the theme of your five songs.
Vanessa: Hmmmm…I would say that most of these songs reflect points at various stages of my adult life journey. From young adulthood to the present.
Your assignment for Sunday, January 2018
Your homework for today, reader, is to listen to these five songs. Throughout the week we will let you know why they were chosen. They are available on the Spotify playlist, songs 16-20, and the YouTube video is linked to the song title. [Note: Five Song Project it is not responsible for the ad content, it is just something you have to put up with if you have a free account]
[1] Club de Belugas. “Hip Hip Chin Chin.” (Featuring Brenda Boykin.) Minority Tunes, 2003
[2] Sam Smith. “Pray.” The Thrill of it All, Capitolsong Records, 2017.
[3] Koan Sound, asa. “Sanctuary.” Sanctuary EP, OWSLA, 2013.
[4] Coldplay. “Clocks.” A Rush of Blood to the Head, Parlophone/Capitol, 2002.
[5] Ozomatli. “Nadie Te Tira.” Street Signs, Read World/Concord, 2004.
TOMORROW you will learn about the first song on Vanessa’s list.