Carlos Guitarlos born, Carlos Daniel Ayala in 1950, Carlos grew up in the northeast Los Angeles community of Cypress Park.

In 1980 at age 30 co-founded the infamous LA band, Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs. The Band became known for their raucous shows and heavy drinking and developed a devoted following on the 1980’s Los Angeles club scene. In the 90’s with the band dissolved, Carlos relocated to San Francisco where he played on the streets. After the death of his band mate Top Jimmy in 2001 and his own near death from years of hard living, Carlos is now clean and sober and his playing is better than ever.

Last night’s show at Liquid Kitty saw Carlos with a new band, a new CD and a great and thriving energy. His new CD, Hell Can Wait has charted at #1 on the XM Satellite Radio Blues chart.

Carlos Guitarlos returns to Liquid Kitty on February 5th

http://www.carlosguitarlos.com/

http://thekitty.com/

Date: 2008-04-03, 2:18PM PDT


One Day @ The Scratch DJ Academy


From: DJ TOSHBIKO

Date: Apr 3, 2008 1:24 PM
Subject: One Day @ The Scratch DJ Academy -Current mood: artistic
One Day @ The Scratch DJ Academy
Dj Toshbiko-
Seeking Knowledge from The Cradle 2 The Grave.






It was a Monday I was working behind the desk at the Scratch Dj Academy, doing some paper work, going online and advertising the academy and the Train Wreck Dj Crew.





Working out questions for kids to answer who will attend the Hitmakers Camp, trying to adapt those questions for kid’s ages 12-17. My homeboy Val is the working on the computer as we glance at the TV it bumps the video collection of Redman.





The day was normal; I’m trying to wake up from the 3 buses 2 train ride journey it takes to get to work. Dealing with mass life issues, trying to put them all in perspective, looking for that light in mass darkness, knowing, praying for some balance, between being a Dj and hooking up some gig so the dream wont’ be deferred. Wanting that sign up above to let me know I was on the right path.





Like the gods of music were tuned into my frequency, in walk two very nice ladies, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, little did I know these were not two average ladies, no, just two Grammy Award winning musician.





These two women have been partners for 20 years now; they have been spreading the love of eclectic folk music for children and adults with mass grace and style on their own terms. Two Grammy Awards/ eleven nominations, forty Whammy Awards (Washington Area Music Association) even with all this success they had the kindness you would hope all musician had. With anticipation written on their faces they asked for the Director of the Scratch Dj Academy/ Dj Hapa.





With the huge question that floated in my mind, why would two very polite ladies with what look like guitar cases and what I thought was a violin, want to come to the academy full of DJ’s and hook up with Hapa?

I was about to find out, the correlation of how music bridges gaps, puts people together in ways to express the pure love of music, plain and simple. My stressed out Monday, of not enough this or that for one brief moment was going to vanish.




First of all I love music, all styles; I never wanted to be tied down to any one style or genre that locks me in a box as a Dj. That would not be my definition of freedom of expression.





Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer’s music of bluegrass/folk music is connected with the history of blues music, jazz; and so on.




We are all connected in some way especially in the world of music.




For me, to be a Dj is not just learning the craft, it’s to continue to have an open mind to music. I hope that will set me apart from other DJ’s.





Growing up as a child, with music as my best friend, my Walkman would bump the sounds of Public Enemy/Krs-One with a blink of eye I could be chilling with the sound track to the movie Shogun or chilling out with James Taylor without missing a beat. Music was and still is my best ally.



I was going to experience, that open minded music connection first hand, not just spin a mix but see one happened live!

When Cathy, Marcy, and Hapa went upstairs to the studio the last thing in the world I thought I was going to hear was the booming sounds of J.J. Fad’s 1988 hit Supersonic.



With the skills of Cathy and Marcy playing a banjo/ukulele then at one point the mandolin riding on top of the beat effortlessly, a beat I grew up with and put on many mix tapes for friends on cassette!

My Dj ear was on blaze, at first my Hip Hop ego comes out and says no way, and the Dj’s ear was like hell ya! Trying to stay focused on my work the Dj ear wins, it always does, it loves music in all its forms, it will not be denied, it feeds on sound.



A fish needs water my Dj ear needs music!

Then Hapa drops Hip Hop is dead by Nas, and Cathy and Marcy instruments are bringing a feel to this beat I never could’ve imagined. I could hear struggle mixed in with hope being played all at the same time.





I thought of records I own that I never thought to put together come together. My artist minds eye was unlock, I couldn’t just hear what they were doing I could sense it. Hapa told us to come upstairs, I ran like a child going to the front gates of Disneyland, when you think anything is possible. Cathy is playing a banjo that looks like if it could talk it would tell you every where it’s traveled. Marcy, with that great smile on her face is playing a small gray ukulele and getting more sound out of it then a full sized guitar.





Hapa is spinning records, dropping beats with ease, they are jamming like no other. The technology of the turntables mixed with classic instruments, this moment is all that matters. All my worries, concerns about life have now been washed away in music even if was for a moment.





I’m in the mist of a Hip Hop-Hoe Down; nobody could tell me this was not cool. Marcy, Cathy, and Hapa connected worlds, connected culture. It was an honor to see it, hear it, and feel it. When they stop playing, I notice Cathy’s banjo had Pete Seeker’s signature on it. I knew about him from my grandmother, and my studies about the civil rights movement and the protest of the Vietnam War. Seekers music had its roots grounded in the voice of the people demanding change.





Seeker was green; way before the term was used to sell cars or to remind us that the polar ice caps are an issue. Maybe we should think about gas/oil as not the only substance for fuel. He was a pioneer of protest music, and I had admired him as much as Bob Marley or Peter Tosh, freedom fighters for truth that used music to change the world.





His last name is Seeker, I seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave, that’s my Dj tag line Seeker lived his life by my tag line everyday. Cathy, told us about working with Seeker on cretin projects and before you know it I was listening to true history from someone who had been through it.





Seeker’s ability to share music to such a diverse crowd and his ability to give music to the world, I hope to be that kind of Dj, to inspire others through music. After the amazing music history lesson, Hapa drops this sick ass beat, Cathy has got me reading lines from Mark Twain out loud, my brother in sound Dj Printz is video taping it. Marcy whips out this wash board, with a bell, on top, a pan lid with a wooden block at the bottom all attached as one instrument and hits beats on it with spoons.





Then she pulls out her mandolin that looks more like a piece of art then an instrument this was no violin, but the sound it creates fills the room then rests right on top of the beat; ever see a bird fly then land so smooth and graceful on a tree branch it was something like that. I watch the huge grin on Marcy’s face as Hapa uses some of the effects on the mixer to tweak the music.





Hapa would drop the beat for four bars Cathy and Marcy would follow right along. Watching the communication between two turntables a laptop, banjo and a mandolin kinda wish people could get along with each other as well as these instruments did.



The only thing I could think of was the commercial when the chocolate went into the peanut butter and vise versa before you new it you had a something really good!

The whole experience was on point! It will be a moment I will never forget. That late night journey on the bus home, I kept thinking, that will be me someday, sharing my gift to others. I know I’m on the right path.



If an obstacle comes my way I will just play a banjo slash mandolin song!

From the bottom of my heart I say thank you to Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer for sharing their gift and their zeal for music, thank you for respecting us Dj’s and treating us like musicians.




Just one day @ Scratch Dj Academy Los Angeles.





PEACE-MUSIC-AND-FREEDOM TO YOU BOTH.



MAY YOU GET BACK EVERY DAY, THE JOY YOU BRING TO OTHERS!


DJ TOSHBIKO- ((FINDING OTHER’S WHO SEEK KNOWLEDGE FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE.

))

((Music Home Work))
Pete Seeger
Ella Jenkins
Woody Guthrie
Leadbelly
The Byrds
The Weavers
The history of blue grass and folk music
The history of the song "We Shall Overcome"
Cathy Fink
Marcy Marxer
J.J.



Fad’s 1988 Supersonic