It's A Tejano Weekend in DH

From UT:Austin- The Roots of Tejano & Conjunto Music-

The roots of Tejano and Conjunto music are as widespread and diverse, and run as deep, as the traditions, cultures and people which gave them life. The main root is the music of Mexico with all its regional and class variations, its extraordinary range of songs and dances, and its social and religious lyrics ranging from the solo voice to the powerful sound of the bandas from Sinaloa to the highly stylized format of today's mariachis. The genteel polished urban orchestras as well as the often untrained rural string bands, the romantic bolero singers, the smooth as well as the gutsy, male and female rural ranchera stars, the vocal trios, the Jarocho harp music of Veracruz, the Huastecan fiddlers and falsetto singers, the danzon and mambo orchestras, and above all the norteño sound of the accordion accompanying the duet vocals from the North, have all contributed to the sound of present day Tejano and Conjunto music.

The musical traditions of the Tejanos of South Texas and Norteños of Northern Mexico have been influenced not only by the mother country Mexico, but also by their Anglo, African, and immigrant neighbors like the Czechs, Bohemians, and Moravians as well as the Germans and Italians.

These various incorporations and collaborations led to Tejano music, native to Tejas. Names like Little Joe y La Familia, La Mafia, Sunny Ozuna, our reina, Selena, and Mazz brought to life the spirit of being Tejan@.

And in recognition of our Tejan@ roots, this Saturday, August 21, 2010 at Palmers Ice House, DJ tomcruz and DJ Steve Audio will go head to head for

The 1st EVER

DJ TEJANO/CUMBIA BATTLE!!!

The show starts at 8pm and will also include special guests The Saints & Sinners.
Organizer Mike Marron had this to say about Saturdays big show!:

"The Saints & Sinners" have a 5 piece horn section with congas and that the band consists of 11 members which is a rare special treat for music and dancing lovers.The band performs a variety of music from Tejano/Cumbia/Latin/ and Old School R&B Funk music. You hardly ever see big groups like this performing these days!
Every dollar you pay is well worth it and actually you are getting way more than you pay for.
We will be making history in the Tejano World (actually all over the world) and having the "1st ever DJ Tejano/Cumbia Battle." DJ tomcruz hailing from Denver Harbor/East Houston vs DJ Steve Audio hailing from North Side/Houston will be battling it out!
And Special Referee for the battle will be East Sides Own PEPE(Nick Marron)"

Palmers will be showing the Texans Game and having Free Pizza that night.
$7 pre sale tickets can be purchased at Palmers Ice house.
$10 at the door, $8 before 10pm
Palmers Ice House
7315 Lyons Avenue
Houston, TX 77020-5454
(713) 670-7756
Brought to you by SNS Ent.
For more info: facebook.com/mikemarron1
myspace.com/snsband1969
or call 832-668-0067
To Reserve your table call:713-670-7756

Tejano Viva!!!

Cooking Carne: The 1st Annual DH Cook Off in Retrospect

The author, Jose Limon, in his article entitled 'Carne, Carnales, and the Carnivalesque' paints a picture of the Chicano bbq scene by observing:

'I am most interested in the way the consumption of food is a kind of interactional parallel to the charged language which paradoxically generated friendship. Everyone brings his meat- and contributes it to a central collective pile; everyone at some point or another takes a turn at shooing flies away, broiling and cutting the meat, and making the sauce.'

It's true! Few things bring people together the way that sharing food can. It's a part of our cultura and it comes back like 2nd nature in moments when the gente get together to make something happen- in this case, the mission to create a BBQ CookOff in Denver Harbor, organized by Denver Harbians, and participated in by them and their friends.

The Sun was shining and the smell in the air was o-so-good at Palmers Ice House on June 26, 2010. The DH Crew didn't get to taste all the winning food,but we did stay around long enough to test a few of the delicious eats and talk to some of the cooking teams about what they were most looking forward to and what being a part of this event meant to them personally.

Every tent had an inviting & busy feeling to it. The Try This Cookers were beating the heat with mini-raspas they shared with everyone who visited their tent. Other tents had their winning trophies out in prominent display- adding a bit of healthy competition to the whole thing. Fajita seemed to be the Wild Card entry most people were looking forward to and every camp had tables and tents where family and friends were sitting to give company, cheer, taste, and help out where they were needed.

My favorite was the Le Flame Kookers which consisted of all females. They said that while they haven't won in a category yet, they have a great time competing. They most definitely balanced out a bit of the testosterone flying around the place! Trisha, Lisa, and Eva spoke a bit to OurDHStreets Crew member, Dee, about how participating in this cook-off allowed them to reconnect with the community, since some of them had moved away from the 'hood when they got older. The Texas Cyclone Cookers hooked us up with cups of Chili while they recanted about how they are all family and they love to grill and get together, so the Cook-Off (that they initiated) was just a way to fuse that and share with other DH residents and friends that love to do the same.

The palate-ready judges sat snuggly inside of Palmers avoiding the heat and the pressure of the competing teams while BBQ lovers hung out inside with a few cold beverages taking in the aromas and the World Cup on the big screens.

OurDHStreets would like to thank Daniel Hinojosa, The Wild Style Kookers, the Smoked and Chopped Cookers, the Le Flame ladies, and the rest for a great time and yummy food!!!


PS. Palmers Ice House will be hosting another worth-while BBQ event this Saturday, July 17, 2010. Come out anytime from 11:00am - 5:00pm, and support Lena (Ybarra) Lara who is battling cancer. Plates will be $7.00 and include Brisket, Sausage, Potato Salad, and Rice. DJ Locura is sponsoring and there will be a moonwalk for kids. All proceeds will help with medical expenses. For more information, call (713)393-9485.
Please come by and support, enjoy the day, the BBQ, Palmers, and the amazing gente that make it all happen in Denver Harbor!!

Can You Smell What Denver Harbor is Cooking?

MMmm.. there is nothing like the comida that comes off of the open flame of a barbecue pit. We, at OurDHStreets, can already smell the rich aromas rising and spreading through the area as the first pieces of carne and chile hit the grill this weekend at the 1st Annual Denver Harbor Cook-Off! We had a chance to exchange a few quick words with participant and organizer Daniel Hinojosa about what inspired the event and how it will be going down this Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 8am - 5pm at the famous Palmers Ice House!! It will be so good to see the Raza out in full force with friends and familia! Who will take come the Golden Chancla?!

DHStreets- The flier says 8am to 5pm - can you give us a bit more of a breakdown to know what time things will be going on?
DHinojosa- The event is from 8am - 5pm. Teams will begin to set-up as early as 7am, This is serious BBQ business here people, the challenge to win the GOLDEN CHANCLA is on! I am encouraging everyone to carpool as much as possible, ride Metro, or even walk to Palmer's. Parking will be very limited and we want to be good neighbors to everyone out there and not congest the streets. We are anticipating a near capacity crowd. The teams have been briiefed, and category turn-ins are as follows Homemade Salsa - 11am, 12pm - Chili, 1pm - Chicken, 2pm - Pork, 3pm - WildCard (anything goes!). Awards will begin at 4pm. We will be asking for random judges, so if you have a talent for tasting, come by the cook-off and sign up to be a judge! Don't forget World Cup action, USA vs Ghana 1:30pm!

DHStreets- If you can, the names of a few of the teams that are participating.

DHinojosa- The teams that have signed-up are The Tejano Renegade Kookers!, Smoked n' Chopped!, Smokin's a Habit, Smoke 'em up! Cookers, Dammit Boy Cookers, Try This Cookers, Roy Meza Cookers, Goodfellas Cookers, David Rodriguez (he's so cool, he uses his own name!), Stone Cold Cookers, Luv Ya' Q! Palmer's Ice House, and your host cooking team, Texas Cyclone Cookers!

DHStreets- What if there is rain?

DHinojosa- I've participated in cook-offs in ankle deep water before. If there's rain, we will be cooking in the rain, the show must go on! (Safety First always!)

DHStreets- What inspired the Texas Cyclone Cookers to create this event?

DHinojosa- I love bringing people together, I love BBQ, and I am very proud to be from Denver Harbor. There are so many other cook-off teams that originate from Denver Harbor that compete elsewhere in the city, it just made sense to have our own "home field" event for the teams that call Denver Harbor home. I also wanted a signature event in the Denver Harbor area that is a good, positive community event. Often, the negative things that occur in our area (that also happen in every community in America) are highlighted and the positive stories are ignored. There are highly intelligent,educated, resourceful, and good citizens that reside or have their roots in Denver Harbor. This event is a celebration of our neighborhood and culture!

DHStreets- Right on, Daniel! Anything else you'd like to say about the event?:

DHinojosa- Fans can keep up with the cook-off by becoming a friend of www.facebook.com/denverharbor. I want to thank everyone who has supported this event, Kathy Talamantez at Palmer's Ice House, Anna Gonzalez with the Denver Harbor Civic Club, Pearl Pecina with Epic Hair Productions, all the teams for participating, and the fans and sponsors who support our cook-off teams.

This wil the INAUGURAL DENVER HAROR COOK-OFF. We will be making this an annual event, so be prepared to see who wins the GOLDEN CHANCLA at the "2011 Denver Harbor Cook-off"!

We can't wait, Daniel! See you all on Saturday, mi gente!

Denver Harbor Can BBQ!

Come on out (or enter to compete) in Denver Harbor's 1st Annual Cook Off! A little friendly competition, family fun, good eats, Palmers in the background- and all will be made possible by you- the community! Check details below!

Denver Harbor Cook-Off

Saturday, June 26, 2010

RAIN or SHINE!

Palmer’s Ice House

I-10 E @ Wayside Houston, TX 77020

General Cook-off information

Time : 8am – 5pm

Entry Fee: $40.00 per parking space (approx 10 x 18, enough for a pop up tent, and pit.) 2 spaces max. Site must be clear by 6pm, however you are invited to stay as long as you like inside Palmer’s. If you want 2 spaces, $80.

SPACE IS LIMITED!!! First come, first serve!

Events: Enter one category, or enter all!

11am Salsa*

12 pm Chili – NO BEANS, NO FILLER!

1pm Chicken

2pm Pork – any type of pork

3pm Wildcard (Anything Goes!)

4pm Awards

There will also be an award for showmanship. (Cleanliness, booth appearance, hospitality)

All Entries must be prepared on-site, no-pre-marinades.

*Salsa may be prepared off-site (due to electricity). Salsa must be prepared by a team member and must be homemade. Your word is good with us.

Awards :

All Categories 1^st – 3^rd place Showmanship 1^st place only

Safety

It is the team captain’s responsibility to be mindful of safety and the behavior at their respective tents. Unacceptable behavior may result in being asked to leave the cook-off area. Cook-off Committee or Sponsors will not be responsible for any theft, damage, or injury.

This is a family oriented event. No Generators allowed.

Propane and notes…

Propane tanks are prohibited (Fire Dept. Request)

How does this effect Chili? You can use a small pit (Old Smokey) to prepare your chili. There was no propane back on the old trail rides… Hank Hill doesn’t like this rule…

Teams responsible for their own water and ice.

Payment:

Send a Check or Money Order to: Daniel Hinojosa, 7502 Alderson, Houston, TX 77020 along with the Info below. If you wish to pay in cash, contact Daniel at 713.373.6703.

By paying your entry fee, you agree to all rules and regulations. This is a family oriented event.
Team Name:
Team Captain Name:
Telephone Number:
Email: